Box Score AURORA, Ill. – Still searching for their first win in the month of February, MSOE men's basketball hit the road for the fourth straight game to take on Aurora. Unfortunately, that victory will have to wait for another day. The Spartans were consistent from the field and a threat from downtown as they defeat the Raiders by eight.
RESULTS
MSOE – 78
Aurora – 86
HOW IT HAPPENED
MSOE (11-10, 8-8 NACC) once again got off to a decent start in Saturday's ballgame, jumping out to a five-point lead just five minutes into the first period. However, they were unable to pull away any further as a cat and mouse game ensued. The lead went back and forth several times before Aurora (7-14, 6-10 NACC) went on a 13-6 run to close out the first half. Down by seven coming into the second period, the Red & White shot 50 percent in the frame, up 10 percentage points from their opening 20-minute effort. Unfortunately, the Spartans shot better as well, clocking in a 62.5 percent. Aurora kept a stranglehold on the lead throughout the last period of play, weathering several Raider mini runs. The closest the Red & White would get in the second half was within five points of the lead at 17:43, though they did cut the lead down to eight points several times during the waning minutes of the ballgame. Aurora made 10 three pointers and outscored the Raiders in bench points 24-8 on their way to a season sweep of MSOE.
RAIDER RECORDS
- With his 14 points on Saturday, Matthew Kirmse passed Scott Murphy for fifth all-time on the Raiders scoring list. Kirmse is also just 20 points away from eclipsing 1,500 for his career.
MSOE STAT TRACKER
Points – Michael Pitrof (25)
Rebounds – Matthew Kirmse (9)
Assists – Josh Herzog (5)
Steals – Michael Pitrof & Josh Herzog (2)
WHO'S ON DECK
The Raiders will hope that some home cooking will do the trick when they play on the surface inside Hotchkin Arena for the first time since Jan. 25th. Benedictine will be their opponent on Wednesday starting at 7:00 pm.
For up-to-the-minute MSOE Raiders news, visit us at www.go-raiders.com. You can also follow the Red & White on Twitter @MSOE_Raiders and @msoe_raiders on Instagram.
