Chicago, Ill. - As they did in Wednesday's season opener, the Illinois Tech men's basketball team put together a strong first half in the game against Albion Saturday afternoon in the Midway Classic at the University of Chicago. But unlike the game against Wisconsin-Oshkosh, the Scarlet Hawks were able to withstand a second half push from the Britons, winning 75-69 to even their season record at 1-1. The Britons start out their 2023-24 campaign 0-1.

The Scarlet Hawks built a 46-29 halftime lead on the strength of hot shooting. The Hawks finished the first half shooting 52% from the field, and 55% from three-point range. Ultimately the Britons could not overcome that 17-point deficit.

First Half (Illinois Tech 46 - Albion 29)
After leading early 7-5, the Britons saw the Scarlet Hawks go on a 13-4 run to take an 18-11 lead with 11:29 remaining in the first half. The Scarlet Hawks would run out to leads as high as 20 points on multiple occasions before finishing the first half with a 17-point lead at 46-29. Garrison Carter led the Hawks with 14 points in the half, knocking down 4 out of 6 three-point attempts along the way. Desmond Price and Caden Gigstand each hit a pair of three-pointers in the half as well, with price adding 3 assists.

Second Half (Albion 40 - Illinois Tech 29)
Albion responded to their halftime deficit by opening the second half with a 15-4 run, cutting their deficit to nine points at 53-44 in just under six and a half minutes of play. The Scarlet Hawks would counter with a 10-0 run, capped off by an Andrew Veon layup at the 9:46 mark to put Illinois Tech up 63-44. The Britons methodically chipped away at the Scarlet Hawks lead, however, and eventually pulled within seven points at 68-61 with 2:19 to play. The Britons would get as close as five points down in the closing minutes before the Scarlet Hawks fended Albion off in the final seconds for the 75-69 victory. Tomas Teklegergis paced the Hawks with 7 points and 3 assists in the second half, with Joshua Iguade adding 6 points. Dario Biaggi came up with 3 big steals in the second half stand.

Scarlet Hawk Standouts

• Carter led the Scarlet Hawks with 18 points while adding 3 steals.
• Teklegergis had 13 points, including 7 of 8 from the free throw line, while adding 5 assists.
• Biaggi with 8 points and 3 steals.

Britons Watch

• AJ Barden led the Britons with 19 points, while adding 9 rebounds and 3 total blocks.
• Marco Lucchesi had 14 points.
• Jaylen Flaniken had a double-double with 11 points and 12 rebounds.

Inside The Box Score

• The Scarlet Hawks bench outscored the Britons 33-14.
• The Britons enjoyed a 36-22 advantage in points in the paint.
• Illinois Tech's 68% free throw percentage vs Albion's 48% proved to be critical in securing the win.

Up Next
With the win Saturday, the Scarlet Hawks get the opportunity to play Southside neighbor and host University of Chicago Maroons Sunday evening at 5:00 PM at the Ratner Athletic Center in the final game of the 2023 Midway Classic.