Chicago, Ill. - The Illinois Tech men's basketball team found themselves in a big hole after one half of play against host University of Chicago Sunday evening in the final game of the Midway Classic. The Scarlet Hawks responded with their best second half performance of the young season, but it wasn't enough to overtake the Maroons, who held on for an 80-71 victory. The Scarlet Hawks dropped to 1-2. The Maroons start the season 2-0.

The key to the game was University of Chicago's hot shooting in the first half, as the Maroons shot a blistering 65% from the field in the opening frame. The Scarlet Hawks actually shot well on the evening, finishing with a 48% field goal percentage, but the Maroons fast start proved too much to overcome.

First Half (UChicago 45 - Illinois Tech 29)
A DeAndre Vortes three-pointer at the 17:33 mark of the opening half gave the Scarlet Hawks their only lead of the game at 5-4. The Hawks would tie the Maroons twice more, with the last coming at 9-9 with 16:18 to play. With the Maroons leading 12-11 with 14:11 remaining, they took off on a 12-0 run for a 24-11 lead at the 10:39 mark. The Maroons followed that with an 18-9 run to open up their biggest lead of the game, 22 points, at 42-20 with 3:13 remaining. The Scarlet Hawks would provide a late push however, closing out the first half with a 9-3 run to cut their deficit to 16 points entering halftime, setting the tone for their second half rally. Vortes led all Scarlet Hawk scorers with 11 points in the first half. 

Second Half (Illinois Tech 42 - UChicago 35)
UChicago would open the second half with a 7-4 mini run to build their lead back up to 19 points at 52-33 with 17:14 remaining. But the Scarlet Hawks would get to work chipping away at the UChicago lead. The first rally came on a 16-7 run by the Hawks, cutting their deficit to 10 points at 59-49 with 9:56 remaining. A Dario Biaggi three-pointer with 2:54 to play capped off a Hawks second run, outscoring the Maroons 16-11 to pull within 5 points at 70-65. But with the Scarlet Hawks in foul trouble late into the half, the Maroons were able to use that to their advantage down the stretch, converting five free throws as part of a 10-6 run to close out the game. The Scarlet Hawks used balance scoring in the second half to get back in the game. Garrison Carter led the way with 9 points. Tomas Teklegergis had 7 points and three others had 6 points each in the second half.

Scarlet Hawk Standouts

• DeAndre Vortes had 13 points in just under 15 minutes of play.
• Garrison Carter had 13 points.
• Tomas Teklegergis had 9 points, 4 rebounds and 2 blocks.
• Caden Gigstad with 9 points.
• Dario Biaggi with 9 points, 3 rebounds and 2 steals.
• Sultan Abuissa led the Hawks with 5 rebounds while adding 8 points.

Maroons Watch

• Bryce Hopkins paced all scorers with 20 points and 8 rebounds.
• Eamonn Kenah added 19 points, including 4 of 6 from three-point range.
• Phillip Lawrence with 10 points and 5 assists.

Inside The Box Score

• The Scarlet Hawks bench outscored the Maroons 32-26.
• Despite a size disadvantage, the Scarlet Hawks actually won the points in the paint battle 32-28.

Up Next
Another short turn-around for the Scarlet Hawks, as they travel to DeKalb, Illinois Monday night to take on Division I Northern Illinois University at 7:00 PM in another non-conference matchup.