De Pere, Wis. – Hitting the road, the Illinois Tech Scarlet Hawks men's basketball team traveled north to take on the St. Norbert College Green Knights in a Saturday afternoon Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference (NACC). In a contest that saw three ties and five lead changes, the Hawks fought hard, but after giving up the lead with 1:06 remaining in the first half, they spent the entirety of the second half playing catch up. In the end, the Green Knights (12-6, 8-3) were able to hold the Hawks (3-14, 2-8) out, defeating them 71-63.  

The game quickly started out in a back-and-forth contest before the Hawks jumped out ahead. DeAndre Vortes pushed the Hawks ahead to a 12-6 lead at 12:36 after picking up seven straight points. The Hawks remained ahead until the 9:34 mark when a layup by the Green Knights tied the game at 14-14. Jace Gooley immediately made a jumper, putting the Hawks back on top. The lead would stay in favor of the Hawks until the 1:06 mark when back-to-back three pointers turned the game in favor of the Green Knights. In the final minute of the first half, the Green Knights built an 8-point lead to head into the locker rooms ahead 33-25. Unfortunately for the Hawks, the Green Knights found their rhythm and never backed down. Through the second half, the Hawks fought to stay within reach, but the Green Knights did just enough to keep them out. At the final buzzer, the Hawks fell to the Knights 71-63.  

Joshua Iguade picked up his second double-double of the season with 14 points and 13 rebounds. 10 of the 13 rebounds came defensively. DeAndre Vortes led the team in points with 18 after.  

Jamison Nickolai led the Green Knights with a double-double of 20 points and 15 rebounds. 

UP NEXT 

The Hawks will return to the Keating Sports Center on Wednesday, January 29th for a 7:00 PM NACC contest against the Concordia University of Wisconsin Falcons.