Chicago, Ill — Illinois Tech Men's Basketball clinched a hard-fought 69-63 win over Rockford on Wednesday night at the Keating Sports Center. Illinois Tech was able to overcome a six point half point deficit as they held Rockford to just four points in the first ten minutes of the second half.  Illinois Tech now sits at 2-4 overall and 2-1 in NACC play, while the Regents are still searching for their first win, holding an 0-6 overall record and 0-3 in NACC competition.

How It Happened

The game kicked off with Garrison Carter putting Illinois Tech on the board first. Rockford bounced back quickly, taking advantage of second-chance points and offensive boards. Cooper Jackson's tip-in knotted the score at 4. Rockford's Luke Stuckey and Kamren Hogan then hit a series of threes, pushing the visitors ahead 10-6 by the 15:46 mark. Despite a valiant effort from Illinois Tech, including a late fast-break layup by Nicolas Ortiz set up by Bryce Shoto, the Regents held a 38-32 edge at halftime, bolstered by Tre Miller's buzzer-beater layup.

In the second half, Illinois Tech turned the tide. Carter was clutch, nailing a layup at 15:55 to level the score at 40, and later draining a crucial three at 7:28 to tie it up at 51. Rockford's Devon Oregon tried to keep his team in the game with a jumper to even things at 48 and a subsequent three-pointer to regain the lead. But Illinois Tech's John Davis III and Carter were money from the line in the closing minute. The Scarlet Hawks' defense stepped up, keeping the Regents scoreless in the dying seconds, sealing the victory.

Scarlet Hawk Standouts

John Davis III  
- 16 points  
- 8/8 free throws  
- 1 block  

Isaiah Dudley 
- 6 points  
- 10 rebounds  
- 2 assists  

Nicolas Ortiz
- 8 points  
- 4/4 free throws  
- 2 steals  

Garrison Carter 
- 26 points  
- 3/5 from three-point range  
- 12 rebounds  
- 2 steals  

Rockford Top Performers

DeVon Oregon 
- 18 points  
- 7/18 field goals  
- 7 rebounds  

Kamren Hogan
- 10 points  
- 2 steals  
- 3 rebounds  

Jaden Bell  
- 6 points  
- 3 steals  
- 4 rebounds  

Game Notes:
- Illinois Tech improved to 5-8 all-time against the Regents.

Up Next
The Scarlet Hawks return to action at home against Kalamazoo College on Saturday, Dec. 13 at 1 p.m. inside the Keating Sports Center in Chicago.