Plymouth, Wis. — Nicolas Ortiz scored a career-high 23 points, one of five players scoring in double figures, as Illinois Tech men's basketball soared to a commanding 92-77 victory over Lakeland University at Woltzen Gymnasium on Wednesday night. The Scarlet Hawks owned the paint with a staggering 70 points and turned the Muskies' turnovers into 18 points.

With the win, Illinois Tech starts Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference (NACC) play 1-0 and moves to 1-3 overall. The Muskies now stand at 2-4 overall and 0-2 in conference play.

How It Happened

The game tipped off with Peyton Mrotek knocking down a jumper for Lakeland, but Garrison Carter quickly answered with a layup for Illinois Tech, evening the score. Nicolas Ortiz spearheaded our attack, delivering several crucial layups, including a fast-break finish and a free throw to push the lead to 10-7 at the 16:58 mark. Ortiz's outstanding play helped the Scarlet Hawks take a 49-36 advantage into halftime. Dominating the inside game, we outscored the Muskies 36 to 12 in the paint and received a boost with 21 points from our bench.

Illinois Tech carried this momentum into the second half. Ortiz wasted no time, scoring a layup just 15 seconds in, assisted by Obrad Kuzmanovic. John Davis III chipped in with key layups at the 18:26 and 3:48 marks, while Bryce Shoto's fast-break layup with 37 seconds left sealed the deal. Despite Jaxson Dillon's late 3-pointer for the Muskies, the Scarlet Hawks maintained control, outscoring Lakeland 43-41 in the half to cement the 92-77 triumph.

Scarlet Hawk Standouts

Nicolas Ortiz  
----------------------  
- 23 points  
- 10/12 field goals  
- 4 assists  
- 5 rebounds  

John Davis III  
----------------------  
- 13 points  
- 6/8 field goals  
- 3 assists  

Bryce Shoto  
----------------------  
- 13 points  
- 6 field goals  
- 1 steal  

Owen Walsh  
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- 10 points  
- 4/6 free throws  
- 3 steals  

Igor Filipovic  
----------------------  
- 9 points  
- 4/4 field goals  
- 6 rebounds  

Garrison Carter 
----------------------  
- 10 points  

Muskies Top Performers  

Asanjai Hunter  
----------------------  
- 20 points  
- 12/13 free throws  
- 4 rebounds  
- 2 steals  

Parker Braun  
----------------------  
- 15 points  
- 2/2 from 3-point range  
- 9 rebounds  
- 2 steals  

Jaxson Dillon  
----------------------  
- 17 points  
- 3 assists  
- 1 steal  

Game Notes:
- Illinois Tech now leads the series against Lakeland 8-5 and has won the last two matchups.
- Bryce Shoto exceeded his season average with 6 field goals.
- Nicolas Ortiz set a career-high with 23 points.
- Owen Walsh achieved a career-high of 10 points.
- Igor Filipovic also reached a career-high with 9 points.
- Garrison Carter hit double digits in points for the fourth consecutive game.

Up Next
The Scarlet Hawks will face Aurora University on Saturday, December 6th at 1 p.m. in Aurora in another NACC contest.