Chicago, Ill. — Illinois Tech men's basketball earned a hard-fought 74-64 victory over Dominican University on Wednesday night at Keating Sports Center. Dominating the paint with 32 points, the Scarlet Hawks thwarted the Stars comeback effort.
Nick Galati and
James Pilapil established career-highs in points scored with 21 and 10, respectively.
Illinois Tech now stands with a 6-15 overall record and a 4-10 tally in NACC play. Dominican's season record falls to 1-19, with a 1-12 mark in the conference.
How It Happened
Dominican got off to a quick start, with Frank Paszkowski sinking a three-pointer just 47 seconds in. But Illinois Tech quickly found their rhythm, highlighted by
James Pilapil's three-pointer, assisted by
Nicolas Ortiz at 16:16, giving them a 5-4 edge.
Isaiah Dudley electrified the crowd with a fast-break dunk, pushing the lead to 13-4 by 11:07. The Scarlet Hawks kept the momentum, with
Nick Galati scoring a crucial layup at 3:40 to extend their lead. Despite Braydon Murphy's efforts from the free-throw line for Dominican, Illinois Tech closed the first half ahead, 27-17.
The second half was a nail-biter, with both teams dropping 47 points each, keeping fans on the edge of their seats. Galati was a force, breaking a tie with a layup at 2:33 and securing a defensive rebound with less than a minute to go.
Garrison Carter shone brightly, knocking down consecutive baskets, including a clutch three-pointer at 4:43 and a timely jump shot at 1:28, strengthening the home team's lead. Paszkowski fought back with a layup at 3:32, but Illinois Tech held firm, with
Obrad Kuzmanovic sealing the deal at the free-throw line with 10 seconds left, finalizing the score at 74-64.
Scarlet Hawk Standouts
Nick Galati
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- 21 points
- 8 field goals made
- 3 assists
Garrison Carter
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- 19 points
- 3 three-pointers made
- 6/7 free throws made
James Pilapil
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- 10 points
- 3/3 field goals made
- 3/3 free throws made
Dominican Standouts
Frank Paszkowski
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- 18 points
- 7 field goals made
- 4 three-pointers made
- 4 rebounds
Braydon Murphy
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- 16 points
- 10/13 free throws made
- 12 rebounds
- 3 steals
Ismael Ndiaye
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- 10 points
- 4/4 free throws made
- 2 rebounds
Game Notes:
- Illinois Tech improved to 9-5 lifetime against Dominican.
- Team - Total three-point attempts reached 26, topping the season average of 14.8.
- Team - Achieved at least 6 steals in 3 straight games.
- Galati - Recorded a career-high 21 points.
- Galati - Set a season-high with 8 field goals made.
-
James Pilapil - Achieved a career-high with 10 points.
Up Next
The Scarlet Hawks hit the road to face the Milwaukee School of Engineering, with tip-off scheduled for Saturday, February 7th at 3:15 p.m. in Milwaukee.
