The Dominican University Stars suffered back-to-back losses last week but can find a silver lining in the play of freshman Mike Haiduc, who set career-highs in points in both games.
Haiduc began the week with a double-double effort in an 84-45 loss at Rockford College on Jan. 26. Haiduc scored a team-high 16 points, grabbed 10 rebounds and recorded three blocks in the losing effort.
Haiduc then responded with a 22-point effort in a 78-72 loss to the Marian College Sabres on Saturday. Haiduc went 8-for-15 from the field and converted six of seven free-throw attempts.
In the loss to the Sabres, Haiduc was one of four Stars players to score in double figures. Sophomore Binyamin Jones chipped in 17 points while freshman Ivano Clay and Ronald Moore added 12 points apiece.
The pair of losses dropped the Stars to 7-12 overall and 2-4 in the Northern Illinois-Iowa Conference.
Women’s basketball: The Stars dropped back-to-back games last week to fall to 2-17 on the season.
On Jan. 25, the Stars fell to NIIC opponent Rockford College 71-57 despite a game-high 22 points from senior Melissa Lounds. Lounds went 9-for-17 from the field and 4-for-6 from the foul line as the only Stars’ player to score in double figures.
The Stars then traveled to Marian College on Thursday and fell to the Sabres 67-51 in non-conference action. Katie Strickland was the Stars’ leading scorer on the night with 15 points, with a perfect 9-for-9 performance from the charity stripe.
The Stars return to action on Saturday as they travel to Eureka College for a 1 p.m. game.
Concordia no match for Concordia
The Concordia University basketball teams hosted the Concordias of Ann Arbor, Mich., Mequon, Wis., and Seward, Neb., this past weekend in the 54th annual Concordia Invitational Tournament. Unfortunately, the visiting teams made themselves quite at home at the expense of the Cougars as the home teams went a combined 0-4 on the weekend.
The Cougar women were defeated in Friday’s first round 71-63 by Concordia Mequon. Freshman Ellie Bravo led the Cougars with 17 points, but Mequon’s Stacy Rusch lit up the Cougars with 25 points and five assists.
Saturday’s consolation round saw the Cougars lose to Concordia Ann Arbor by a 66-53 final. Vanessa Acosta, who would earn all-tournament honors for the Cougars, led the hosts with 16 points.
Men’s basketball: The Cougar men played well on Friday night but were no match for eventual tournament champion Concordia Seward. The Bulldogs jumped to an early lead and went on to a 66-43 win.
Bobby Smith and Bernard Middleton led the Cougars with 10 apiece. The Cougars lost out in the consolation game on Saturday as Concordia Mequon won out 62-53 in a physical contest. Tom Woodruff’s 13 points and Robert Lorenzen’s 11 led the Cougars, but the home team could not overcome 33 percent shooting for the game.
Press releases contributed to this report.
