CU's Jourdan Sweeney set a career high with 34 points on Tuesday.
Sweeney Erupts for 34 in Concordia Blowout
PORTLAND, Ore.—With seven players reaching double figures, including a game-high 34 from sophomore Jourdan Sweeney, Concordia unraveled Multnomah 130-90 in non-conference men’s basketball action on Tuesday night to open the season.
Concordia will next take the court on Nov. 6 when it hosts William Jessup. Opening tip is set for 7:30 p.m. in the Cavalier Gymnasium.
The Cavs shot 64.3 percent from the field over the course of the game while limiting the Lions to 36.4 percent.
Multnomah staked an early lead with Nicolaas Kamlade firing from long range to open the game’s scoring. The Lions would keep it close in the opening minutes, but a pair of Sweeney free throw makes would square the contest at 8-8 and would soon spur an 18-4 run by the Cavaliers before claiming a 70-48 lead at the break.
Kamlade scored 19 f his team-high 29 in the first half, but would be outdone by CU’s Sweeney who poured in 22 in the first 20 minutes en route to eclipsing his previous career high of 31 points.
The Cavs would extend its lead to as much as 23 in the first period and later to as much as 49 in the second.
“I thought our defense to started well in the second half after making some adjustments,” CU head coach Brad Barbarick said. “That effort was what allowed us to put us in control of the game.”
Along with Sweeney, the Cavaliers received 18 points from Alex Thiefenthaler, 14 of which occurred in the first half, 15 from Jason Holzwarth, 13 from Sergio Rosario and a dozen from Drew Preuninger. Also reaching double figures were Kevan West and Gage Aker, who each tallied 10 points.
Former Cavalier Connor Hambleton scored 17 for the Lions.
Concordia outrebounded Multnomah 65-to-25 as the Lions fired 51 three-point attempts, converting on 12 for a 23.5 percent success rate. Concordia hot 10-of-24 from beyond the arc, including 4-of-6 from Preuninger, for a 41.7 percent shooting percentage.
Jeff Sego reached double figures in assists with 12 while Aker and Sweeney shared the game high with 11 rebounds to record ‘double-doubles’.
“I always appreciate the opportunity to play Multnomah,” Barbarick said. “Right across town, Coach Bickley has done a great job with that team and with a great style of play. We obviously had an advantage athletically and with our size, but it was a great chance to play different combinations. Sweeney was spectacular and made some really smart plays for us.”