(Ann Arbor, MI) - Concordia men's basketball played host to Defiance College on Saturday afternoon in WHAC play.  The Cardinals trimmed a 26-point deficit down to single digits in the second half, but the team fell by a final score of 69-58.

Jason Jergens led the team with 20 points.  Ray Washington-Battle finished a close second with 19 points.  Mark DeVries had a team-high of seven rebounds.  

Ray Washington-Battle made a free throw for the first Cardinal point.  Jack Olis ended a 10-1 Defiance run with two free throws and Jason Jergens added a triple.  Wyatt Zepp and Ray Washington-Battle had free throws to trim the deficit to 12-10 at the midway point of the first half.

Defiance countered with a 10-0 run until Ray Washington-Battle made two free throws.  Matt Blanton added a layup in the final minutes and CUAA trailed 30-16 at halftime.

Mark DeVries opened the second half with an "and-1".  Ray Washington-Battle drove for a layup and Jason Jergens made a 3-pointer.  The duo continued to pace the offense but the Cardinals faced their largest deficit of the game down 54-28 with 11:30 to play.  

Jason Jergens made a 3-pointer to start a 12-0 run as the Cardinals rallied to make a comeback.  Mason Canfield added free throws and Jergens had a triple to cap the run.  Mark DeVries scored inside and two more 3-pointers from Jason Jergens cut the deficit to single digits with Defiance leading 57-48 with 4:12 to play.  

Jack Olis had two 3-pointers down the stretch as the Cardinals continued to aim for a comeback.  However, Defiance was able to maintain their lead.  Ray Washington-Battle threw down a dunk in the final seconds to keep fighting.  Despite the great effort, CUAA fell 69-58 as time expired. 

Concordia will remain home this Wednesday, January 8th, when they host rival Siena Heights at 7:30pm.