Mitchell Hurliman had a game-high 12 points for the winners (2-0) while fellow guard Brandon Grimsley tossed in 11 for a Blueboy team that managed to hit just 40 percent (17-42) from the field against the taller Cougars (3-1). Concordia, which converted 43 percent (20-46) of its shots, got 10 points from Andre Smith and eight from Bobby Smith.
The two teams each grabbed 32 rebounds, with Illinois College’s Joe Womble collecting seven boards while Bryan Ganek of Concordia had six.
After falling behind early, the visitors managed to go in front by one (19-18) at the break. Illinois College managed to pull away late, however, and finished up by outscoring the Cougars by nine (38-29) during the second half.
In Saturday’s other opening round contest, Dominican University shook off a pesky MacMurray College team with a late burst and collected a 77-67 victory. In Sunday’s finals, Illinois College will meet Dominican for the title while MacMurray will battle Concordia for the consolation crown.