Spartans Lose First NAC Contest of the Year

AURORA, Ill. February 2, 2008 - The Aurora University men’s basketball team lost to the visiting Crusaders of the Milwaukee School of Engineering 88-82 on Saturday in front of the home Thornton Gymnasium crowd. The loss, Aurora’s first in conference this season and just AU’s 10th loss in Thornton Gymnasium since the 2000-2001 season, drops Aurora’s record to 16-4 overall and 12-1 in the NAC; the Raiders move to 13-7 overall and 8-5 in the Northern Athletics Conference.

The first half was all Raiders, as they jumped out to an early lead and never let the Spartans get on a hot streak. MSOE was led by senior Scott Murphy, who had nine first half points on three of six shooting. Austin Meier added eight points while Andy Voigt chipped in seven in order to give the Raiders the 21 point halftime lead (46-25). The Spartans were paced by junior Chad Trudo, who had seven points at the intermission.

The second half witnessed strong play by the Spartans, but MSOE managed to hold-off the charge en route to the six-point victory. MSOE would shoot 57.4 percent (31-of-54) from the field for the game, while holding AU to 40.5 percent (30-of-74).

The Raiders were led by Murphy, who continued his first half ways and finished with 21 points on 6-of-11 shooting. He also picked-up seven rebounds and three assists on his stellar night. Andy Voigt also remained hot for the visitors, as he finished the game with 20.

The Spartans were led by senior Larry Welton, who finished with a game high 30 points and seven rebounds. With his effort, Welton became Aurora University’s second all-time leading scorer with 2,156 points. Welton is behind only Mickey Johnson, former Spartan great and NBA stand-out who has 2,453 career points. Trudo continued his scoring ways and went on to finish the game with 18 points on 5-of-11 shooting.

The Spartans return to action on Wednesday, February 6, when they host NAC foe Wisconsin Lutheran College. Game time is set for 7:00 p.m. in Thornton Gymnasium.