The series between Lakeland and Concordia Chicago dates all the way back to 1950. The Muskies have won 19 of the last 23 meetings, but the Cougars have won three of the last five, including a 70-67 win at home in River Forest, Ill., just over a month ago on Jan. 17, 2025. Lakeland won the most recent meeting at the Moose & Dona Woltzen Gymnasium last year, pulling out a 77-76 overtime win after coming back from four points down with 12 seconds left in regulation. The Muskies won 17 of 18 meetings from CUC from 2010-20. The series included a 43-year break from 1957 to 2000, and the two schools have met 31 times since 2000, with the Muskies winning 24.

Lakeland last time out: Lost at Concordia Wisconsin 98-78 last Saturday
The Muskies lost contact with the Falcons early and were defeated on the road in a Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference game. Concordia built a 31-11 lead just over 10 minutes into the game and led 53-30 at halftime after shooting 60% from the floor over the first 20 minutes. Lakeland heated up after a cold first half, shooting 58.6% in the second half but got no closer than 14 points. Asanjai Hunter scored 25 points, and with 1,212 career points has moved into 24th on the Muskies' all-time scoring list. Peyton Mrotek also posted a double-double with 19 points and 10 rebounds and Emmitt Konieczny added 12 points.

Concordia last time out: Defeated Dominican 77-69 Wednesday
The Cougars dashed back late to defeat the neighboring Stars in their home finale. CUC trailed for most of the second half and was down five with just over four minutes to play, but closed the game on a 19-6 run. Darrian Williams scored 11 points in that stretch, including nine straight for the Cougars in the final 1:11. The Cougars shot 48.2% from the field and 19 of 22 (86.4%) from the foul line, with Williams scoring 19 points and Aaron Brown adding a double-double with 14 points and 10 boards.

Recapping the first meeting: The Muskies nearly stole one from the Cougars in their first matchup despite never leading at any point in the game. Lakeland came back from down 14 points in the first half and was within a point with less than a minute left with a shot to take the lead. Aaron Brown's offensive rebound and putback with 7.5 seconds left provided the final points, and a Muskies three-point attempt at the buzzer was just off target. Jaxson Dillon scored 17 points to lead Lakeland, while Honore Yangoua paced Concordia Chicago with 18 points.

Senior Day: Saturday marks the final home game and possibly the final game in the careers of six Lakeland seniors. Gage Cornell, Jaxson Dillon, Asanjai Hunter, Peyton Mrotek, Tim Ward and Delon Zollicoffer-White all are taking part in their final home game, with five of the six expected to play and Ward sidelined since a knee injury in the opening game of the season. The game also carries heavy importance as it will determine if the Muskies' season continues past Saturday. Lakeland enters one game behind Concordia Chicago in the NACC standings in the race for the eighth and final spot in the NACC Tournament. The Cougars will lock up the spot with a win, but a Lakeland win will trigger a tiebreaker that will come down to a complex formula rating the teams based on quality of wins and losses throughout the NACC season.