The Aurora University men's basketball team's second half comeback falls just short, as they lose to the Scarlet Hawks on the road, 70-66. The Spartans battled back from a 14 point halftime deficit to take the lead in the second half, but IIT was able to fend off the Spartan comeback and pullout the victory. 

THE BASICS
FINAL SCORE: Illinois Institute of Technology 70, Aurora University 66
LOCATION: Chicago, Ill
RECORDS: Aurora University 8-15 overall and 7-11 NACC; Illinois Institute of Technology 10-13 overall and 8-10 NACC
 
HOW IT HAPPENED
- IIT jumped out to a quick 4-0 lead with early points in the paint.
- The Spartans quickly closed the gap on a layup and converted plus one free throw by Bailey Vance.
- After trading baskets for the next few minutes, the Scarlet Hawks went on a run to pull ahead of the Spartans 24-13 with 7:53 left to play in the first half.
- The Spartans battled back, connecting on two Justin Wierzgac free throws to cut the lead to eight, 26-18, with 5:57 left to play in the half.
- IIT continued to be sharp from behind the arc and extending their lead to 15, 37-22, with 1:26 to play in the half.
- Jarek Hotwagner was able to get to the free throw line with at the 1:21 mark, splitting the pair and cutting the lead to 14.
- The Spartans would head into halftime down 14 points, 37-23.
- AU opened the second half with two layups by Justin Wierzgac, cutting the Hawks' lead to ten, 37-27.
- The Hawks would answer back, extending the lead back to 14, 41-27, with 17:12 to play in the game.
- A 7-0 run by the Spartans would trim the IIT lead to 41-34 with 16:14 left in regulation.
- Over the next five minutes, the Spartans would continue to chip away at the Hawks' lead, tying the game at 47-47 on a Shamar Pumphrey layup at the 11:00 minute mark.
- The Spartans would continue to pour on the offensive pressure, and extended their lead to 10 with 7:44 to play on a Shamar Pumphrey free throw.
- IIT then went on an 11-1 run, tying the game 62-62 with 3:21 to go.
- With the Scarlet Hawks in foul trouble, the Spartans made their way to the free throw line for the next two possessions and extended their lead to four, 66-62, with 2:35 minutes left to play. 
- After a shot clock violation on AU, the Hawks would close out the game on an 8-0 run, spoiling the Spartan comeback efforts.
- The Spartans would go on to lose 70-66. 

SPARTAN STAT LEADERS
Points: Bailey Vance and Will Hrubes (12), Shamar Pumphrey (11)
Assists: Justin Wierzgac (5) and Shamar Pumphrey (4)
Rebounds: Shamar Puphrey (7) and Jarek Hotwagner (4)

UP NEXT
Next action for the Spartan men's basketball team comes on Tuesday, February 18 when they host Edgewood College on Lancaster Court in Thornton Gymnasium in Aurora, Ill. Tip-off is set for 7:00 p.m.