A dominant inside game was the difference maker in College of DuPage's 57-52 win over visiting Black Hawk College in NJCAA Region 4 men's basketball Thursday night.
 
A force in the paint
The Chaps improved to 2-9 overall by outscoring the Braves 32-20 in the paint. Guard Latron Kirkwood led the Chaps in scoring with 14 points and Evan Wagner-Talley earned another double-double with 12 points and 13 rebounds. Khyre Hines also scored in double figures with 11.
 
Turning point
The Chaps, who opened the game with an 8-0 lead in the first five minutes, held the advantage for most of the game. A Kirkwood 3-pointer with 16:05 left put the Chaps up 35-24, their largest lead of the game. A 6-0 spurt that began with 5:29 remaining was capped by a Wagner-Talley field goal and the Chaps led 54-45 with 3:44 in the game.
 
Black Hawk's strength
The Braves outscored the Chaps 21-3 from the 3-point stripe. Terry Ford led all scorers with 22 points and four 3s.
 
What's next?
The Chaps are at College of Lake County on Saturday afternoon. Tipoff is 2 p.m.