Nov. 23, 2010 - The Concordia women's basketball team's bid for a 2-0 start fell short on the heels of a 27 percent shooting performance in tonight's 58-51 loss to host Eureka College.
The Cougars fell behind 8-2 in the opening four minutes, but Kellie Murphy's (Johnsburg, IL/Marian Central Catholic) three gave the visitors a needed boost. Later in the half, a three by Bobbie May (Sandusky, MI/H.S.) gave Concordia its first lead at 19-18. However, Eureka answered with a 7-2 burst to reclaim a four-point lead. Baskets by Katie Leitermann (Milwaukee, WI/Martin Luther) and Maja Despot (Glen Ellyn, IL/Glenbard South) in the final 1:20 enabled the Cougars to catch the Red Devils 25-25 at the half.
Eureka took control of the game early in the second half. Keyed by Sara Hamilton's three, they scored the first five points and exploded for an 18-5 run over 10 minutes. The Cougars were unable to buy a basket in that span, missing 15 of their 17 shots. After Leitermann's three-point play at the 8:57 mark got the Cougars back on track, they fought back to close within 51-47 at the 2:33 mark on two free throws by Marche Smith (Oak Park, IL/Trinity). However, the Red Devils made good on their free throws in the final minutes and did not allow the Cougars any closer.
In a stat that underlined the Cougars' shooting difficulties, Concordia had 21 more shots from the field, helped out by 21 offensive rebounds (five by Smith). But the Cougars managed just 19 of 71 while also contending with 18 turnovers. The Red Devils shot just 32 percent themselves (16-50) but overcame that on the strength of 22-28 from the foul line for 79 percent. By contrast, the Cougars were just 8-14 from the line for 57 percent.
Smith led the Cougars with 16 points while Leitermann added nine points and eight rebounds. Eureka's Hamilton led all scorers with 18 points.
Concordia (1-1) will host Rockford College on Saturday afternoon in the opener of Northern Athletics Conference play.
