Jan. 28, 2011 - The Cougar women's basketball team ran up against a tough Concordia University Nebraska in today's first round of the 60th annual Concordia Invitational Tournament in Ann Arbor, Michigan. The Bulldogs beat the Cougars by a 90-50 score, handing the maroon and gold its fourth straight loss.

 

The Bulldogs opened the game intent on firing threes, and 19 of their 29 first-half shots came from behind the arc. The Nebraskans made good on seven of their 19, with treys by Kristen Connahan and Kathryn Ommen contributing to an early 12-4 lead. They took a 20-point lead with nine minutes to go in the half and led 46-27 at the break.

 

The Cougars' Marche Smith (Oak Park, IL/Trinity) had a fair amount of success against the Bulldogs' defense in the half. Smith hit on four of five shots from three-point range and put up 16 points.

 

Nebraska scored the first six points of the second half before Bobbie May's (Sandusky, MI/H.S.) three-point play put Chicago on the board. Shortly after, a basket by Krystyna Rickett (Sandusky, MI/H.S.) brought the Cougars back within 18, but the Bulldogs answered with a nine-point run to blow the game wide open.

 

Smith led the Cougars with 18 points while Rickett chipped in with 12. The Cougars shot 35 percent from the field on 18 of 52 but did manage a respectable 44 percent from behind the three-point arc (7-16).

 

The Bulldogs, who shot 32-67 (48 percent) for the game, were led by Ommen's 17 points and Conahan's 14. They also won the boards by a 43-28 margin and committed just 12 turnovers to the Cougars' 22.

 

The Cougars (7-11) will play in Saturday's consolation game against Concordia Wisconsin at 12 noon.