Feb. 19, 2011 - The Concordia-Chicago women's basketball team finished their 2010-11 season on a two-game winning streak after this afternoon's 65-53 victory over Alverno College in the Northern Athletics Conference Challenge Game.
Senior Marche Smith (Oak Park, IL/Trinity) scored 30 points to lead the Cougars to their 10th win of the season, but it was Smith's sixth and seventh points of the game that brought a sustained ovation from the crowd. Smith's layup at the 4:43 mark of the first half sent her past career men's scoring leader Wayne Hesse (1,892 points) to become the highest scorer in the history of Concordia basketball. Smith would later score point 1,900 early in the second half and finish her storied career with 1,917 points.
As to the game, an opening basket by Claire Mackey (Shelton, NE/Heartland Lutheran) and threes by Smith and Krystyna Rickett (Sandusky, MI/H.S.) shot the Cougars out to an 8-0 lead in the first 2:20. The Inferno recovered shortly after and battled their way back to within 19-18 with eight minutes left in the half. However, a putback by Maja Despot (Glen Ellyn, IL/Glenbard South) ignited an 8-0 run to keep Concordia comfortably in the lead. They would extend the lead to 36-22 over the final minutes of the half.
Concordia's defense held Alverno's all-time leading scorer Gabby Allen scoreless in the first half, but Allen warmed up quickly as the Inferno fought to get back in the game. Allen scored Alverno's first 10 points of the half including a pair of threes to whittle Concordia's lead down to 10. Smith and Mackey bumped the home team's lead back up to 16 points at 48-32, but back came the Infereno with seven straight to trim the deficit to single digits.
Alverno made one final push as Kayla Kennedy's steal and layup with 5:38 remaining, but Rickett's layup, Smith's three-point play and another Rickett basket over the next minute restored the lead to 11.
Smith's 30 points came on 12-21 shooting (1-4 threes) and a perfect 5-5 from the foul line, and the senior added a team-high 10 rebounds. Rickett finished with 11 points, and Mackey came up just shy of a double-double with 10 points and nine rebounds. Senior Katie Leitermann (Milwaukee, WI/Martin Luther) contributed in her final game with six points (2-3 three-pointers), six rebounds, three blocks and three steals.
Alverno (11-14) was led by 12 points each from Allen and Shataya McComb, and 10 points from Alicia Kontowski.
