Jan. 22, 2013 - The Concordia Cougar women's basketball team extended their winning streak to five games this evening with a 69-54 over the Aurora University Spartans in Northern Athletics Conference action at Aurora's Thornton Gymnasuim.

The Cougars fell behind 10-2 in the opening minutes but eventually worked out the kinks in the offense and fought back. Krystyna Rickett (Sandusky, MI/H.S.) hit two free throws following an aggressive drive to the basket, and Jessica Genke (Kiel, WI/H.S.) and Rickett followed with layups to build the momentum. Concordia kept chipping away and took its first lead 18-17 on Ariel Duell-Duran's (Haiku, HI/Seabury Hall) jumper at the 9:45 mark.

Concordia continued to roll and built its lead to seven as Genke's two free throws made the score 28-21 Cougars. However, Genke and Rickett would sit the final minutes of the half with two fouls each, and the Spartans would cut the lead to 32-29 at the half.

Genke shot 5-5 from the field as part of a 13-point half. The Cougars as a whole shot 12-19 (63 percent) and 8-10 from the foul line. However, 12 turnovers slowed the offense's effectiveness and allowed the hosts to creep back into the game. The Spartans shot 11-26 (42 percent) from the field but got big first-half efforts from Bethany Dorrington (11 points, 3-3 on threes) and Ciara Marlow (10 points).

An 11-4 outburst to start the second half allowed Concordia to open up its first double-digit lead of the game. Genke scored twice, and Kassy Koehler (Belvidere, IL/Rockford Lutheran) drilled a three for her first points of the game. The Cougars forced nine missed shots and four turnovers during the run in beginning to assert control.

The lead grew as high as 17 points before the home team mounted a charge. Dorrington's free throw capped a 7-0 run that cut Concordia's advantage to 50-40. However, the Cougars countered the threat as Rickett hit a long three and, moments later, threaded a perfect pass to Genke for a layup that put the lead back to 15. That enabled the Cougars to withstand a final Spartans' charge that trimmed the lead to 10 with just over a minute remaining.

Genke shot 9-12 from the field and 5-6 from the line to lead all scorers with 23 points. She fell one rebound short of another double-double, but her nine rebounds still led both teams. Rickett shot 10-11 from the free throw line as part of a 17-point performance. The Cougars' senior also played a stellar game at the point, finishing with five assists and no turnovers.

Marlow led Aurora (6-12, 3-8 NAC) with 16 points. Dorrington finished with 15 points including 3-4 from outside the arc.

Concordia (7-11, 7-5 NAC) will take a break from conference play this weekend as they travel to Seward, Nebraska for the 62nd annual Concordia Invitational Tournament. Friday's first-round game is against host Concordia Nebraska and will tip off at 6 p.m.