Nov. 30, 2013 - As was the case in the Concordia Cougar women's previous game at Loras College, a valiant second-half comeback could not make up for a slow first half. In today's conference game at Lakeland College, the Cougars did come back to take a lead, but the Muskies made the plays over the final five minutes of the game to ultimately prevail by a final score of 62-50.
The Cougars missed their first five shots from the field but then got on track. Kassy Koehler (Belvidere, IL/Rockford Lutheran) scored on a second-chance opportunity and Morgan Jahnke (Fox Lake, IL/Grant Community) hit a jumper in the lane.
Tied at 7-7, the Cougars hit a dry spell of eight minutes. However, the defense did enough to keep CUC close before Jahnke's free throws capped the Muskies' run at eight points and made the score 15-9.
Lakeland stretched its lead as high as 13 points at the 2:41 mark, but Concordia-Chicago got its first three of the game as Chanel Stelmachowicz (Fredonia, WI/Living Word Lutheran) hit from the left corner. The Muskies converted two free throws, but Jessica Genke (Kiel, WI/H.S.) hit a baseline jumper in the final minute to put the halftime score at Lakeland 28, CUC 18.
The Cougars flicked the switch to start the second half with a flurry of threes. Genke and Koehler hit from downtown, and Genke followed with a three-point play. Concordia-Chicago rode the momentum and soon took its first lead of the game as Genke's jumper from the top of the key made the score Cougars 35, Muskies 34.
The lead exchanged hands a few times over the next several minutes as both teams began raining threes. Taylor Jandrin and Lexie Greenheck connected for the Muskies while Angelik Young (Crete, IL/Crete-Monee) and April Broska (Belleville, MI/Lutheran South) hit the net for the Cougars. With three minutes remaining, it was still anybody's game with Lakeland holding a slim 48-46 lead.
The Muskies' Bailey Grayvold then hurt the Cougars with the next five points including a three-point play. Broska's three would give the Cougars a final gasp, but the Muskies hit their free throws in the final minutes while locking down on defense to put the game in the home team's win column.
Genke led the Cougars with 19 points, 16 in the second half. Young hit double digits in rebounds with 10, five of them on the offensive side.
Grayvold led Lakeland (2-2, 1-0 NACC) with 16 points, seven boards and six steals. Jandrin scored 12 points and captured a game-high 14 rebounds.
Concordia-Chicago (0-3, 0-2 NACC) returns to action Wednesday night at Geiseman Gymnasium when they battle Alverno College.
