Dec. 14, 2013 - A strong defensive effort could not save the Concordia-Chicago women's basketball team from their sixth straight defeat this afternoon. The host Sabres of Marian University delivered five free throws in the final minute and held off the Cougars by a score of 58-56.
From the beginning, the Cougars had limiting the Sabres' three-point shooting as their top priority. Concordia-Chicago's defense executed that goal almost to perfection. Marian made just one of four tries outside the arc and missed their only attempt of the second half. In particular, Kassy Koehler (Belvidere, IL/Rockford Lutheran) covered Marian's top deep threat Sarah Albert and held her to just one attempt for the game.
Concordia-Chicago led by as much as five points at 19-14, but three consecutive possessions with a turnover helped the hosts to fight back into the game. Marian ran off nine straight points late in the half before April Broska's (Belleville, MI/Lutheran South) layup made it a two-point game after 20 minutes, 23-21.
The start of the second half saw the Sabres' lead fluctuate between two and four points before the Cougars made a run. Trailing 33-31, Jessica Genke's (Kiel, WI/H.S.) free throw and Koehler's putback triggered an 11-5 run. Broska scored the final six points of the run with her back-to-back layups giving CUC a 42-37 lead with 10 minutes remaining.
Emma Jarvey kept the Sabres from falling even further behind. She would hit seven of right shots in the second half to account for 14 of her team-leading 16 points. Her basket at the 2:06 mark put the Sabres in the lead at 51-50. The Cougars came back to tie briefly at 51 and again at 53, but the Sabres then took control in the final minute of play.
Albert was fouled with 48.1 seconds left and made both shots to put the Sabres up 55-53. The Cougars looked to regain the lead, but a three from the right corner was off the mark. Marian rebounded, and a foul sent Albert to the line again with 26.3 remaining. Albert made it 4-4 in the final minute as the Sabres took a two-possession lead. A second missed three by CUC and Dani Huray's free throw stretched the lead to five before Genke knocked down a three at the buzzer to account for the final score.
Genke and Broska scored 13 and 11 points respectively in the second half to tie for CUC scoring honors with 17 points each. But the Cougars made just 22 of 64 shots from the field for 34 percent compared to the Sabres' 23 of 50 for 46 percent. Rebounds were even at 38 apiece, and the Cougars had three less turnovers with 14 to the Sabres' 17. Concordia-Chicago scored 16 points off of Marian's miscues.
The Cougars will play at Benedictine University in Lisle on Tuesday night at 7:00.
