Dec. 21, 2013 - Another close game ended in luckless fashion for the Concordia University Chicago women's basketball team this afternoon. The host Rockford University Regents made the clutch shots in the final few minutes and held off the Cougars by a final score of 71-68 in Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference play.
The first few minutes of the game did not bode well for the Cougars as they committed three turnovers in the first 70 seconds. They recovered to score seven consecutive points, five coming from April Broska (Belleville, MI/Lutheran South). But Rockford responded with nine unanswered points for a 13-7 lead.
Concordia-Chicago got back into the game as they began to get comfortable behind the three-point arc. Kassy Koehler (Belvidere, IL/Rockford Lutheran) and Chanel Stelmachowicz (Fredonia, WI/Living Word Lutheran) connected to bring the Cougars back to within 21-19. Koehler later buried another three at the 2:57 mark to give the Cougars a 26-25 lead.
Rockford regained the lead on Jessica Bjerning's jumper, but Concordia would go to the locker room with a 28-27 lead as Jessica Genke (Kiel, WI/H.S.) knocked down a pair of free throws with 28 ticks left.
The second half began with a series of runs. Rockford scored the first seven points of the half, but Concordia answered with a 10-4 run capped off by a right-corner three from Stelmachowicz to tie the game at 38-38.
Momentum quickly shifted back to Rockford as Callie Rezin's three, the home team's first triple of the game, started a 9-0 run. Katie Clark, the Regents' 6'1" center, provided the last four points with some hard inside work to put Rockford up 47-38. But the Cougars countered with the long threes yet again. Koehler and Lauren Orr (O'Fallon, MO/Lutheran St. Charles) went back-to-back to chop the lead to three. Clark interrupted the run with another basket, but Stelmachowicz treyed for the third time in the game, and Genke hit a pair of free throws moments later to tie the game at 49-49.
With five minutes to play, Genke's three-point play let Concordia regain the lead at 61-59. After a turnover, Morgan Jahnke (Fox Lake, IL/Grant Community) scored in the lane for a four-point lead. However, Jahnke's basket would be the final field goal of the game for the Cougars.
The Cougars still led by a 65-62 score with three minutes remaining when Clark came to the rescue for Rockford. She scored the Regents' next six points on a pair of free throws and a pair of layups. putting Rockford in the lead at 68-65.
As the game clock hit the final minute, Broska went to the free-throw line and knocked down a pair to make it a one-point game. The Cougars then looked for the defensive stop and appeared to have the Regents scrambling to get a quality shot. With the shot clock running down, the Regents' Mallorie Getzelmann flung up a three from a slight angle to the left. The shot appeared to be tailing off to the right but iinstead swished the net as the shot clock horn went off. The three, only Rockford's second of the game, put the Regents up four with 29 seconds left.
Broska's free throw with nine seconds left got one point back. A quick foul put RU's Erin Ryczek at the line in a one-and-one situation. The first free throw came off the rim and was rebounded by Genke. Concordia moved the ball downcourt looking to tie, but Koehler's three from the left wing was slightly off target. The Regents corraled the rebound as time expired on the Cougars' quest for victory.
Rockford finished with 43 percent shooting (26-61) to Concordia's 38 percent (21-55). Each team made 17 of 23 free throws, and turnovers were even for the game. However, a telling stat was Rockford 's 43-31 advantage on the boards with 17 of Rockford's rebounds coming on the offensive end.
Concordia's Genke and Rockford's Clark tied for game scoring honors with 22 points each. For the Cougars, Koehler followed with 14 points and Broska with 11. Stelmachowicz added a season-high nine points. Genke was CUC's leader in rebounds with 12.
The Cougars (0-8, 0-7 NACC) will fly down to Scottsdale, Arizona next weekend for two games in a holiday tournament hosted by Transylvania University. Concordia will play the University of Southern Maine in their first game on Sunday, Dec. 29.
