Feb. 13, 2013 - While the Concordia-Chicago Cougars and Benedictine Eagles rarely need any extra motivation when they face each other, tonight's women's basketball game at the Dan and Ada Rice Center had a little extra at stake. Second place in the Northern Athletics Conference South Division and a first-round conference tournament home game hung in the balance for the winner. The two teams fought a rugged battle for the first 20 minutes, but a 21-2 blitz by the Eagles started the second half and turned the tide. Benedictine claimed the spoils with a 67-43 victory.
The Cougars fell behind 4-0 and spent much of the first half playing catch-up.
Jessica Genke (Kiel, WI/H.S.) put Concordia on the board with a couple of scores, but Benedictine got hot from downtown as Jillian Lipman and Michelle Gaede connected. Gaede's three gave the hosts a 15-8 lead.
Benedictine continued to live on the threes as they shot 6-12 for the half. However, Concordia hung in and was able to force some turnovers. After Meghan Novak's three gave Benedictine a 23-18 lead, two free throws by Genke and a layup by
Krystyna Rickett (Sandusky, MI/H.S.) drew the Cougars within one. Concordia went to the bonus with 4:56 left, and Rickett's two free throws gave the Cougars their first lead of the night at 24-23.
The Eagles tied the game briefly, but Rickett's three gave the Cougars a 27-24 advantage.
Sydney Weisser (St. Joseph, MI/H.S.) gave the Cougars a lift with a basket, but late threes by Novak and Gaede put the Eagles into a 30-29 lead as the half ended.
The Cougars ran into trouble in the first two minutes of the second half as Genke picked up fouls three and four. The Eagles took advantage with the early 5-0 run to boost their lead to six. With Genke on the bench, Benedictine took the momentum and ran with it over the next seven minutes. After Rickett cut the Eagles' lead to 35-31, Vincenza Ranallo drilled a three to make it a seven-point game.
Baskets by Kami Hafleigh and Ranallo put the lead into double digits, and the Eagles did not stop until Novak's three-point play gave them a 51-31 lead with 11 minutes remaining.
Angelik Young (Crete, IL/Crete-Monee) finally ended the run with a short jumper on the break, but the damage had already been done. Genke returned to the game, but the Cougars would cut just a few points off the huge deficit before she fouled out with five minutes remaining.
The Eagles finished with 24-65 shooting (37 percent) but 8-18 from downtown for 44 percent. The Cougars shot 15-55 for 27 percent and just 2-18 from outside the arc for 11 percent.
Rickett shot 6-12 overall and led all scorers with 18 points, Genke totaled 12 points and seven boards over 21 minutes. Benedictine was led by Gaede's 14 points, Ranallo's 12 and Novak's 11.
The Cougars (10-15, 10-7 NAC) finish third in the NAC South and earn the sixth seed in the tournament. They will travel to Watertown, Wisconsin on Saturday night to take on the third-seeded Maranatha Baptist Crusaders.
