Jan. 4, 2014 - The new year did not bring about any immediate reversal of fortune for the Concordia-Chicago women's basketball team. The Cougar women battled gamely in this afternoon's return to Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference play, but the host Milwaukee School of Engineering Raiders were able to dominate the inside and defeat the Cougars by a final score of 91-62.
The Raiders jumped out to the lead early and were able to maintain it due to 50 percent shooting from the field and a 29-16 advantage on the glass. MSOE's forward tandem of Holly Denfeld and Shannon Larson combined for 17 points (7-12 from the field) and 12 rebounds. April Broska (Belleville, MI/Lutheran South) carried most of the Cougars' scoring load early, putting up nine points as CUC came within 26-18 at the 7:19 mark. Four points by Morgan Jahnke (Fox Lake, IL/Grant Community) and a three by Miranda Rogers (Cypress, TX/Houston Christian) kept the Cougars in the chase over the nexxt few minutes, but the Raiders closed out with a 7-0 run to take a more commanding 41-25 lead at ther break.
In the second half, the Cougars' shooting heated up to 46 percent as they looked to make inroads on the home team's lead. Freshman Divinity Stephens (Flossmoor, IL/Homewood-Flossmoor) scored a season-high 16 points, all after halftime, to provide a burst of energy. But the Raiders had an answer in sophomore guard Megan Kroll who scored 18 in the half and finished with a game-high 26 points.
Milwaukee Engineering (8-4, 6-1 NACC) shot 67 percent (18-27) in the second half to finish with an overall 57 shooting percent (35-61). The Raiders knocked down only three shots from beyond the arc but were able to muster 36 points in the interior. CUC shot 34 percent for the game on 20-59 with eight of their baskets coming from three-point range.
Concordia-Chicago (0-11, 0-8 NACC) will head north of the border again on Tuesday when they play at Concordia University Wisconsin.
