Feb. 8, 2014 - Fresh off the excitement of wins in their last two games, the Concordia-Chicago women's team faced a stiffer challenge this afternoon. The Wisconsin Lutheran Warriors, 15-1 and atop the Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference standings, provided the opposition at the Recreation Center in Milwaukee. While the Warriors had a decided height advantage, it was the hot outside shooting that helped the home team take an early lead and maintain it en route to a 71-49 victory.
The Warriors jumped out to a six-point lead at 8-2, sparked by a pair of threes. However, the Cougars struck back as April Broska (Belleville, MI/Lutheran South) drove the baseline for a layup. Freshman Miranda Rogers (Cypress, TX/Houston Christian) then connected on a pair of threes to give CUC a 10-8 lead. The home team rose to the challenge as they reeled off the next 15 points. Three more baskets from behind the arc figured in the outburst before Rogers ended the run with her third triple of the half. However, the Warriors finished the half on a 16-5 run and took a commanding 39-18 lead at the break.
Rogers stayed hot from the outside to start the second half as she drained two more threes. Along with a three by Chanel Stelmachowicz (Fredonia, WI/Living Word Lutheran), the Cougars looked to cut into the Warriors' lead. But the home team's hot outside shooting in the first half opened the door for them to go inside. In particular. WLC's 6'3" center Kristen Schulz enjoyed a productive second half with 11 of her team-leading 15 points. Schulz would finish with a game-high 16 rebounds, leading WLC to a 49-32 advantage. Wisconsin Lutheran finished with 12-28 shooting from behind the arc. Melissa Klemm and Rachel Hoft each hit three triples, and each finished with 13 points. For Concordia, Rogers hit 5-9 from downtown to finish with 15 points while Angelik Young (Crete, IL/Crete-Monee) added 14. The Cougars return to action on Wednesday night when they travel to Aurora University. The team will then close the season with three straight games at Geiseman Gymnasium.
