Jan. 6, 2015 - The Concordia University Chicago women's basketball team travelled to Mequon, WI this evening looking to take down their archrivals from Concordia University Wisconsin. The Cougars were looking to extend their winning streak to five games, leapfrog the Falcons in the Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference standings and sweep the season series after an 80-68 win in River Forest on Nov. 22. However, none of those goals were achieved as the Falcons grabbed momentum late in the first half and repelled a couple of Cougars' attacks in the second half to win 75-68.
The Cougars grabbed an early 7-3 lead as Angelik Young (Crete, IL/Crete-Monee) scored twice, the second basket finishing off a nice pass from Jaela DeJean (Houston, TX/Houston Christian). DeJean then completed a three-point play after the Falcons had gotten on the board. But the hosts came back with an 8-0 run, fueled by guard Madelyn Landgraf and forward Brianna Wagner. Miranda Rogers (Cypress, TX/Houston Christian) ended the run with a three, and Hailey Lindblom (Minneapolis, MN/Richfield) hit a floater in the lane for a 12-11 lead. The two teams exchanged leads back and forth over the next several minutes, but a three-point play by CUW's Audrey Scharmer gave the hosts a 25-23 lead at the 7:12 mark. That triggered a 12-2 run interrupted only by Taylor Jacobsen's (Aurora, IL/West Aurora) two free throws, and the Falcons would hold the lead for the remainder of the half, exiting after 20 minutes with a 40-27 advantage. Turnovers played a major role in the Cougars' struggles as they committed 14, although they forced 12 from the Falcons. The Cougars also shot 33 percent (11-33) from the field including 2-12 from beyond the arc.
The Cougars raised their level of play in the second half, but the Falcons were able to maintain their lead, keeping it in the low teens for much of the way. Concordia-Chicago made a couple of challenges, first at the 14:48 mark of the half when Lauren Orr's (O'Fallon, MO/Lutheran St. Charles) basket brought CUC within nine at 45-36. However, the Falcons responded with a three by Landgraf and a two by Taylor DeLong to move back out to a 14-point lead. The second rally came with 4:42 remaining as Courtney Lofink (Orange, CA/Orange Lutheran) hit a three to cap a 7-0 run and bring the Cougars to within 64-56. But CUC missed its next three shots while CUW scored the next five points to restore the advantage to 13. The Falcons led by 15 before the Cougars closed out the scoring with the final eight points of the game, but it was too little, too late as the Falcons salvaged the split of the season series. DeJean, who stuck 22 points against CUW in the November contest, led the way again tonight with 15 points on 4-8 shooting and 7-9 from the charity stripe. Morgan Jahnke (Fox Lake, IL/Grant Community) was next in line with nine points and six rebounds. The Falcons (10-2, 7-2 NACC) were led by Landgraf's 23 points while Wagner tallied 20 points and 16 rebounds.
Concordia-Chicago (8-5, 6-4 NACC) returns to action on the home floor this Saturday with a 2:00 game against Edgewood College.
