Dec. 29, 2015 - After spending a few days in the California sun, the Concordia University Chicago women's basketball team traded the sun for the inside of a gymnasium. Their opening round game of the Poet Classic at Whittier College would be against the Ripon College Red Hawks. The Cougars were able to build a lead to as many as 13 points in the third quarter, but Ripon went on a run to evaporate the lead and take the Cougars down late by a score of 59-57.

The first quarter was a steady pace of basketball between the two Midwest teams. Ripon, who beat the host school the night before, showed no signs of fatigue throughout the game. Ripon was able to get out to an early five-point lead, but a three by Miranda Rogers (Cypress, TX/Houston Christian) and a Sheyla Kahalehoe (Kalihi, HI/Iolani) layup tied the game at 8-8. Ripon was able to get the lead back out to four, but Erin Jacobsen (Aurora, IL/West Aurora) was fouled with just three-tenths of a second remaining in the quarter. She knocked down all three free throws, and the Cougars trailed by just one at the end of the first.

The second quarter proved the strongest for the Cougars. Angelik Young (Crete, IL/Crete-Monee) gave CUC the lead to start the quarter. Morgan Jahnke (Fox Lake, IL/Grant Community) extended the Cougar lead to five with just over six minutes remaining in the quarter. The teams traded baskets over the next five minutes, but the shooting of Taylor Jacobsen (Aurora, IL/West Aurora), Lauren Orr (O'Fallon, MO/Lutheran St. Charles) and Rogers stretched the Cougar advantage to nine before the half.

Rogers was the leading scorer at half with six points on 2-4 shooting from three-point land. In total, seven Cougars scored in the half, and shot a combined .387 from the field while forcing 10 Ripon turnovers.

CUC came out strong after the halftime break, building the lead to 13 points. From that point on, it would be all Red Hawks in the quarter. A Jahnke layup gave the Cougars a 12-point lead with 6:42 remaining before Ripon went on an 11-0 run over the next five minutes to pull within one.  An Erin Jacobson three late gave CUC a three-point lead heading to the final quarter.

An Orr layup put CUC's lead at seven with just over seven minutes remaining, but another long, cold shooting stretch put the Red Hawks in position to regain the lead for good.  Young pulled the Cougars within one with 14 seconds remaining, but CUC was unable to take advantage of the opportunity to tie over the next two possessions.

Orr led the Cougars with 12 points. Jahnke was the only other Cougar to score in double digits with 10. A big difference in the game was the Red Hawks' ability to outrebound the Cougars by a margin of 49-29.

CUC will have less than 24 hours to get ready for the second game of the Poet Classic. This matchup will be against the host school Whittier College. The Cougars will take on the Poets at 6 p.m. (CST). CJ Selner will have live play-by-play audio of the game at www.mixlr.com/cucougars, beginning 15 minutes prior to tip-off.