Jan. 26, 2018 – There was a buzz to tonight's first-round Concordia Invitational Tournament women's game long before the 6:00 tipoff. The Concordia-Chicago Cougars and the host Concordia Wisconsin Falcons were playing not only for advancement in this long-running tournament but also for position in the Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference standings. Both were tied at 10-3 (along with Benedictine University) for second place, and much was at stake as the two teams squared off at CUW's Buuck Field House. A gritty 40 minutes of play was decided in the final six minutes as Concordia-Chicago made some clutch shots and came up with the big defensive plays in topping Concordia Wisconsin by a 71-61 score.

The Cougars came out tenaciously and got off to a 5-0 lead. Crystal Corr opened the scoring finishing a fast-break opportunity. Erin Jacobsenthen split a pair of free throws, but a couple of offensive rebounds kept the ball in the offensive end for about a minute before Michaela Thornton hit a jumper in the lane. The Falcons finally got on the board 3:30 into the game, but Courtney Lofink put the lead back at five on a steal, racing three-quarters of the floor for the layup.

The CUC lead grew to 12-2 on a bomb by Sophia Leon and two free throws by Lofink. The Falcons began to climb back into the game as the Cougars accumulated some fouls. CUW trimmed the lead to 14-10 before Lofink scored on a layup to make the score 16-10 Cougars after one quarter.

The Falcons came back in the second quarter behind the play of forward Audrey Scharmer. After a Baylee Barker three, Scharmer scored 10 of CUW's next 11 points while the CUC offense hit a dry spell. Scharmer's layup gave CUW a 25-24 lead, and Brianna Wagner followed by converting on a fast break, and the home team had a 27-24 lead. 10 second-chance points for the Falcons (many by Scharmer)

An individual landmark followed as Taylor Jacobsen's steal and layup gave the senior 1,000 points for her career. Moments later, Jacobsen made it 1,003 as she drilled a three from the right wing to put CUC back in the lead at 29-27. However, the Falcons scored the next eight points as Barker and Scharmer hit threes. Lofink ended the run and accounted for the final two points of the half as the Cougars went into the locker room trailing 35-31.

Lofink had eight points in the half, followed by T. Jacobsen's seven. Scharmer had 16 points and 12 rebounds in the half, but CUC's undoing in the half came off of 11 turnovers leading to 13 CUW points and 10 second-chance points for the Falcons (many by Scharmer).

Concordia-Chicago trailed by five midway through the third quarter before they rallied to retake the lead. Horlacher drained a three from the left side, and Thornton's two free throws tied the game moments later. A three by CUW's Arianna Liddicoat put the Falcons back into the lead momentarily, but Lisa Lubben got that back with a long trey, and Horlacher finished a fast break off a great feed by Thornton for a 48-45 lead. A free throw by Lofink and two tosses by CUEW's Barker made it CUC 49, CUW 47 at the end of three.

The first few minutes of the fourth quarter remained neck-and-neck until CUC put together a quick 5-0 burst. Lofink snuck inside for a layup, and Leon followed with a three from the left side for a 58-53 lead with 5:37 remaining.

Another inside move by Lofink matched two free throws by Wagner, and T. Jacobsen then came up big with a three from the left wing for a 63-55 lead with 2:59 to play. The Falcons scored om layups by Wagner and Scharmer sandwiched around a free throw by Corr, but Leon produced the dagger with 50.8 seconds left on a three from the left side. Free throws by T. Jacobsen and Corr closed out a thrilling and gutsy win for the Cougars.

The Cougars' clutch play down the stretch showed up on the stat sheet as they shot 7-11 from the field, compared to the Falcons' 4-18. T. Jacobsen led the way with 18 points, followed by Lofink's 14 (and nine assists) and Leon's 11 (3-5 on threes). Scharmer took game-high honors with 24 points and 21 rebounds.

"It's been an honor to coach this team," said CUC head coach Rusty Rogers. "To come out like we did and take it to them in their house is special; I couldn't be happier. To have our four senior captains on the floor" – referring to Lofink, E. Jacobsen, T. Jacobsen and Ashley Fischer – "as the buzzer sounded is something I'll cherish forever."

Concordia-Chicago (15-3) will enjoy the win for a few hours but will face a monumental challenge on Saturday night at 6:00 when they play Concordia University Nebraska (23-0) for the CIT championship.