Box Score Jan. 27, 2018 – Ten years have passed since the Concordia-Chicago women's basketball team have appeared in the championship game of the Concordia Invitational Tournament. The Cougars' great effort on Friday night got them back there, but their reward was a date with the 23-0, first-ranked (NAIA II) Concordia University Nebraska Bulldogs. The Cougars produced some excitement in the early part of the game, but the Bulldogs' depth and talent later asserted itself, and the result was a 102-56 win for CUNE.

The Bulldogs flexed their outside shooting prowess early with four three-pointers, three by Dani Hoppes. However, the Cougars were able to answer with some long-range missiles of their own. Taylor Jacobsen, the newest member of the 1,000-point club, hit two from the outside, and Sophia Leon and Annika Rae also connected. Rae's three tied the game 22-22 with 1:25 remaining in the quarter, but the Bulldogs regained the lead on Philomena Lammers' layup, and they finished the quarter leading 27-23.

The second quarter was a nightmare for the Cougars as they saw their early shooting tail off and the turnovers increase. After Crystal Corr's layup made the score CUNE 32, CUC 27, the Bulldogs exploded for a 16-2 run. They were led by Philomena Lammers who scored eight and made a couple of steals in igniting the charge. Corr's layup ended the run, and Erin Jacobsen closed the half with a layup, but the Cougars found themselves trailing at the half by a score of 53-35.

Nebraska shot 22-48 for the half to CUC's 11-27, with the Cougars' 12 turnovers accounting for the big discrepancy in shots taken. T. Jacobsen played a solid half with 14 points, but Quinn Wragge was even better for the Bulldogs with 18 points (8-9 shooting).

The Cougars were unable to make any inroads on the Bulldogs' lead in the second half. Wragge's layup at the 6:53 mark of the third gave CUNE its first 30-point lead of the game, and much of the remainder of the game saw both team utilize their full rosters.

T. Jacobsen led the Cougars (15-4) with 16 points, followed by Corr with 11 points and seven rebounds. Wragge led CUNE with 24 points (11-13 shooting), followed by Lammers with 16 and Hoppes with 14.

"I thought we competed well early in the game but weren't able to sustain our energy," said CUC head coach Rusty Rogers. Nebraska's a very good, selfless team that always plays hard, and that's a good model for us to emulate as we get ready for our final six games in conference."

The Cougars will return home to face Aurora University on Tuesday night at 7:00.