Plymouth, Wis. -- In the first round game of the NACC tournament, the Concordia-Chicago women's basketball team fell to Lakeland with a final score of 71-54. This loss marks the end of their 2021-2022 season. 
 
Inside the Box

• Mikalah Ellis (Chicago, Ill.) led the Cougars with 15 points and four rebounds.
• Alisyn MacGregor (Loves Park, Ill.) grabbed herself one last double-double of the season with 11 points and 12 rebounds.
• Ava Gardner (Park Ridge, Ill.) followed behind with 10 points and three rebounds. 

           
The Cougars fell behind early in the first quarter after they struggled to get shots to fall . They remained scoreless through the first media timeout of the game, until a jumper from the top of the key from Nazuri Whigham (Naperville, Ill.) put them on the board with just under four minutes remaining in the quarter. With five additional bench players stepping on the court in the first quarter, they were unable to grab a bucket for the rest of the quarter, closing it out with a score of 16-2.
 
Early in the second, Gardner found herself at the free throw line giving them the opportunity to add two easy points. Shortly after, a missed jumper from Ellis resulted in an offensive rebound and putback from MacGregor. This run combined with another free throw from Gardner started the Cougars slow climb back. Late in the quarter, a steal from Jada Dixon (Gary, Ind.) translated into a quick layup for Ellis to end their five minute scoring drought. Shortly after a pair of free throws and a three from Wade brought the Cougars score to double digits. A gritty final few minutes of the half gave the Cougars momentum, ending the quarter 15-35.
 
With the Muskies starting the second half with intensity, an and one from Ellis broke the ice for the Cougars. Another three from Wade aided the fight to close the gap as they grabbed their highest scored quarter of the game. MacGregor continued to be a powerhouse for the Cougars grabbing herself an and one to fight through the deficit and reign hope for the Cougars.. With 26 points in the third quarter, they brought the score within 13 heading into the final ten minutes.
 
A pair of free throws and an Ellis jumper cut the Muskie lead to 12 early in the final quarter, but the Cougars couldn't slow down the Muskies. Despite offensive contributions from MacGregor and Madelyn McGrath (Oak Lawn, Ill.), the Cougar defense wasn't enough to slow down the Muskies. Despite out-scoring the Muskies in the second half, they couldn't come back from their first half deficit. In the final minute of the game seniors Gardner, Marie Baumgartner (Addison, Ill.), and Sarah Ludwig (Roselle, Ill.) took the court to round out their career as Cougars.  
 
The Cougars close the season 7-16 overall and 6-11 in the NACC. You can view all the photos from the season at cucougars.com/photos while keeping up with the team on Twitter and Instagram @cucwbball.