The Concordia University Chicago women's basketball team (7-6, 6-2) traveled to Plymouth, Wisconsin, for a Wednesday night matchup against Lakeland University (7-7, 5-2). With the game tied after three quarters, the Muskies pulled away in the fourth quarter to hand CUC their second loss in as many games.

Inside the Box Score

• Alexis Desjarlait (Red Lake, Minn.) led the Cougars in scoring with 20 points. She also snagged eight rebounds.

• Alisyn MacGregor (Loves Park, Ill.) put up 10 points and 12 rebounds, securing her second double-double on the season.

• Mikalah Ellis (Chicago, Ill.) also completed a double-double (10 points and 10 rebounds), her first of the year. 

First Quarter

Lakeland jumped out to an early lead, scoring 14 seconds into the match. The Muskies controlled the game through the first four minutes, building an 11-6 lead with 5:55 left in the quarter.

Down five, an Ellis jumper would kick off an eight point run to set the score at 14-11 in favor of Concordia. A three-ball from Lakeland quickly tied the game, but a 4-2 run from CUC to end the quarter put the Cougars up 18-16. 

Second Quarter

Scoring was hard to come by to start the second, with a game-tying Brianna Jones make being the first field goal at the 6:41 mark. A Melia Perry (Plainfield, Ill.) free-throw gave the lead back to Concordia a minute later.

The score would knot up again with 4:30 left in the half. Three consecutive shots would put CUC up front, then the Muskies, then the Cougars again, 26-24. Both offenses turned things on in the last 2:30, the teams trading leads before finding the game tied at 29 points apiece. A converted and-one from Prentciss Gates (Gary, Ind.) put Concordia up three, 32-29, to end the first half.

Third Quarter

Two quick buckets from Lakeland's Kerstin Sauerbrei and CUC's Jaylene Wade (Lansing, Ill.) set the score at 34-31. An Ellis shot increased the Cougars's lead to five, but seven straight Muskie points gave them a two point lead. 

A three-pointer and free-throw from Desjarlait and layup from Ellis gave Concordia an advantage once again, but a Muskies's jumper with 34 second left in the third knotted things up at 42 points heading into the final quarter.

Fourth Quarter

Lakeland controlled most of the fourth, starting with a Sydney Walker layup a minute into the quarter and the next basket as well. CUC pulled back within two, 46-44, off a MacGregor basket, but two more consecutive baskets from the Muskies put the lead at six.

The Cougars would cut the lead down to two twice more, 50-48 and 52-50, but a 5-2 run ran the lead back up to five with less than a minute to go in regulation. A final MacGregor layup got Concordia back within one possession, but a final pair of free throws from the Muskies put the game out of reach, and CUC left Woltzen Gymnasium with their second straight defeat. 

The Cougars's road trip continues this Saturday, Jan. 14, with Concordia traveling to Fond du Lac, Wisconsin, for their second game against Marian this season. Game one on Dec. 10, 2022, ended with a 76-62 CUC win. Saturday's matchup tips off at 4:15 p.m., and can be found at cucougars.com, as well as the team's Twitter, @CUCWbball.