River Forest, Ill. – With a conference tournament spot at stake, the Lakeland University Muskies (14-10, 10-7 NACC) made the trek to Geiseman Gymnasium to take on the Concordia University Chicago Cougars (11-13, 9-8 NACC). This was the second time these two teams have squared off this season following their first matchup on Jan. 11.
Inside the Box Score
- Mckayley Hopkins (St. Louis, Mo.) led the Cougars in scoring 12 points on the night. This was Hopkins third time scoring in double figures this season.
- Mikalah Ellis (Chicago, Ill.) secured her third-straight double-double as she had 10 points and 12 rebounds.
- Melia Perry (Plainfield, Ill.) also had a nice night offensively with 11 points. She also added two rebounds.
First Quarter
The Cougars landed the first blow as senior
Jaylene Wade (Lansing, Ill.) sank a jumper from the right side of the floor to give the Cougars the early advantage 2-0.
However, the Muskies responded with a couples blows of their own as they went on an 8-0 run forcing CUC to call their first timeout of the game with 5:07 remaining in the quarter. The Cougars responded well coming out of the timeout as
Prentciss Gates (Gary, Ind.) scored four straight points to shrink the Muskies' lead 15-13. The Cougars only trailed by four points 17-13 to conclude first quarter action.
Second Quarter
Sydney Lloyd (Grand Forks, N.D.) provided a spark off the bench as she hit a hook shot jumper in the opening seconds of the quarter. Two possessions later, Lloyd hit a three-pointer to cut the deficit 19-18.
Perry made her presence felt as she secured her first points of the night off of a pull-up jumper with 1:12 remaining in the half. The Cougars trailed the Muskies 34-27 going into halftime.
Third Quarter
The Cougars defense struggled early as they allowed the Muskies to go on a 4-0 run to begin the second half. Perry gave the Cougars a spark of momentum, however, after splashing a three-pointer with 8:03 remaining in the third quarter.
The Cougars proceeded to go a 10-5 run to cut the Muskies to a five-point advantage 45-40 with 3:50 remaining in the third. Despite the Cougar's offensive success, the Muskies responded as they capitalized off of three CUC turnovers to enlarge their lead 51-41 heading into the last quarter of play.
Fourth Quarter
The double-digit Muskie lead did not pose a threat to Hopkins as she showcased her toughness with a drive by layup as the fourth quarter commenced.
From that point on, it was all Muskies as they went on a 12-4 run to help them steal a victory on the road 70-57.
The Cougars will be on the road Saturday for their final game of the regular season as they travel to Dominican University for the Division Street Rivalry to take on the Stars at 4:15 p.m. Coverage can be found at
cucougars.com as well as the team's Twitter
@CUCWbball.
