RIVER FOREST, ILL. – Taking the home court for Senior Day, the Concordia University Chicago Cougars fell to the Milwaukee School of Engineering Raiders 68-49.
Prior to tip-off, the Cougars celebrated their seven seniors for their hard work and accomplishments over the years. Seniors
Jaylene Wade (Lansing, Ill.), Mikalah Ellis (Chicago, Ill.),
Chloe Schaafsma (Lockport, Ill.),
Bailey Steinkamp (Cary, Ill.) Madelyn McGrath (Oak Lawn, Ill.),
Kayla Jackson (Worth, Ill.), and
Jada Dixon (Gary, Ind.) all received their recognition and participated in a ceremonial tip-off and basket scored by Steinkamp.
INSIDE THE BOX
- Ellis led the charge with 16 points and four rebounds in her first appearance on the court since January 18th against Aurora University.
- Mckayley Hopkins (St. Louis, Mo.) put up an all-around performance with 11 points, nine rebounds, four assists, two steals, and two blocks.
- Jackson stepped in the fourth quarter and grabbed herself a career-high five rebounds within five minutes of play.
FIRST QUARTER
The Cougars fell to a quick 3-0 deficit only broken up by a solo free throw from
Alisyn MacGregor (Loves Park, Ill.). The Raiders went on to capitalize on the momentum they had and jumped to as much as a seven point lead within the first four minutes of play. A step-back jumper from the left side from Wade would be the Cougars' first official field goal of the game, nearly halfway through the first quarter.
In what seemed to have been a momentum shift for the Cougars, Hopkins picked up her first steal of the night and translated into a driving bucket for junior
Nazuri Whigham (Naperville, Ill.) to cut the Raiders' lead down to three.
A 12-0 run for the Raiders stripped the Cougars of any and all momentum they initially had. As the clock ran down, Hopkins attacked the basket drained the turnaround jumper, cutting their deficit to 11 points after ten minutes of play.
SECOND QUARTER
Jump starting the second quarter for the Cougars, Ellis drained her signature turnaround midrange jumper to keep the Cougars battling.
Despite the Cougars finding more success on the offensive end in the second quarter, the Raiders' offensive efforts were too much for the Cougars to handle as they couldn't shut them down. Big offensive possession from Hopkins and MacGregor were offset by continual baskets from the Raiders.
THIRD QUARTER
Desperate to find their momentum, the Cougars continued to battle the intense Raiders' defense. The Cougars, unable to penetrate the paint due to a tight Raiders defense, were forced to put up shots from the outside and ultimately found success from a Wade three.
The Cougars fed off the success of Wade and three others followed suit. Hopkins, Ellis, and sophomore
Prentciss Gates (Gary, Ind.) each sunk a three of their own, ultimately bringing the Raiders' lead back down to 12, the lowest margin of the quarter.
FOURTH QUARTER
With the Cougars losing momentum by the second, the Raiders took advantage and jumped back up to a 16 point lead. Ellis refused to surrender and drained her second three-pointer of the night followed by another jumper to bring the deficit back down to 13.
Needing to find defensive stops in order to translate on offense, the Cougars looked to senior Jackson who stepped in and locked things down. Picking up two offensive rebounds within the first few minutes after entering the game, Jackson provided the spark the Cougars needed to finish the game strong.
The Cougars closed the game 68-49, dropping them to 10-11 overall and 7-6 in the NACC. They'll take on Rockford University in another conference matchup on Wednesday, February 8
th at 7:00 in Rockford, Ill. Coverage can be found at cucougars.com/coverage.
