River Forest, Ill. - The Concordia University Chicago (CUC) Cougars women's basketball team hosted back in Geiseman Gymnasium taking on the University of Hartford Hawks in hopes of getting their first win of the season before heading into Thanksgiving break. Battling until the very last second the team was able to do just that. With a final score of 56-51, the Cougars reigned victorious.
Inside the Box
- Sydney Nimsakont (Glendale Heights, Ill.) led the Cougar offense with 19 points on the night. Nimsakont went 11-13 at the line.
- Alisyn MacGregor (Loves Park, Ill.) had a monster night offensively and defensively where she scored 18 points and grabbed nine rebounds.
Here's What Happened
First Quarter
The Cougars looked to set the tone for the game where Cydnei Mitchell (Aurora, Ill.) scored first and put the Cougars on the board. The Cougars were able to gain a 7-point lead where Mikalah Ellis (Chicago, Ill.) contributed a mid-range jumper, MacGregor scored on a layup, and Grace King was fouled at the three-point line and made all her free throws after approaching the line. To make the lead seven, MacGregor was sent to the line where she finished making both. The score was 11-4 and the Cougars felt the momentum was in their favor however following the free throws, the Hawks answered with back-to-back three, which made the Cougar lead only one all within 30-seconds of play. After this, the Hawks remained in demand of the court and pulled five more points off of midrange and three point shots, taking the lead for the first time of the game, the score was 15-11 in favor of the Hawks. The final points of the quarter came from Nimsakont off of two made free throws. Heading into the second quarter the score was 15-13, Hawks.
Second Quarter
The Hawks had the ball to start the quarter but were unable to score, however the Cougars scored from a layup by MacGregor where she was also fouled and had a chance to go to the line and put the Cougars up one. MacGregor made the extra point and pulled off a 3-point play pulling the Cougars into the lead, 16-15. The Cougars and Hawks went on to exchange layup for layup, midrange for midrange, and three pointer for three pointer until the Hawks found themselves scoring five unanswered points. The Cougars were able to respond with two made free throws from Nimsakont, but on the other end of the court the Hawks did the same. The score was 28-23, favoring the Hawks. The Hawks scored five more points putting them in a very comfortable 10-point lead to end the half, however Kira Holliday (Roselle, Ill.) drained a long, buzzer beater three which brought the Cougars within seven. Going into halftime the Cougars were down with a score of 33-26.
Third Quarter
The start of the second half showcased the Hawks increasing their lead to nine, however Nimsakont responded quickly with a quick three and Mitchell had a huge steal which converted to a made layup putting the Cougars within four.
The Hawks continued to increase their lead where they found themselves up eight points with just under seven minutes remaining in the quarter. Both teams remained scoreless for two minutes of game time, until MacGregor was sent to the line and was able to connect on both. With the Cougars still trailing, the score was 39-33. Finishing off the quarter with the momentum in their favor, the Cougars scored four points off of a MacGregor layup and two Nimsakont free throws making the game within two points.
The Hawks still remained ahead going into the fourth and final quarter where the score was 39-37.
Fourth Quarter
The Cougars came onto the court feeling the momentum from the previous quarter still with them. Holliday had a steal that translated to a fastbreak opportunity where Nimsakont was fouled and sent to the line. She capitalized on the opportunity to be at the line as we had seen all game and made both free throws making the score tied at 41. Nimsakont and MacGregor continued to take matters into their own hands where Nimsakont added three made free throws and a three pointer, and MacGregor added two made free throws and a tip-in layup, where the Cougars found themselves in the lead with the score of 51-45.
The Cougars allowed the Hawks to come back within two points but a final steal from the Cougars which converted to a MacGregor made layup, and one final free throw solidified the win for the team. The Cougars were able to secure their first win of the season as well as their first win at home where the final score was 56-51.
What's Next
The Cougars will take some time off to enjoy time with family and friends for Thanksgiving break and will be back in action December 7th to take on St. Norbert College in Wisconsin. Tip-off is set for 3:15 pm. Coverage for all things CUC women's basketball can be found at cucougars.com/coverage.
