ROCKFORD, ILL. – The Concordia University Chicago Cougars headed to Rockford University to take on the Regents, finding the nail-biting victory 64-62.

INSIDE THE BOX

• Jaylene Wade (Lansing, Ill.) led the Cougars with 19 points, six assists, three steals, and one rebound.
• Nazuri Whigham (Naperville, Ill.) followed behind with 16 points and five rebounds.
• The last Cougar to score in double-digits was Alisyn MacGregor (Loves Park, Ill.) as she picked up yet another double-double while adding in ten rebounds and one steal.

FIRST QUARTER
The Cougars struck first as a jumper from Cydnei Mitchell (Aurora, Ill.) started things off with a jumper within the first 30 seconds. The Regents evened things up on the next possession, but a retaliation three from Wade would put the Cougars ahead once again. A 4-0 run from the Regents would give them their first lead of the day, but Mitchell would answer to even the score at seven apiece. After falling behind, a pair of free throws from Whigham followed by a second chance bucket from Melia Perry (Plainfield, Ill.) would put the Cougars back up by one. A MacGregor three from the top of the key would put the Cougars up by four with three minutes to play. Despite a three from Perry with a minute to play in the quarter, the Regents would get to the charity stripe and drain a lone free throw to leave the Cougars ahead by five.

SECOND QUARTER
Kicking off the second quarter on a high note, a pair of free throws from Whigham followed by a jumper from Wade just outside the paint would put the Cougars up by nine. With tight defense locking in and shutting down the Regents, a fastbreak layup from MacGregor would put the Cougars up by 11. Starting to find their offensive footing, the Cougars jumped out to as much as a 17-point lead with buckets from Mitchell, MacGregor, and Wade. A buzzer-beating three from Wade would close the second quarter with the Cougars up by 14.

THIRD QUARTER
With the Regents striking first, a 4-0 run would be interrupted by a three from Whigham that would keep the Cougars ahead by double-digits. As the Regents continued to chip away at the Cougar lead, an eventual five point Regent deficit would be brought back up to a seven point deficit following a second chance layup from Whigham. With Whigham on a roll, another layup and an added free throw would put the Cougars back up by nine. Keeping on par for the flow of the game, a clutch three from Wade with under ten seconds to play would bump the Cougars ahead by 11 once again.

FOURTH QUARTER
With ten minutes to play, and a comfortable lead for the Cougars, an early jumper from Mitchell would keep the momentum with the Cougars. Buckets from MacGregor, Wade, and Whigham would put the Cougars up by 14 but a 5-0 run from the Regents would force a Cougar timeout to regroup. As the Regents rolled with an 8-0 run, the Cougars would see their lead cut down to two before a lone free throw from Mitchell would make it a three point game. With the final two minutes of the game being a back-and-forth battle, a pair of free throws from Prentciss Gates (Gary, Ind.) would put the Cougars ahead by four. A retaliation pair of free throws from the Regents would make it a two point game and force the Cougars to take a timeout. Fresh out of the timeout, a missed jumper from Wade would force the Cougars to play defense in attempt to hold onto their two point lead for the final 30 seconds, which they would and end the game on top with a final score of 64-62.

The Cougars come back home on Wednesday for a Valentines Day x Black History Month crossover matchup with the Division Street Rival Dominican University. Tip-off is set for 7:00pm. Coverage can be found at cucougars.com/coverage.