RIVER FOREST, ILL. – The Concordia University Chicago women's basketball team hit the floor for one last time in the 2023-24 season as they played the season finale on their home court to take on their rivals of the north, Concordia University Wisconsin, falling 62-55.
INSIDE THE BOX
- Nazuri Whigham (Naperville, Ill.) led the team with 14 points, seven rebounds, and one assist.
- Cydnei Mitchell (Aurora, Ill.) followed behind as the only other Cougar to score in double-digits with 12 points, two rebounds, and one assist.
- Alisyn MacGregor led the Cougars on the defensive end with 12 rebounds while also adding eight points and two assists.
Prior to the start of the game, the Cougars honored their nine seniors as Whigham,
Melia Perry (Plainfield, Ill.), Emily Balaban (Manitowoc, Wis.), Alexis Desjarlait (Red Lake, Minn.),
Amaya Martin (Issaquah, Wash.), Janie Ternes (Oak Lawn, Ill.), Sydney Lloyd (Grand Forks, N.D.), and
Mackenzie Straulin (Johnsburg, Ill.) all celebrated their final years with the Cougars.
In addition to the nine seniors, the Cougars also recognized the two fifth-year players in
Jaylene Wade (Lansing, Ill.) and
Kayla Jackson (Worth, Ill.) who also closed their time with the program at the conclusion of the game.
FIRST HALF
The Falcons struck first and jumped out to a 5-0 lead, forcing the Cougars to take a timeout within the first minute of the game. Building on their lead, the Falcons extended out to an 11-0 advantage before the Cougars could finally hit with a jumper in the paint from Whigham.
Six points from Mitchell paired with a bucket from MacGregor would make things a two-possession game after the first ten minutes.
The second quarter kept the Cougars on pace as they brought their deficit within three. A big time three from Perry would jump start the offense before a jumper from the free throw line from
Abby Kulig (Carol Stream, Ill.) would once again make things a two possession game.
A three from the top of the key from Wade would bring the score within three before a 6-0 run from the Falcons would close the first half with a six-point Cougar deficit.
SECOND HALF
Cougars would strike first in the second half after a jumper from Whigham would make it a four point game. A pair of free throws from MacGregor would bring the Cougars within two before back-to-back jumpers from Whigham would even the score for the first time of the game.
With the game in reach for the Cougars, the back-and-forth exchange of baskets would being as the Cougars would close the third quarter with a three point deficit following a clutch three from Perry.
A fourth quarter opening three from Desjarlait would even things up once again while a layup from Mitchell would put the Cougars on top for the first point of the game.
With the Cougars still cooking, buckets from MacGregor, Whigham, and Wade would keep the Cougars on top before a run from the Falcons would steal the Cougar lead. With under two minutes to play, the Falcons would jump out by four, forcing the Cougars to start fouling. Off the free throws, the Falcons would be able to extend out to a seven point lead to close the game.
This marks the end of the 2023-24 women's basketball season with a final record of 8-17 overall and 5-11 in conference. Keep up with all things CUCWBB in the off season by following @CUCWBBall on X (formerly Twitter) and Instagram while updates, such as rosters and schedules, can be found at cucougars.com.
