River Forest, Ill. - The Concordia University Chicago (CUC) Cougars women's basketball team stayed at home to host the Wisconsin Lutheran College (Warriors) in a huge Northern Athletic Collegiate Conference (NACC) game. After an intense first half, the Cougars battled hard but couldn't keep the momentum in their favor and fell 66-45.
Inside the Box Score:
- Khaliah Reid (Naperville, Ill.) led the Cougar offense with 15 points and one steal.
- Aniyah Hinton-Henry (Gary, Ind.) produced on both ends with 10 points and seven rebounds.
First Quarter:
The Warriors started off the scoring with a made three-pointer that was quickly answered by an Alisyn MacGregor (Loves Park, Ill.)three to tie the score up at three a piece. The Cougars fell into a five-point deficit until Cougars Reid and Mikalah Ellis (Chicago, Ill.) knocked down a three and mid-range jumper.
The score was all tied up at eight with four minutes left in the first quarter until the Warriors knocked down yet another three. The Cougars were able to get within one by a turn around bucket from Ellis, but to end the quarter the Warriors stayed hot behind the arc to bring the score to 14-10, the Warriors.
Second Quarter:
A turnaround jumper from Ellis started the scoring off in quarter two, where the score was 14-12, the Warriors. The Warriors created their largest lead of the game so far with unanswered baskets, where they brought the score to 18-12. Ellis and Reid were powerhouses for the Cougars, with combined stepback jumpers from the two and a pair of free throws from Reid brought the score to 19-17, Warriors. The Cougars scored once more in the quarter with a sweep-and-go driving lay-up by Hinton-Henry.
Going into halftime, the Cougars trailed 23-19.
Third Quarter:
The Warriors came out hot to start the second half where they hit a knockdown three on their first possession. Reid answered with a driving layup, but from there the Cougars struggled to score. From there, the Warriors went 7-0 bringing the score to 34-22, until Reid was fouled while shooting, giving her the chance to shoot two free throws. At the line, Reid went one for two, bringing the Cougars total score to 22. The Warriors went on another run, this time 13-0, but Reid once again was fouled and brought to the line. Repeating history, Reid went one for two once more. With the score at 47-23, Hinton-Henry gave the Cougars one final opportunity in the third quarter when she was fouled shooting. At the line, Hinton-Henry went two for two. Heading into the final quarter, the Warriors remained ahead with the score at 51-25.
Fourth Quarter:
The Cougars remained scoreless in the fourth quarter until a little under eight minutes remained in the game. A pair of free throws from Hinton-Henry was the first scoring the Cougars saw which brought the score to 55-27. Each team had an exchange of points, however both struggled to capitalize on scoring opportunities. With baskets from Hinton-Henry, Reid, Grace King (Fairland, Ind.), and Emma Nickerson (Lake City, Mich.), the Cougars went 10-0, but it wouldn't be enough to comeback.
Ultimately, the Cougars fell, 66-45.
What's Next
The Cougars will defend their home court with another NACC competition against Edgewood College on January 22nd. Tip-off is set for 7:00 pm. Coverage for all things CUC can be found at cucougars.com/coverage.
