Ann Arbor, Mich. - The Concordia University Chicago (CUC) Cougars women's basketball team traveled to Ann Arbor Michigan for the 72nd Annual Concordia Invitational Tournament (CIT) where day one kicked off with a battle against the Concordia Nebraska Bulldogs. The Cougars ultimately fell after a tough battle 108-67.
Inside the Box Score:
- Khaliah Reid (Naperville, Ill.) took matters into her own hands and led the offense with 26 points.
- Mikalah Ellis (Chicago, Ill.) brought in 10 points and five assists.
- Courtneye Schneider (Plainfield, Ill.) crashed the boards leading the Cougars in rebounds with seven.
Here's What Happened
First Quarter
The Bulldogs started off the scoring, going 8-0 just two minutes into the game but the Cougars quickly hit back-to-back threes from Emma Nickerson (Lake City, Mich.) and Ellis to put them within two.
The Bulldogs and Cougar, Reid did an exchange of three-pointers to keep the deficit the same, but the score was now 11-9 with the Cougars trailing. The Cougars struggled to contain the momentum they gained and only scored four more points in the first quarter. Heading into the second quarter, the score was 23-10, favoring the Bulldogs.
Second Quarter
In the second quarter, the Cougars remained scoreless until Ellis hit a jumper. Pulling the Cougars out of their scoring drought, they still trailed where the score was 34-16. The Bulldogs were on fire beyond the arch and their hot hands brought them into the huge lead, bringing the score to 53-20. Attacking the point deficit with a minute and a half to go in the first half, Reid and Ellis were fouled and brought to the line to shoot free throws, Abby Kulig (Carol Stream, Ill.) had a knockdown jumpshot, and Ellis had a driving layup to end the quarter.
Going into half, the score was 61-27 with the Cougars trailing.
Third Quarter
The Cougars were locked in for the start of the third quarter, where Kulig had a block that converted into a jumpshot for Reid. The Bulldogs played lockdown defense not allowing the Cougars to score for four minutes of game time until Aniyah Hinton-Henry (Gary, Ind.) had a driving layup in hopes of gaining some momentum to the Cougars favor.
The Cougars consecutively scored from a Reid three-pointer and Ellis driving layup but the deficit was tough to come back from. Heading into the fourth quarter, the score favored the Bulldogs, 89-48.
Fourth Quarter
The fourth quarter was a continuation of the third quarter where the Cougars were trekking to get themselves into a rhythm. The Cougars tried to chip away at the lead, but the Bulldog dominance proved too strong.
What's Next
The Cougars have one more game at CIT where they will take on Concordia Wisconsin for the consolation game. Tip-off is set for 1:00 pm EST after the Cheer and Dance competitions. Coverage for all things CUC women's basketball can be found at cucougars.com/coverage.
