Notre Dame, Ind. - The Concordia University Chicago (CUC) women's basketball team traveled to Notre Dame, Ind. to go up against the Belles of Saint Mary's College. After some hands-on game play, the Cougars were defeated by the Belles with a final score of 78-69.
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Inside the Score Box:
- Abbi Dykstra (Yale, Mich.) led the team with 22 points, four rebounds and two steals.
- Ai Yonemura (Yachiyo, Chiba-Japan) followed up with 19 points and two rebounds, along with Naveya Jackson (Sun Prairie, Wis.), who had 19 points, four rebounds and two steals.
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Here's What Happened
First Quarter
Yonemura was first up with a jumper, putting the Cougars on the board. The Belles followed up with two jumpers of their own, along with a 3-pointer, taking a lead against the Cougars, 7-5. Hannah Lopez (Chicago, Ill.) had cut into that lead with a quick three and teammate Kira Holliday (Roselle, Ill.) came in a short time later with a layup. The Belles started to slowly rake up points; two layups and a three-pointer from Jackson had put the Cougars within one. The Belles shortly took the lead before a layup from Yonemura had put the Cougars back within one, 16-17.
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Second Quarter
The Belles were the first to score for the quarter as a three was landed. The Belles kept themselves in the lead for the first half of the quarter, but a three-pointer from Dykstra finally put the Cougars a little closer. Another three-point jumper was made by Dykstra, putting the Cougars in better spirits. The Belles continued on in their lead, gaining an eight point advantage on the Cougars. Layups from Dykstra and Lopez finally put the Cougars within two. By the end of the quarter, the Belles went into halftime in the lead, 34-29.
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Third Quarter
The Cougars got the first points of the quarter with a layup from Yonemura. The Belles followed up quickly with a three-pointer of their own. Dykstra came in with two fantastic three-point jumpers. The Belles managed to keep their lead, being several points ahead of the Cougars. Yonemura was able to put up some good layups and Dykstra put down a three-point jumper, putting the Cougars in the tail of the Belles. The Cougars took the lead going into the fourth quarter, 50-49.
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Fourth Quarter
Yonemura put up a three-point jumper, taking the first points of the quarter. The teams tied up after a layup was made by a Belle, 53-53. The Belles jumped to the lead as they made a three-pointer, putting the Cougars back in a deficit. The Belles went on a 9-0 run before Yonemura went in with a layup, breaking up the streak. Jackson went in with a three-pointer and Dykstra had put up a jumper, trying to gain a lead on their opponents. Jackson pulled up with another three-pointer from beyond the arc, bringing the Cougars within three. The Cougars persistent efforts didn't go far as they fell to the Belles, 78-69.
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What's Next
The team will remain in Notre Dame, Ind. to battle against Albion College on November 15th at the Angela Athletic & Wellness Complex at 1:00 pm EST. Coverage for all things CUC women's basketball can be found at cucougars.com/coverage.