River Forest, Ill. - The Concordia University Chicago (CUC) Cougars women's basketball team was back at home to welcome the Foresters of Lake Forest College. After some aggressive gameplay, the Cougars took their first win of the season with a final score of 74-62.

Inside the Box Score:

• Ai Yonemura (Yachiyo, Chiba-Japan) was tonight's star with 24 points, five rebounds and three steals.
• Grace King (Fairland, Ind.) walked away with 16 points, three rebounds and a steal.
• Abbi Dykstra (Yale, Mich.) finished off the night with 12 points and six rebounds. 

Here's What Happened

First Quarter

Yonemura started off the scoring for the quarter for the Cougars with a free throw due to an administrative technical foul by the Foresters, along with a layup once the game began. The Foresters joined the Cougars on the board with a layup. King joined Yonemura after making two layups, putting the Cougars up 7-2. Free throws made by a Forester had put them within one of the Cougars. The Cougars ended their nearly four-minute scoring drought with a free throw and layup by Hannah Lopez (Chicago, Ill.), 12-8. Yonemura ended the quarter with a deep buzzer-beating three-pointer, heightening the Cougars' lead, 15-10.

Second Quarter

Dykstra and Yonemura were on fire with three-pointers, giving the Cougars an 11-point advantage, 21-10. Sophia Pedraza (Carol Stream, Ill.) joined her teammates on scoring with a layup on the fast break. The Foresters tried eating into the Cougars' lead with a three-pointer, but King fought back with a jumper. The Foresters gained some momentum as they scored five points, 27-19. Naveya Jackson (Sun Prairie, Wis.) came in and made a layup and a free throw, helping the Cougars break 30 points. With 3:26 remaining, Linley Southern (Decatur, Ill.) kept the Cougars in a 10-point lead with a layup. The Cougars maintained their lead going into halftime, 36-30.

Third Quarter

The Foresters started off the scoring for the quarter with a layup. King was able to put up a layup, keeping the Cougars afloat, 38-34. King came in later with another layup. A Forester made a three-point jumper, halting the 6-0 run from the Cougars. Jackson was able to get in a layup on a turnover, keeping the Foresters in an eight-point deficit. Yonemura made another three-point jumper, 48-37. The Cougars continued to keep their lead going into the fourth quarter, 54-45.

Fourth Quarter

Kira Holliday (Roselle, Ill.) was added to the list of scoring Cougars with a layup to start off the quarter. The Foresters continued to fight back, coming within five of the Cougars, 56-51. Pedraza came in with a layup, breaking up the scoring run for the Foresters. Dykstra put up a layup in the paint, maintaining the Cougars' lead. A layup was made by a Forester, putting them within three of the Cougars. Yonemura was able to put some distance in the score with a layup of her own. King made a three-point jumper, putting the Cougars up by eight points. With 0:48 remaining, Dykstra broke 70 points with a layup and a three-pointer. The Cougars took their first game of the season with a final score of 74-62.

What's Next

The team will take a short break before heading to Madison, Wis. on December 3rd to battle against the Eagles of Edgewood University. The game will take place at Todd Wehr Edgedome at 7:00 pm. Coverage for all things CUC women's basketball can be found at cucougars.com/coverage.