Chicago, Ill. - The Concordia University Chicago women's basketball team traveled to Chicago to go up against the Scarlet Hawks of the Illinois Institute of Technology. After some back-and-forth, the Cougars beat their opponents with a final score of 74-56.
Inside the Box Score:
- Ai Yonemura (Yachiyo, Chiba-Japan) bodied the night's game with 19 points, two assists and four steals.
- Grace King (Fairland, Ind.) left the game with 14 points, two assists, and two steals and led with nine rebounds.
- Sophia Pedraza (Carol Stream, Ill.) ended the night's game with 12 points, two rebounds, three assists and four steals.
- Hannah Lopez (Chicago, Ill.) left the game with 11 points, six rebounds and one block.
Here's What Happened
First Quarter
The Scarlet Hawks were the first to put up points for the quarter. King was first up to score for the Cougars with a pull up jumper. Yonemura came in with a layup, keeping pace with the Scarlet Hawks. Four quick points from the Scarlet Hawks followed, 4-8. Pedraza got a layup in, Yonemura coming in quick with one as well, tying things up. Yonemura's free throws had put the Cougars in the lead.
Jocelyn Chammas (Chicago, Ill.) had hit a 3-pointer, giving the Cougars a five point lead. The Scarlet Hawks tried to catch up - landing some points before King and Yonemura hit layups. The Cougars kept the lead going into the second quarter, 19-15.
Second Quarter
Naveya Jackson (Sun Prairie, Wis.) and King began the scoring for the quarter with some layups. The Scarlet Hawks slowly began their ascent, but the Cougars pushed back.
Abbi Dykstra (Yale, Mich.) shot in a 3-pointer, and with another layup from Pedraza, the Cougars managed an 11-point lead. King broke 30 with a jumper, 30-21. After a timeout, Yonemura came in hot with a 3-pointer jumper. Lopez also managed to hit a three from beyond the arc, pushing the Cougars further ahead. Chammas got in a pull up jumper with 0:15 left of the quarter. The Cougars exited the half on top, 41-30.
Third Quarter
King began the third quarter with a bucket. Jackson had hit a three, getting the Cougars to a 14-point lead. The Scarlet Hawks had hit a 3-point jumper, getting them within single digits of the Cougars. Lopez had put in another jumper, not letting the Scarlet Hawks catch up. King got a shot in, adding two more points under her belt. Pedraza got up a floating jumpshot, 52-45. A jumper from a Scarlet Hawk led the team to be within three. Lopez pushed back with a 3-pointer, ending the third quarter, 55-49.
Fourth Quarter
After nearly two minutes, the Cougars started off the scoring with free throws from Pedraza. Pedraza came in a little later with a jumpshot, adding to the Cougar lead. Lopez came in strong with her second 3-pointer of the half, 64-52. Jackson got a driving layup in, leaving the Scarlet Hawks in a 14-point deficit. Yonemura broke 70 with a driving layup and a pull up jumper - with this, the Cougars continued to tower over the Scarlet Hawks with a 20-point advantage. The Cougars came out victorious with a final score of 74-56.
What's Next
The team will be back on their home court on January 17th to face off against the Muskies of Lakeland University. The game will begin at 1 pm. Coverage for all things CUC women's basketball can be found at
cucougars.com/coverage.
