RIVER FOREST, Ill.- The Concordia University Chicago (CUC) women's basketball team played against Aurora University. After an early tight game, the Spartans dominated the Cougars with a final score of 102-54.
BOX SCORE
- Ai Yonemura (Yachiyo, Chiba-Japan) led the Cougars with 15 points .
- Naveya Jackson (Sun Prairie, Wis.) with a strong impact added eight points and six rebounds.
- Hannah Lopez (Chicago, Ill.) contributed with three assists for her season high.
HERE'S WHAT HAPPENED
FIRST QUARTER
Yonemura got off to a fast start to score, slashing to the rim for two for the Cougars. She added two more points at the free throw line after drawing a foul, giving the Cougars an early 4-0 lead. Aurora answered with a tough bucket, followed by a three-pointer to take a 5-4 lead. Rebounds from
Grace King (Fairland, Ind.) resulted in a big play for two and adding a free throw. The Spartans kept the score tight with another bucket, tying the game 7-7. Getting involved in the game,
Abbi Dykstra (Yale, Mich.) puts up the Cougars first three of the night, stealing the lead by three. Slinging down low, the Spartans find the net back to back, going up by one, 11-10. Lopez drove down the court connecting to Dykstra with a three-pointer, the Spartans quickly responded with another three-pointer, creating that two-point lead. Yonemura tied the game by sinking both free throws, 14-14. Converting on every final drive, the Spartans went on a 11-0 run ending the first quarter, taking the lead 25-14.
SECOND QUARTER
Opening the second quarter,
Linley Southern (Decatur, Ill.) made a free throw after being fouled. Jackson added a three-pointer to the board, narrowing down the deficit by seven, 25-18. The Spartans with their first points of the quarter finishing two free throws, Yonemura responded with a skillful layup. Dominating the court by scoring two free throws, the Spartans went on a 17-point run, with the score 37-20.
Jocelyn Chammas (Chicago, Ill) broke the run for the Spartans, adding three more points to the Cougars scoreboard. The Spartans ended the half, increasing the lead by 28 after scoring 12 consecutive points against the Cougars, 51-23.
THIRD QUARTER
The Spartans quickly hit the net with a three pointer and layup to open the half, extending out to a 56-23 lead. A strong steal by layup connects to Yonemura to find King again for a bucket, matching energy the Spartans add two with a score of 58-25. Both teams exchanged possessions without scoring until the Spartans finished a three-pointer with a 36 point against the Cougars. With a Cougar timeout, Yonemura scored two free throws. Aurora adds four more points but Yonemura continues battling, scoring five points for the Cougars, 65-32. Ending the third quarter with the Spartans hitting 12 points followed by Chammas three-pointer, making it 77-35 heading to the fourth quarter.
FOURTH QUARTER
Bringing it back for a 48 point lead, the Spartans started with hitting two three-pointers for the last quarter, 83-35. Chammas responds back with a three-pointer of her own for the Cougars. Both teams traded baskets, keeping the Spartans lead by 45, 88-43. The Spartans take advantage of fouls and add two successful free throws followed by a driving layup by Jackson. The Spartans kept the pace of an 8-0 run until the Cougars topped that with a 9-0 run including free throws and three-pointers, 98-54. The Spartans hit triple digits on the scoreboard after a layup, extending their lead by 47. The Spartans closed the game off dominating by 48, with a final score of 102-54 against the Cougars.
WHAT'S NEXT
The Cougars will hit the road on January 24th against St.Norbert College. The game will take place at 1:00 pm. Coverage for all things CUC women's basketball can be found at
cucougars.com/coverage.
