MEQUON, Wis. – A 12-2 scoring run to start the second half gave Concordia University Wisconsin the momentum it needed for a 66-47 victory on Saturday afternoon against Aurora University inside the R. John Buuck Field House. The victory gave the Falcons an 8-2 record entering the Christmas break, the second-best start in program history.
CUW's bench was an important reason why it earned a fourth-consecutive victory, after outscoring AU's reserves by a 27-8 margin. Brianna Wagner excelled in a reserve role with a career-high 12 points, while Taylor DeLong and freshman Katelyn Sewall (Menasha, Wis.) added six points off the bench in the Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference contest.
"We played very good team defense and shared the basketball nicely in today's win," head coach Stacey Brunner-Jones said. "It is nice to go into the Christmas break with an 8-2 record with such a young team. I don't think they know how good they can be. We have been improving significantly the last two weeks and hopefully this will carry over into the second half of the season."
The Falcons forced 20 turnovers and converted those errors into 19 points, while they also rejected a season-best six shots and stole 11 passes. CUW had a game plan to attack around the rim and did well by scoring 32 points in the paint.
CUW held a 10-point lead at halftime and increased its margin to 19 points with 13 minutes to play and was never really challenged down the stretch. Junior Madelyn Landgraf (Elkhart Lake, Wis.) scored a game-high 14 points, to go along with five rebounds and two assists. Freshman Corrina Terrano (Phoenix, Ariz.) ended with eight points, four rebounds, career-high three assists and two steals, as well as a block.
Freshman Audrey Scharmer (Winona, Minn.) tallied five points and eight rebounds, while DeLong (sophomore, Milwaukee, Wis.) also had a career-best three assists and two blocks, and four rebounds. Junior Megan Coenen (Green Bay, Wis.) finished with six points, five rebounds and a career-best five steals.
Neely Marks paced AU with 11 points and a game-high 13 rebounds. Shannon Koski scored a team-high 13 points and dished out a game-best five assists, but had seven turnovers. The Spartans (3-8, 3-4 NACC) were held to 32.7 percent (18-of-55) from the field and just 3-of-19 from outside the arc.
There were five scoring ties and two lead changes in the opening period, but the Falcons slowly built a double-digit advantage before the horn sounded and led 37-27. They received 13 points from their reserves and forced 12 turnovers through the first 20 minutes.
CUW was never really challenged in the second half, which allowed 13 players to help in the victory. The Falcons extended their winning streak over the Spartans to 13-consecutive games and haven't lost in the series that dates back to Jan. 23, 2007.
CUW will have 13 days off before returning to game action on Saturday, Jan. 3 against Rockford University at 2 p.m. inside the R. John Buuck Field House.
