MEQUON, Wis. – Concordia Wisconsin was within two points with seven minutes to play against No. 13 Hope, but the visiting Flying Dutch used its size and defense down the stretch to pull away for a 69-61 non-conference victory on Tuesday night inside the R. John Buuck Field House.

THE BASICS
Final Score: No. 13 Hope 69, Concordia Wisconsin 61
Location: R. John Buuck Field House (Mequon, Wis.)
Records: Hope 3-0, Concordia Wisconsin 0-1

QUOTING STACEY BRUNNER-JONES
"With this being our first game of the season, I thought there was a lot we did well," head coach Stacey Brunner-Jones. "Hope is a quality opponent and we found out that we have areas to work on. Our goal is to use this game to help us to get better and gain more confidence as the season goes forward."

HOW IT HAPPENED
- Concordia Wisconsin played tough from the opening tipoff and stayed within five points through three-quarters of play and was within two points with 7:04 to play. The Flying Dutch slowly pulled away over the next few minutes with a trio of free throws, a pair of layups and Lauren Newman triple that made it 66-55 with 2:21 remaining in the game.
- Senior Brianna Wagner (Fond du Lac, Wis.) was the go-to for the Falcons with a career-high 26 points on 10-of-15 shooting (6-of-6 free throws). She also had five rebounds and two blocks.
- Senior Audrey Scharmer (Winona, Minn.) was a point shy of recording a double-double (nine points, 10 rebounds), while junior Baylee Barker (Oconomowoc, Wis.) scored 19 points.
- Concordia Wisconsin outrebounded its taller opponent, 31-28, but Hope ended with advantages in points in the paint (38-26), points off turnovers (22-10) and bench points (17-4).

BEYOND THE BOX SCORE
- There were eight scoring ties and six lead changes in the game. The Falcons largest lead of four came in the first quarter at 7:02, while the Flying Dutch were ahead by 11 with 5:56 on the clock in the third period.
- Hope was the first ranked opponent Concordia Wisconsin played since defeating No. 15 New England 48-45 in overtime on December 21 during the Puerto Rico Classic.

THE OPPOSITION
- Lauren Newman posted a team-high 19 points on 6-of-10 shooting (two 3-pointers), while Kenedy Schoonveld tallied 14 points. Francesca Buchanan added eight points and five rebounds.

NEXT ON THE SCHEDULE
- The Falcons travel to Lakeland for the NACC-opener on Saturday for a 4:15 pm tipoff.