WAVERLY, Iowa – The Concordia Wisconsin women's basketball team wrapped up the 2025 calendar year on Tuesday afternoon at the Wartburg Holiday Tournament. The host Knights spoiled the holiday festivities, handing the Falcons a 53-40 defeat.

A pair of layups from sophomore Alexa Schwartz (Treynor, Iowa) gave Concordia an early spark, putting the Falcons ahead 2-0 and later 4-3. Sophomore Kristin Wentling (Arlington Heights, Ill.) followed with a basket to reclaim the lead, but Wartburg responded by closing the opening quarter on an 11-3 run to take a 16-9 advantage.

The Black and Orange opened the second quarter with a 5-0 surge to extend the lead to 21-9 before the Falcons countered with a 9-0 run of their own. A three-pointer from freshman Isabela Gunderson (Waukesha, Wis.) capped the run and pulled Concordia within three at 21-18. The two teams traded baskets the rest of the half, with Wartburg carrying a 29-20 lead into the break.

Offense was hard to come by for both sides in the third quarter. Midway through the period, freshman Maddie Becker (Zimmerman, Minn.) knocked down a jumper to trim the deficit to seven at 36-29. Wartburg answered with a three-pointer late in the quarter to push the lead to 44-31 heading into the final 10 minutes.

The Concordia defense set the tone in the fourth quarter, holding Wartburg scoreless for the first four minutes. The Falcons limited the Knights to just nine points in the final quarter, but the comeback effort fell short.

Concordia held Wartburg below its season scoring average, allowing just 53 points on the afternoon. Junior Andrea Butterbrodt (Green Bay, Wis.) led the Falcons offensively with nine points. On the glass, nine Falcons recorded at least one rebound, with Kristin Wentling pacing the team with five.

The Falcons resume Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference play on Saturday when they host St. Norbert. Concordia enters the matchup at 3-2 in conference play.