Season Review: Women’s Basketball
MEQUON, Wis.
- Entering the 2011-12 season Concordia University
Wisconsin was looking to recapture the top spot in the Northern
Athletics Conference; but as the season progressed, the Falcons
experienced a rollercoaster ride until the final horn sounded.
The recent success by CUW has many programs in the
region envious, which can bring out the opponent's best each and
every game, and that is exactly what the Falcons encountered this
season.
CUW's senior class of Kendall Kerns, Brittney Toles
and Emily Wesley experienced nearly everything they could in a
Falcon uniform - NAC titles, NCAA Tournament appearance and trips
to Florida, Nevada and Texas.
"I am very proud of our senior class," head coach
Stacey Brunner-Jones said. "They have helped our program sustain a
high level of play for many years and I know they will achieve a
lot in their future endeavors."
Those experiences kept this year's team in many games
when the pressure increased and the intensity was amplified. While
a 16-11 overall record and a 13-5 mark in NAC play is considered a
'down year' by the team's standards, it was still a successful year
in many ways.
"It doesn't seem like a good record at this point, but
I am proud of our program, as everyone should be," Brunner-Jones
said. "We stayed true to our philosophy on offense and defense,
especially in the way we prepared. I think that is why it was a
hard couple of days after we lost to end the season. We are used to
being in the NAC Tournament Championship game and having the chance
to go to the NCAA Tournament."
CUW began the year with a pair of tough losses before
capturing a victory in seven of its next eight games before the
Christmas break. Of the many tests the Falcons faced this season,
the D3Hoops.com Classic would rank among the most difficult.
Traveling nearly 1,800 miles, CUW went head-to-head
with two of the country's talented teams that earned 20-plus
victories, including the nation's top-ranked program Amherst
College. Despite walking away empty handed, the lessons learned
would help the Falcons once they returned home.
Upon the start of the New Year, the Falcons put
together five victories in six games to build a comfortable lead in
the NAC standings. CUW then split a pair of games at the Concordia
Invitational Tournament, including a dominating 72-42 victory over
Concordia University Chicago in the consolation game.
Riding the rollercoaster ride throughout the season,
CUW began its upward swing with the NAC Challenge game. CUW took
care of business for the second time this season against CUC with a
54-43 victory to enter the NAC Tournament as the fifth seed.
In the quarterfinals, CUW faced its nemesis in
Lakeland College, who had already won a pair of games during
regular season play. But in the third meeting, Kerns and Toles
combined for 25 points and 23 rebounds to keep CUW's hopes alive
with a 56-44 victory.
It wouldn't get any easier in the NAC Tournament
semifinals as the Falcons traveled Wisconsin Lutheran College, the
reigning back-to-back league champions. After falling behind by as
many as 19 points in the opening half, CUW fought back to take a
five-point lead with 10 minutes to play. The Falcons battled the
Warriors, but a 3:39 scoring drought to conclude the game
eventually ended the Falcons season.
NAC First Team honoree Katie Luethe (Oshkosh, Wis.)
paced the team with 15 points. The sophomore forward led CUW all
season in scoring with a 13.0 average, while Kerns scored 11.1
points per game to earn NAC Honorable Mention honors. Toles was
also selected to the NAC All-Sportsmanship team.
The Falcons enjoyed their share of success during the
2011-12 campaign, but as with every rollercoaster ride, it has to
come to an end.
