Women's Basketball overcomes slow start, nets home-opening win over UW-L

MEQUON, Wis. – The Concordia University Wisconsin Women's Basketball team found itself down 15-0 6:50 into Tuesday night's non-conference matchup with UW-La Crosse. The Falcons did not panic, coming all the way back to defeat the Eagles 67-63 at the R. John Buuck Field House. 

CUW actually stormed back to take a nine-point lead at 63-54 with 3:06 remaining in the game. It was then UWLs turn to try and come back as they went on a 7-0 run to cut the lead to 63-61. The Eagles were down 65-63 when they called a timeout to set up a play for the potential game-tying basket. CUW stepped up defensively, getting a steal and two made free throws from senior Camille Parsons (Urbana, Ill.) to seal the victory.

"I was very proud of the way our team came back tonight," said Falcons head coach Stacey Brunner-Jones. "That was an important win that will have a big impact on our team moving forward."

Sophomore guard Jasmine Williams (Chicago, Ill.) scored a career-high 15 points to pace the Falcons. Williams did most of her damage in the second half, scoring 13 points over the final 20 minutes. Senior Katie Luethe (Oshkosh, Wis.) added 13 points, while sophomore Megan Coenen (Green Bay, Wis.) chipped in with 12. Erin Levenhagen finished with a team-high 13 points for UWL as four Eagles finished in double-figures. 

The start couldn't have gone much worse for the Falcons as they didn't score until Williams hit a jump shot with 13:10 remaining in the first half. The Eagles would extend the lead to a game-high 17 points at 21-4 with 8:33 remaining in the first half.

CUW started to find its form after the UWL lead reached 17 as they went on a 16-2 run, making the score 23-20 with 1:49 remaining in the half. The Eagles would push the lead back to five before halftime, as the score read 27-22 after one half of play.

The Falcons would tie the score at 29-29 early in the second half, but they didn't take the lead until a layup by Luethe with 7:16 remaining in the game put them on top 50-48. The score would read 51-51 when Williams drained a 3-pointer, helping spark the Falcons run that put them up nine late in the game. UW-La Crosse wouldn't go away, but CUW got enough big plays down the stretch, including big shots from Parsons and Williams, to gain the win.

A big reason for the Falcons comeback was their ability to rebound the basketball. While CUW was outrebounded 37-35 in the game, they got several key rebounds throughout the contest, both offensively and defensively. Senior guard Anna Butler (Kewaskum, Wis.) tied for a game-high with 12 rebounds. Mallory Cramer also had 12 rebounds for UW-La Crosse. Butler also finished with a game-high five assists.

"After that opening stretch, our ability to rebound really got us back into the game," Brunner-Jones said. "I was really impressed with Anna getting 12 rebounds for us."

The Falcons will look for their fifth straight win Saturday when they host Aurora University at the R. John Buuck Field House. Tip-off between the Falcons and Spartans is scheduled for 4:15 p.m. as it will be the second part of a men's-women's doubleheader.