Late surge lifts Women's Basketball to season opening win over Augustana

MEQUON, Wis. – A late 9-2 scoring run over the last four minutes gave Concordia University Wisconsin an exciting season-opening 61-54 non-conference victory over Augustana College on Saturday afternoon inside the R. John Buuck Field House.

Following a 52-52 tie with 4:39 to play, the Falcons' Madelyn Landgraf started a 9-2 scoring run with a 3-pointer. CUW forced a pair of turnovers on two of the next three AC possessions to take control, while Landgraf sealed the victory with two free throws with 12 seconds remaining.

The new-look Falcons received 25 points from its bench, which featured mainly freshmen. In all, CUW led for over 30 minutes in the game and held the Vikings to 33.9 percent shooting from the field.

Landgraf (junior, Elkhart Lake, Wis.) led all players with 19 points, which included four 3-pointers, while freshman Brianna Wagner (Fond du Lac, Wis.) scored 10 points on 5-of-9 shooting and grabbed five rebounds. Junior Karena Monson (Carmel, Ind.) finished with a career-high seven points and seven rebounds, and freshman Audrey Scharmer (Winona, Minn.) netted eight points. Sophomore Taylor DeLong (Milwaukee, Wis.) also added a career-best eight points and four rebounds.

Marissa Pezzopane led the Vikings (0-1) with 16 points, while Olivia Mayer and Jennifer VanWatermeulen each had 12 points. Andrea McNally ended with eight points, game-high nine rebounds and two assists.

CUW (1-0) led the entire first half and took a 30-25 lead into the locker room after scoring 18 points in the paint. A 5-1 scoring spurt capped by freshman Katelyn Sewall's (Menasha, Wis.) 3-pointer gave the Falcons a game-best eight point lead with 3:24 to play before the intermission.

The Vikings adjusted their game plan and used a 17-5 scoring run to lead 42-35 seven minutes into the second period to own the momentum. During the scoring run, the Falcons missed five shots and turned the ball over four times.

CUW gathered itself and slowly took control of the game down the stretch, shooting 8-of-11 from the free throw line in the second half.

The Falcons return to the court on Monday for a non-conference matchup against Beloit College at 7 p.m. inside the R. John Buuck Field House.