Scharmer propels Women's Basketball past Aurora

AUROA, Ill. – Freshman Audrey Scharmer recorded her first career double-double to lead Concordia University Wisconsin past Aurora University in convincing fashion, 68-35, on Saturday afternoon inside Thornton Gymnasium.

Scharmer (Winona, Minn.) tallied 11 points (7-of-10 free throws) and pulled down 13 rebounds to lead all players in just 20 minutes of action. The Falcons held a 48-35 rebounding advantage and held the Spartans to 25.9 percent shooting for the game.

"Our defense really improved in the second half and we took advantage of our transition opportunities," head coach Stacey Brunner-Jones said. "We shared the ball really well today and it was nice to bounce back from a difficult loss, and to play everyone."

The game was close for the first six minutes until CUW put together a 20-4 scoring run over the next 11 minutes to take control of the Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference matchup. The Falcons increased their lead to 20 points just over three minutes into the second half and to 29 points with 13:03 to play in the game.

CUW (3-1, 1-1 NACC) finished with a decisive 37-9 advantage in bench scoring and a 30-12 difference in points in the paint. The win was also the 12th-consecutive over the Spartans and the sixth-straight victory against them on the road.

Sophomore Taylor DeLong (Milwaukee, Wis.) added a career-best 14 points and four rebounds off the bench for CUW, while junior Madelyn Landgraf (Elkhart Lake, Wis.) scored 10 points and dished out three assists. Freshman Elizabeth Hafemann (Hales Corners, Wis.) had seven points and sophomore Sammi Blissett (Springfield, Ill.) finished with five points, career-high six assists, four rebounds and a steal.

The Falcons forced 17 turnovers, with 11 of those ending in a steal. Junior Laura Kolander (Corcoran, Minn.) stole a career-high three passes and freshman Brianna Wagner (Fond du Lac, Wis.) recorded six points, five rebounds and three assists.

Shannon Koski led AU with 10 points, while Morgan Ricketts had six points and 12 rebounds. Natalie Branch also scored eight points off the bench for the Spartans (0-5, 0-1 NACC).

There were three scoring ties and three lead changes in the first six minutes and 27 seconds of the game, before CUW took control with a 20-4 scoring run. During the momentum shift, the Falcons had six different players score and eventually took a 32-18 lead into the locker room at halftime.

The second half quickly got out of hand for the Spartans, as the Falcons increased their led to 29 points with 13 minutes left in the ball game. CUW head coach Stacey Brunner-Jones was able to play 13 players in the lopsided contest.

CUW returns to action on Wednesday for a 7 p.m. NACC game against Edgewood College inside the R. John Buuck Field House.