Falcons surge past Lakeland in home NACC victory

MEQUON, Wis. – Concordia Wisconsin put together a pair of timely scoring runs, which resulted in an important 68-54 victory over Lakeland on Wednesday night inside the R. John Buuck Field House. The Falcons also broke out of their shooting slump from outside, draining six 3-pointers.

THE BASICS
Final Score: Concordia Wisconsin 68, Lakeland 54
Location: R. John Buuck Field House (Mequon, Wis.)
Records: Concordia Wisconsin 6-1, 4-0 NACC; Lakeland 4-5, 2-2 NACC

QUOTING BAYLEE BARKER

HOW IT HAPPENED
- Lakeland made it difficult on Concordia Wisconsin from the start of the game, forcing six turnovers in the opening quarter behind a full-court press. However, it was only a matter of time before the hosts used its size and strength to pull away. The Falcons put together a 19-6 scoring run over the final three minutes of the second quarter and the first four-plus minutes of the third period to turn a 20-20 game into a 39-26 lead.
- The Muskies wouldn't go down easily, behind a spirited effort from Rachel Stankevich and Bailey Grayvold who combined for 37 points in the loss. They got to within eight points with 8:23 remaining in the game and that is when the Falcons flew away with a 15-2 scoring run over the next four minutes to take control of the game.
- Concordia Wisconsin entered the contest with just 10 3-point makes and sank six in the win, with three long balls coming from sophomore Baylee Barker (Oconomowoc, Wis.). As has been the case all season, they pounded the ball inside and scored 34 points in the paint.
- Lakeland didn't shoot well and ended at 36.2 percent (21-of-58), including 26.3 percent (5-of-19) from outside; but nine second half turnovers led to 17 points for Concordia Wisconsin.
- Senior Taylor DeLong (Milwaukee, Wis.) had her second double-double of the season with 13 points and 12 rebounds, to go along with two steals.
- Junior Brianna Wagner (Fond du Lac, Wis.) finished with a double-double of her own (13 points, 11 rebounds), while assisting on two field goals and stealing two passes.
- Senior Samantha Blissett (Springfield, Ill.) had eight points, four assists and two steals. Sophomore Marciarae' Harmon (Milwaukee, Wis.) tallied nine points, four rebounds and four assists.
- Junior Audrey Scharmer (Winona, Minn.) scored just two points, but grabbed six rebounds and dished out a career-high five assists.

BEYOND THE BOX SCORE
- The Falcons bench finished with a 29-6 advantage over the Muskie reserves.
- Concordia Wisconsin wins its fourth game in a row before starting a four-game road trip.
- Lakeland entered the game as one of the nation's best teams in regards to steals, averaging 13.5 per game and ended with just six.

THE OPPOSITION
- Rachel Stankevich led all players with 20 points on 9-of-17 shooting, to go along with nine rebounds (five offensive).
- Bailey Grayvold added 17 points, six rebounds, four assists and two steals.
- Kayla Clark also scored seven points, grabbed three rebounds, dished out three assists and stole a game-high three passes.

NEXT ON THE SCHEDULE
- The Falcons travel to Aurora for a Saturday 2 pm NACC contest.