Benedictine defeats Women's Basketball with late free throws

MEQUON, Wis. – In an intense matchup of tops teams in the NACC, it came down to the final seconds as Benedictine pulled out the 62-59 victory over Concordia Wisconsin on Saturday afternoon inside the R. John Buuck Field House.

THE BASICS
Final Score: Benedictine 62, Concordia Wisconsin 59
Location: R. John Buuck Field House (Mequon, Wis.)
Records: Benedictine 12-3, 8-2 NACC; Concordia Wisconsin 12-3, 8-2 NACC

HOW IT HAPPENED
- Georgia Alexakos made a free throw to put push Benedictine ahead by three points, 60-57, with seven seconds remaining in the game. The Falcons needed to go the length court and were unable to get the 3-point shot they were looking for and settled for a layup with 0.9 seconds left in the game.
- The NACC contest was close throughout, especially in the final 10 minutes of play with four scoring ties and seven lead changes. Neither team led by more than three points in the final period.
- Benedictine made the most of their free throw attempts in the fourth quarter by converting on 11-of-13. As well, the Eagles overcame a big shooting difference (37.5 percent compared to CUW's 60.0 percent) but did outrebound the Falcons 12-6 down the stretch in the final period.
- Concordia Wisconsin played strong defense in the opening 10 minutes, only allowing nine points on 3-of-13 shooting by Benedictine. The Falcons continued their terrorizing defense by holding the Eagles to just 1-of-6 3-point shooting in the second quarter, which led to a slight 27-23 lead into halftime advantage.
- After the intermission, the Eagles made offensive adjustments and outscored the Falcons 16-12 which helped them tie up the game going into the fourth period.
- The Falcons were led by junior Audrey Scharmer (Winona, Minn.) with a career-high 18 points on 9-of-10 shooting, while hauling in five rebounds and rejecting one shot. Junior Brianna Wagner (Fond du Lac, Wis.) also came away with six rebounds and two blocks. Freshman Arianna Liddicoat (Watertown, Wis.) finished with eight points in 27 minutes off the bench.

BEYOND THE BOX SCORE
- Benedictine ended with a decisive 42-29 lead in rebounds, including 12-2 in offensive rebounds. They also held an 11-4 difference in second chance points.

THE OPPOSITION
- Benedictine rallied behind Venita Parsons' 21 points and four assists, while Alexakos had 10 points and eight rebounds. Alena Moro also grabbed nine rebounds and added six points.
- Payton Sims chipped in 12 points off the bench.

NEXT ON THE SCHEDULE
-The Falcons will go on the road to battle Marian next on Wednesday at 7:00 pm in NACC action.