Falcons use 3-point shot to fly past Eagles

MEQUON, Wis. – Concordia Wisconsin usually scores the bulk of its points in the paint, but Wednesday night the 3-point shot was falling during an important 73-54 victory over Benedictine inside the R. John Buuck Field House. Both teams entered tied for second place in the NACC standings and now the Falcons have the inside track on a first-round bye in the tournament.

THE BASICS
Final Score: Concordia Wisconsin 73, Benedictine 54
Location: R. John Buuck Field House (Mequon, Wis.)
Records: Concordia Wisconsin 16-6, 13-4 NACC; Benedictine 15-7, 12-5 NACC

QUOTING BRIANNA WAGNER


HOW IT HAPPENED
- Concordia Wisconsin found its rhythm around the arc early, making a trio of long balls in the opening quarter, but found itself down by three points. It didn't matter, because they mixed in a little defense and four more triples to take control with a 38-31 halftime lead.
- The second half featured the Falcons playing solid defense and turning to the free throw line for a 9-for-10 performance to pull away for a double-digit victory that avenged a 20-point loss at Benedictine from a month ago. It also gives them an inside track on gaining the No. 2 seed in the NACC Tournament.
- Senior Brianna Wagner (Fond du Lac, Wis.) continues to inch closer to 1,000 career points after a 25-point performance that featured a career-high-tying three 3-pointers. The forward needs eight points to become the 17th player in program history to reach the milestone. She also had 11 rebounds and four assists.
- Senior Audrey Scharmer (Winona, Minn.) added another double-double to her résumé with 19 points and 11 rebounds, which her 12th of the season and 22nd of her career. Junior Baylee Barker (Oconomowoc, Wis.) ended with 10 points, three rebounds and four assists.

BEYOND THE BOX SCORE
- Concordia Wisconsin assisted on 17 of its 26 field goals. They also led by double-figures for all but four minutes of the second half.
- Benedictine hauled in 12 offensive rebounds, but scored nine second-chance points.

THE OPPOSITION
- D'Asia Williams had a team-high 11 points, to go along with eight rebounds. Venita Parsons scored 10 points, while Alena Moro grabbed 11 rebounds.

NEXT ON THE SCHEDULE
- Concordia Wisconsin travels to Dominican on Saturday for a 4:15 pm NACC contest.