Falcons show resiliency in defeat at NACC Tournament Championship

MILWAUKEE, Wis. – Concordia Wisconsin was resilient in coming back from a 14-point deficit, but couldn't slow down Wisconsin Lutheran in the final two-plus minutes during a season-ending 66-59 defeat in the NACC Tournament Championship.

THE BASICS
Final Score: Wisconsin Lutheran 66, Concordia Wisconsin 59
Location: Recreation Complex (Milwaukee, Wis.)
Records: Wisconsin Lutheran 24-3, Concordia Wisconsin 20-7

HOW IT HAPPENED
- Concordia Wisconsin was making its sixth appearance in the title game and second year in a row, and showed stretches of outstanding basketball to get within a point, 55-54, with two minutes and 32 seconds to play. However, on the next possession, Wisconsin Lutheran's Jen Dowden drained a 3-pointer to increase the hosts lead.
- The Warriors would go on to make another triple, to go along with a jumper and three free throws to seal the victory. They made 10 long balls and led by 16 points midway through the second quarter.
- The Falcons committed just 10 errors and held a 20-12 advantage in points in the paint. They also made 13-of-16 free throws (81.3 percent).
- Junior Baylee Barker (Oconomowoc, Wis.) had 15 points and four assists, while senior Audrey Scharmer (Winona, Minn.) scored 14 points, grabbed six rebounds and blocked two shots. Senior Brianna Wagner (Fond du Lac, Wis.) tallied 13 points and dished out three assists.

BEYOND THE BOX SCORE
- Concordia Wisconsin finishes the season with 20 victories and reached the 20-win plateau for the seventh time in the 14 years of head coach Stacey Brunner-Jones' tenure.
- Scharmer ends her career with 989 points, 837 rebounds and 108 steals. She is one of four known players to have at least 900 points and 800 rebounds in a career in program history.
- Wagner concludes her career with 1,066 points, 681 rebounds, 170 assists, 133 blocks and 108 steals. She is the only player in program history in the NCAA-era to record at least 1,000-650-150-100-100.

THE OPPOSITION
- Jen Dowden (NACC Player of the Year) led all scorers with 21 points, to go along with five rebounds and seven assists. Maddie Cruz had 12 points and five rebounds, while Coreana Carson scored 10 points, grabbed four rebounds, dished out three assists and stole two passes.