Women's Basketball Flies Past Eagles on Senior Day

MEQUON, Wis. - The Concordia University Wisconsin women's basketball team celebrated Senior Day in style, wrapping up their regular season with a crucial 56-48 victory over Edgewood to secure the third seed in the Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference (NACC) tournament.

This marks the Falcons' best finish since the 2020-21 season. The win pushes their record to 13-12 overall and an impressive 12-4 in conference play, defying expectations after being picked to finish sixth in the NACC preseason poll.

Heading into Saturday's game, the Falcons needed the win to earn the right to host a tournament game.

The Falcons started strong, taking a 13-9 lead after the first quarter. Junior Ava Booth (Plymouth, Wis.) was perfect from the floor in the opening period, scoring eight points. Senior Liliana Guerra (Yorkville, Ill.) added a mid-range jumper to score CUW's final basket of the quarter.

In the second, both teams matched each other's efforts, but CUW maintained a five-point lead, heading into halftime with a 22-17 advantage. The Falcons' largest lead of the half came after senior Abby Hafemann (Hales Corners, Wis.) sank two free throws, pushing CUW ahead 20-11.

However, the Eagles slowly chipped away at the deficit and trailed by just five points at the break.

Out of the locker room, Edgewood outscored the Falcons 14-11 in the third quarter, narrowing the gap to 33-31.

After briefly losing the lead, senior Aubrey DeBauch (Gillet, Wis.) hit a key jump shot to put CUW back on top, 24-23.

Junior Andrea Butterbrodt (Green Bay, Wis.) then sparked a fast break with a steal and score, while DeBauch added another layup, extending the Falcons' lead to 28-23. Sophomore Gracie McNabb (Grafton, Wis.) drilled a three-pointer with three minutes remaining, giving CUW a 31-25 lead, and the Falcons led 33-31 heading into the final period.

The Falcons' offense ignited in the fourth quarter, scoring a game-high 23 points on 66.7% shooting (10-of-15). Booth and DeBauch led the charge, each scoring seven points in the frame, while sophomore Jayden Ross (Baraboo, Wis.) chipped in four.

CUW quickly built an eight-point lead early in the quarter after DeBauch's basket and later extended the advantage to 10 points after a layup by Butterbrodt with 2:08 to go.

The Eagles had no answers for CUW's late surge, and Booth capitalized on an Edgewood turnover, scoring to put the Falcons ahead 54-42 with 1:35 left. Strong free throw shooting in the final moments sealed the victory.

Defensively, the Falcons delivered another stellar performance, holding Edgewood to just 36.4% shooting from the field and 16.7% from beyond the arc.

CUW also dominated the boards, out-rebounding the Eagles 34-27 and forcing 12 turnovers.

Booth led the Falcons with 16 points and seven rebounds, making a team-high six field goals, including three three-pointers. DeBauch also reached double figures with 11 points and a team-best five assists, while McNabb grabbed a career-high seven rebounds.

The Falcons now look ahead to hosting the Raiders of MSOE in the NACC tournament on Tuesday at 7 p.m. from the R. John Buuck Fieldhouse. Earlier this season, the Falcons defeated MSOE 85-75 on January 22.