Balanced offensive attack leads Women's Basketball past Augustana

ROCK ISLAND, Ill. – Concordia University Wisconsin had four players score in double-figures, as it controlled Augustana College from start to finish for a 77-65 non-conference season-opening victory inside the Roy J. Carver Center on Saturday afternoon.

The Falcons played together and their defense led to offense on many occasions. They stole 11 passes, forced 26 turnovers and converted those efforts into 21 points. CUW (1-0) also tallied 11 points on second chance opportunities.

Senior Katie Luethe (Oshkosh, Wis.) paced all scorers with 19 points, to go along with seven rebounds and two steals. Senior Anna Butler (Kewaskum, Wis.) scored a career-high 15 points, including seven free throws, and grabbed a game-high-tying eight rebounds. Senior Camille Parsons (Urbana, Ill.) finished with nine points and three steals.

"This was a great team victory on the offensive and defensive side of the ball," head coach Stacey Brunner-Jones said. "I was happy we kept Augustana from getting offensive rebounds. It was the season opener and I am happy with the win, but we have many things to work on. We were consistent enough at times, but more importantly our three seniors led us throughout."

Sophomore Megan Coenen (Green Bay, Wis.) ended with 11 points, five rebounds and two steals. Freshman Victoria Riechers (Cedarburg, Wis.) shined in her collegiate debut with 10 points and four rebounds.

Olivia Mayer led the Vikings (0-1) with 13 points, six rebounds, three assists and two steals. Marissa Pezzopane added 11 points and eight rebounds, while Molly Etheridge netted nine points.

It didn't take long for the Falcons to control the scoreboard with a quick 9-2 scoring run over the first three minutes and 12 seconds of action. House led four players who scored during the run with a triple. CUW's lead ballooned to 12 points at halftime following a 9-0 run over the final three minutes in the opening period.

On several occasions, the Vikings cut their deficit to single digits, but the final stanza was all Falcons.

CUW returns to the court on Wednesday for a non-conference showdown at 7 p.m. at Carroll University.