Women's Basketball routs Edgewood for home NACC victory

MEQUON, Wis. – Katie Luethe scored a season-high 22 points to help Concordia University Wisconsin rout Edgewood College, 72-41, on Wednesday night inside the R. John Buuck Field House. With the win, the Falcons stayed atop the Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference standings.

CUW's lead reached 10 points in the first half with 8:39 to play and was doubled by halftime with the scoreboard showing a 33-13 advantage. The lead swelled to 35 points with just over seven minutes remaining in the game, as every Falcon that dressed saw action in the victory.

"We played really well tonight," head coach Stacey Brunner-Jones said. "We had a game plan coming in to slow down the Eagles and all the pieces fell into place. I am really happy with the way we played."

The Falcons shot an impressive and season-best 51.0 percent (26-of-51) from the field in the home win. They also outrebounded the Eagles 38-30 and recorded a season-best 15 assists.

While the offense scored over 70 points for the second time this season, the defense clamped down on the Eagles from the start. EC managed just five field goals in the first half and shot 24.5 percent (13-of-53) for the game.

"Yes our offense was very efficient tonight, but our defensive intensity was high the entire game," Brunner-Jones said. "I think we needed a game like this, were we played well on both ends of the court to give us confidence and momentum going forward."

Luethe (senior, Oshkosh, Wis.) finished with 22 points on 9-of-12 shooting, which included nine points during a six minute and 24 second stretch to begin the second half. She also grabbed a game-high eight rebounds and stole two passes.

Senior Camille Parson (Urbana, Ill.) added 14 points on 5-of-9 shooting, hauled in six rebounds and dished out a season-high six assists. Sophomore Megan Coenen (Green Bay, Wis.) added nine points and four rebounds.

EC (1-5, 1-2 NACC) was led by Courtney Spangler who had 14 points and eight rebounds in 28 minutes off the bench. Mariah Hill chipped in nine points and stole a game-best three points, and Rachel Pope added eight points, six rebounds and two steals.

A made a layup and a jumper on back-to-back possessions gave the Eagles a two-point lead, but that was their last of the game. CUW tied the game at 6-6 and took off from there with a 27-7 run to close out the opening half.

The Falcons held a 16-6 advantage in paint scoring and stifled the Eagles offense on every inch of the court. While EC committed just seven turnovers in the first 20 minutes, bad shots proved to bit its demise.

CUW (6-0, 3-0 NACC) pushed its advantage to 30 points less than seven minutes into the second half, which allowed Brunner-Jones to start substituting key reserves.

Freshman Taylor DeLong (Milwaukee, Wis.) grabbed had her first career rebound and steal, while freshman Samantha Erdman (Oak Creek, Wis.) also picked off her first career pass. Junior Lisa Donaldson (Greenfield, Wis.) hauled in the first rebound of her career.

Sophomore McKayla Gehrls (Caledonia, Mich.) played well in five minutes of action and twice completed impressive passes that led to layups. She also sank a pair of free throws. Sophomore Madelyn Landgraf (Elkhart Lake, Wis.) has now scored a career-high nine points in back-to-back games after going 3-of-4 from the field, including a triple, and two free throws. Sophomore Jasmine Williams (Chicago, Ill.) tied career highs in rebounds (five) and assists (three) off the bench.

It was also Professor Day, the first of its kind since Brunner-Jones took over the women's basketball program, and the educators were honored at halftime for their efforts and dedication.

"I want to extend a huge thanks to all the professors who attended our game tonight," Brunner-Jones said. "My players couldn't be the complete student-athlete without their help and guidance."

CUW returns to the court on Saturday for a 7:15 p.m. showdown at Benedictine University.