Coenen, Landgraf energize Women's Basketball in overtime win

MEQUON, Wis. – Megan Coenen was impressive in the second half and Madelyn Landgraf stole the show in crunch time to help Concordia University Wisconsin to a 75-65 overtime victory over Alverno College on Monday night inside the R. John Buuck Field House.

Coenen and Landgraf each scored a career-high 20 points to help the Falcons remain unbeaten in Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference play. CUW trailed by as many as 12 points in the opening half, but continued to fight back and force overtime.

Landgraf (sophomore, Elkhart Lake, Wis.) made a layup 11 seconds into overtime and then stole a pass and went coast-to-coast for an easy layup. She then drained a long ball to cap a 7-0 scoring run and followed with a block on the defensive end to give CUW control and momentum it greatly needed over a one minute and 48 second stretch.

Coenen on the other hand, brought the Falcons back to life in the second half with 16 points and seven rebounds. The sophomore forward from Green Bay, Wis., did her damage in the paint and at the free throw line down the stretch. She made four second-half layups and was 6-of-8 at the charity stripe when her team greatly needed points.

"Maddie and Megan played extremely well for us tonight," head coach Stacey Brunner-Jones said. "Winning in overtime was important for us. We continue to play well, but during critical moments of this game we rose to the occasion. This was a significant learning lesson for us and I am happy that our defense and rebounding efforts were strong."

The Falcons (9-0, 6-0 NACC) overcame a dismal first-half shooting performance (23.5 percent) and responded by hitting half of their shots (13-of-26) in the second half and 4-of-5 in the extra session. They also made a season-high-tying 23 free throws and outscored the Inferno 27-6 in bench production.

AC (6-2, 5-2 NACC) was led by Devon Gorman who had 17 points and two steals, while Jamie Hoernke and Ashley Berry each netted 16 points. Hoernke pulled down a game-high 12 rebounds, while Gorman had seven rebounds and Berry finished with six rebounds.

Kristen Speerschneider scored only six points, but hit the biggest Inferno shot of the game. With the shot clock running down and trailing by three points, she drained a 26-foot 3-pointer to tie the game at 62-62 with just over three seconds to play in regulation.

CUW again won the turnover battle (12-19) and stole 10 passes, including two in the overtime period. Senior Katie Luethe (Oshkosh, Wis.) added 14 points and eight rebounds, while freshman Tori Riechers (Cedarburg, Wis.) had 10 points and six rebounds.

Coenen ended the night with a career-best 10 free throws made. Landgraf also had career highs in free throws made (seven), rebounds (four) and steals (three).

Shooting was difficult for the Falcons in the first 20 minutes, making just eight field goals. The Inferno took advantage and scored 16 of their 30 first half points in the paint.

During the second period, there were three scoring ties and three lead changes, as AC tallied 22 points in the paint. CUW answered with nine points from its bench.

CUW returns to the court on Saturday with a 2 p.m. matchup at Wisconsin Lutheran College. The Warriors have won the past three NACC regular season and Tournament titles.