Women's Basketball dominates second half, downs Aurora for road win

AURORA, Ill. – Following a first half that ended in a 25-25 tie, the Concordia University Women's Basketball team dominated the second half of play, rolling past Aurora University, 72-47, in Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference action Thursday night.

Sophomore Megan Coenen (Green Bay, Wis.) scored 10 of her game-high 18 points after halftime as the Falcons outscored Aurora 47-22 over the final 20 minutes. CUW shot 60.7 percent (17-for-28) in the second half and clamped down on the Spartans, holding them to 28 percent (7-for-25) shooting.

The Falcons turned things up right away after halftime, opening on a 15-2 run capped off by a 3-point basket from sophomore Madelyn Landgraf (Elkhart Lake, Wis.). Coenen and senior Camille Parsons (Urbana, Ill.) each scored four points during the opening run of the second half.

Aurora (10-11, 9-7 NACC) would hit a pair of free throws, making the score 40-29 with 14:17 remaining in the game but that would be as close as things would get. The Falcons would control matters the rest of the way en route to the 25-point victory.

The Falcons dominated nearly every phase of play after halftime, which included outrebounding the Spartans by a 23-7 margin. CUW also forced 10 Spartan turnovers in the final 20 minutes and made as many free throws (12) as Aurora attempted. AU also turned it over 14 times in the first half as CUW held a 24-13 edge in turnovers.

The game started out looking as if it would be all Falcons from the get go as they raced out to a 14-3 lead just under seven minutes into play. Coenen had eight points during the game-opening run but the Spartans would solve her and CUW over the final stretch before halftime. The Falcon lead hovered around eight points until the 10 minute mark when AU rallied off a 9-0 run, building a 20-19 lead with 4:54 remaining in opening half. The two teams would go back-and-forth over the final five minutes, taking a 25-25 score into the break.

Senior Katie Luethe (Oshkosh, Wis.) joined Coenen in double figures, finishing with 12 points. Luethe also had four assists as did senior Anna Butler (Kewaskum, Wis.), helping the Falcons dish out 18 for the game. Butler led the team with nine rebounds, while sophomore Laura Kolander (Corcoran, Minn.) and freshman Tori Riechers (Cedarburg, Wis.) each had eight points off the bench.

Aurora had three players finish in double figures led by Shay Jenkins who tallied 13. Bench play was a big advantage for CUW as its reserves scored 23 compared to just five for the AU bench.

CUW (18-3, 14-2 NACC) will return to the court on Saturday completing its three-game week. The Falcons will host Dominican University for Senior Day at the R. John Buuck Field House. The seniors will be honored at halftime of the men's game, which is set for 2 p.m. as the women are scheduled to begin at 4:15.