Dominant third quarter lifts Women's Basketball in NACC opener at Edgewood

MADISON – After taking a six-point lead into halftime, the Concordia University Wisconsin Women's Basketball team used a dominant third quarter to roll past Edgewood in the Falcons NACC opener Tuesday night. CUW outscored the Eagles 23-7 in the third, posting a 69-46 win in conference play.

THE BASICS
Final Score: Concordia Wisconsin 69, Edgewood 46
Location: Todd Wehr Edgedome (Madison, Wis.)
Records: Concordia Wisconsin 2-0, 1-0 NACC; Edgewood 1-2, 0-1 NACC

QUOTABLE
- "I loved our defensive pressure and communication throughout the game," said head coach Stacey Brunner-Jones. "We are still learning how to play consistent and in sync for 40 minutes but it was still great to start conference with a win."

HOW IT HAPPENED
- CUW made things difficult for Edgewood all game, holding the Eagles to 31.5 percent shooting. In addition the Falcons forced 20 turnovers.

- The Falcons came out strong in their first road test of the season, building a 10-0 lead three minutes into play. Senior Madelyn Landgraf (Elkhart Lake, Wis.) and sophomore Brianna Wagner (Fond du Lac, Wis.) each had four points during the 10-0 run. CUW ended the opening quarter with a 19-10 lead.

- Edgewood would cut into the CUW lead a bit in the second 10 minutes of play, but never would get closer than six points, which was also the lead at the break. Wagner had seven points in the opening half to pace the Falcons, while Landgraf added six points. The guard also showcased her defense in the first half with three blocks, a new career-high for Landgraf.

- CUW again came out strong after the break with a 17-2 run to put the game away. The Falcons would end the third quarter outscoring the Eagles 23-7, taking a 54-32 lead into the final quarter.

- Edgewood would get no closer than 18 points the rest of the way as CUW coasted, moving to 1-0 in NACC play this season.

- Landgraf and junior Taylor DeLong (Milwaukee, Wis.) each finished with 14 points to pace the Falcons. Landgraf was a perfect 8-for-8 from the free throw line and added five assists, which tied sophomore Katelyn Sewall (Menasha, Wis.) for a team-high in the game.

- Freshman Shelby Otto (Greenleaf, Wis.) played well off the bench for the Falcons, scoring eight points and pulling down seven rebounds. The Falcons finished with a 52-43 edge on the boards as seven players finished with at least four rebounds. Sophomore Audrey Scharmer (Winona, Minn.) tied Otto with a team-best seven rebounds.

BEYOND THE BOX SCORE
- CUW won the turnover margin on Tuesday, committing just 11, while forcing 20 by the Eagles. Otto, sophomore Samantha Blissett (Springfield, Ill.) and senior Megan Coenen (Green Bay, Wis.) each had two steals.

- The Falcons improved to 7-3 in NACC openers since the league began prior to the 2006-07 season. CUW has faced Edgewood in three of those games now, winning all three.

- The Falcons dominated inside the paint on Tuesday, scoring 52 of their 69 points inside the painted area. In addition, the Falcons held Edgewood to just 22 points in the paint. CUW won the game going away despite not making a 3-pointer, but the Falcons also showcased a will to get the ball inside, attempting just five shots from beyond the arc.

- The depth of CUW should be something that poses a problem for the opposition all season. The Falcons got 34 points from their reserves as 10 players scored in the contest. CUW had a 34-13 edge in bench scoring.

THE OPPOSITION
- Rachel Pope led all players with 16 points, while adding nine rebounds for the Eagles.

- Sierra Jiran finished with a game-high 10 rebounds for Edgewood.

UP NEXT
- The Falcons will continue a stretch of four consecutive NACC road games by visiting Marian Saturday. CUW and the Sabres are set for a 4:15 p.m. start, immediately following the men's game between the two schools.