Falcons defeat Warriors, move to top of NACC standings

MILWAUKEE, Wis. – It was a near repeat of an early meeting from a month ago and the result was the same on Tuesday night, as Concordia Wisconsin defeated Wisconsin Lutheran, 57-41, but this time it moved the Falcons into sole possession of first place in the NACC standings.

THE BASICS
Final Score: Concordia Wisconsin 57, Wisconsin Lutheran 41
Location: Recreation Complex (Milwaukee, Wis.)
Records: Concordia Wisconsin 18-4, 15-2 NACC; Wisconsin Lutheran 14-7, 14-3 NACC

HOW IT HAPPENED
- Concordia Wisconsin's defense again rose to the occasion and was influential in forcing 12 first half turnovers (eight in the first quarter) and limited Wisconsin Lutheran to a miserable 3-of-18 from the field. As a result, the Falcons held an imposing 33-15 lead at the intermission.
- During the first 20 minutes of action, the Concordia Wisconsin scored 19 points off turnovers and 14 points in the paint. The halftime adjustments by the Warriors didn't matter because the Falcons continued to run away and pushed their advantage to a game-best 32 points midway through the third quarter.
- As things were difficult on the defensive end, Concordia Wisconsin's offense was efficient with 14 assists on 18 field goals made. They also pulled down 13 offensive rebounds and converted those chances into 11 points.
- Sophomore Baylee Barker (Oconomowoc, Wis.) tallied a game-high 16 points, while junior Brianna Wagner (Fond du Lac, Wis.) had 12 points. Junior Audrey Scharmer (Winona, Minn.) recorded eight points, 10 rebounds and three steals.
- Senior Samantha Blissett (Springfield, Ill.) had four rebounds, game-high seven assists and three steals. Freshman Kelsey Birschbach (Fond du Lac, Wis.) drained a pair of triples and finished with nine points.

BEYOND THE BOX SCORE
- Concordia Wisconsin has the tiebreaker over Wisconsin Lutheran via its two wins this season, if there would end up being a tie in the standings.
- The victory is the fifth straight over the Warriors, including the second on the road.
- Sophomore Marciarae' Harmon (Milwaukee, Wis.) pulled down a career-high-tying seven rebounds.

THE OPPOSITION
- Caitlin Knueppel led the Warriors with 13 points on 4-of-15 shooting (3-of-9 3-pointers) and seven rebounds. Lexi Reinke added three points, seven rebounds, four assists and two steals off the bench.

NEXT ON THE SCHEDULE
- The Falcons host Aurora at 2 pm on Saturday in the first game of a doubleheader.