Falcons Cruise Past Eagles

LISLE, Ill. – Wednesday night saw the Concordia University Wisconsin women's basketball team climb to 6-7 on the year and 3-2 in Northern Athletic Collegiate Conference (NACC) action after taking down the Eagles of Benedictine University, 76-51.

With the win, the Falcons move to .500 on the road at 4-4.

The first quarter saw the Falcons click on both ends of the court.

CUW swiftly gained a commanding 16-0 lead as seniors Erin Viergutz (Clintonville, Wis.) and Deidre Lassiter (Highlands Ranch, Colo.) quickly established themselves in the low post and combined for 13 points. Defensively, the Falcons held the Eagles scoreless for the initial seven minutes and 12 seconds of the contest.

At the end of the first quarter, CUW held an 18-9 lead.

However, the early stages of the second quarter saw the Eagles claw back into the game and level the score at 22-22 with 6:23 remaining.

The remainder of the second quarter would see the contest go back and forth, with neither team establishing a sizeable lead.

After trailing by two, 25-27, CUW freshman Jayden Ross scored four-straight points on back-to-back layups to give CUW the 29-27 lead. Junior Aubrey DeBauch (Gillett, Wis.) would push the lead to four points, converting both free throws after drawing a foul, bringing the score to 31-27 with 2:30 left in the quarter.

Later in the quarter, the Falcons capitalized on back-to-back trips to the free-throw line as seniors Madeline Taubenheim (Menomonee Falls, Wis.) and Deidre Lassiter went three-of-four from the line to put CUW up 34-29.

The final bucket of the half came courtesy of Aubrey DeBauch, who tracked down an offensive rebound and finished a layup with the time winding down to secure the five-point 36-31 heading into halftime.

Ultimately, the first half would see four ties and two lead changes. However, CUW maintained the lead for most of the half, holding it for 16:44.

At the half, the Falcons won the rebounding battle, holding a 28-13 advantage, including a 9-2 lead in the offensive rebound statistic. The Blue and White also outscored the Eagles in the paint, 20-8.

Like the first half, the third quarter saw the Falcons score first as Erin Viergutz put in the layup on a pass from freshman Jayden Ross (Baraboo, Wis.). The same play would ensue later in the quarter, as Viergutz scored on an entry-feed from Ross to give CUW a seven-point advantage near the halfway point of the third quarter.

Building on their momentum, the Falcons expanded their advantage to nine at 49-40 as freshman Andrea Butterbrodt (Green Bay, Wis.) snagged the offensive rebound and scored her first two points of the night.

With just over a minute remaining in the half, Aubrey DeBauch caught the Eagles sleeping and found Deidre Lassiter on the back cut for an easy score to give Concordia the 11-point lead as the third quarter concluded with freshman Gracie McNabb (Grafton, Wis.) hitting a tough turn-around jumper to give CUW the 53-40 lead heading into the final quarter.

The Falcons wasted no time out of the break, scoring on their first four possessions of the quarter, as CUW freshmen Andrea Butterbrodt, Gracie McNabb, and Jayden Ross each contributed layups.

The next three CUW possessions would see Aubrey DeBauch convert on three-straight layups to maintain CUW's 18-point lead with 5:11 left in the contest.

The scoring barrage from the Falcons would continue, as sophomore Ava Booth (Plymouth, Wis.) netted five straight points to secure Concordia the comfortable 76-51 victory. The 25-point victory is the largest for the Falcons this season.

In the win, the Falcons outscored the Eagles 40-20 in the second half.

For the game, the CUW defense held Benedictine to a 30.5 shooting percentage. The Falcons also outrebounded the Eagles 50-27 while taking control of the paint, outscoring the Eagles 46-12 inside the arc.

Aubrey DeBauch matched her season-high with 21 points on nine-of-16 shooting, marking her third 20+ point performance this season. Meanwhile, Erin Viergutz tallied 17 points and eight rebounds, while Deidre Lassiter recorded her first double-double of the season with 11 points and 11 rebounds. Additionally, Ava Booth, for the second time in her career and for the first time this season, hauled in 10+ rebounds, finishing with 11 boards.

Jayden Ross led the Falcons in assists with five, marking the seventh game she has led the Blue and White in assists this season.

Women's basketball will look to make it three straight conference victories when they return to the R. John Buuck Field House on Saturday, Jan. 13th, to host the Scarlet Hawks of Illinois Tech, with tip-off slated for 2 p.m.