Women's Basketball Sinks Spartans in Dramatic Fashion

AURORA, Ill. - The Concordia University Wisconsin women's basketball team extended their winning streak to four games on Saturday with a thrilling 64-62 road victory over the Aurora Spartans. With the win, the Falcons improve to 12-11 on the season and an impressive 11-3 in Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference (NACC) play.

The game was tightly contested, featuring six ties and six lead changes, but CUW held the advantage for 32:18 of the 40-minute contest.

At the end of the first quarter, the Spartans led 16-14. Senior Aubrey DeBauch (Gillett, Wis.) had another strong start, scoring six points, while fellow senior Abby Hafemann (Hales Corners, Wis.) went a perfect 4-of-4 from the free-throw line.

The Falcons bounced back in the second quarter, outscoring the Spartans 19-12, starting the quarter on a 17-0 run, to take a 33-28 lead at halftime. DeBauch sparked the run with a tip-in layup and a transition layup following a steal. Junior Ava Booth (Plymouth, Wis.) added a three-pointer to give CUW a five-point lead, and sophomore Andrea Butterbrodt (Green Bay, Wis.) contributed a layup off a pass from freshman Alexa Schwartz (Treynor, Iowa), extending the lead to 23-16 with six minutes left in the half.

The Falcons run would continue with Booth hitting a free throw, Butterbrodt adding another layup, and Schwartz converting a layup of her own. Sophomore Gracie McNabb (Grafton, Wis.) also got in on the action, scoring a driving layup to cap the run and give CUW a 31-16 lead. 

Despite a strong defensive effort from the Spartans, they trimmed the Falcons' lead to five points, with CUW holding a 33-28 advantage at the break.

Aurora came out strong in the third quarter, outscoring the Falcons 16-12, but CUW still held a slim 45-44 lead heading into the final period. McNabb was key in the third, scoring a three-pointer and converting a traditional three-point play.

The fourth quarter was a back-and-forth battle, featuring two lead changes and four ties. Butterbrodt and McNabb scored on the opening possession of the quarter to give the Falcons a five-point lead, but the Spartans quickly responded to tie the game at 51-51 with 5:23 remaining.

Booth answered with a clutch and-one basket, giving CUW a 54-51 lead with five minutes left. However, Aurora tied the game again at 58-58 with 2:33 to go. The teams exchanged three-pointers, and Aurora took their first lead of the fourth quarter with a free throw at 1:16.

With 67 seconds left, Booth found DeBauch for a layup, giving the Falcons a one-point lead, 63-62. The Spartans had one final chance, but with 18 seconds remaining, sophomore Jayden Ross (Baraboo, Wis.) played stellar on-ball defense, forcing a jump ball with possession favoring the Falcons, sealing the win for CUW.

DeBauch led the Falcons with 18 points on an efficient 8-of-11 shooting, along with six rebounds and four assists. McNabb contributed 16 points, including three three-pointers, and two assists. Booth also reached double figures with 10 points, four assists, and a team-high three steals.

As a team, the Falcons won the turnover battle, outscoring Aurora in points in the paint and fast break points. At the free-throw line, CUW was stellar, shooting 84.2 percent (16-of-19) and making Aurora pay for their mistakes.

Next up, the Falcons will host the Wisconsin Lutheran College Warriors on Wednesday, February 19th.