(Dearborn, MI) – Concordia women's basketball traveled to UM-Dearborn on Wednesday evening for a WHAC conference matchup. The Cardinals came in 16-9 overall and 10-6 in the WHAC while the Wolverines entered 15-11 overall and 8-8 in WHAC play. CUAA stayed competitive throughout the game, but the Wolverines surged to an 83-69 win.
Tris'styn Williams led the Cardinals with 17 points in the game. Stephanie Abraham finished second on the team with 10 points. Asaria Turman and Lindsey Ferrington tied for third with 9 points apiece. J'May Simmons had a team-high 5 rebounds while chipping in 6 points.
After UM-Dearborn scored the first 5 points of the game, Tris'styn Williams put the Cardinals on the board with a turnaround jumper. Williams added a second layup, but the Wolverines used another 5-0 run to take a 10-4 lead. Stephanie Abraham drove to the basket for a score and both Tris'styn Williams and Katie Snow added two free throws. Samantha Dorn drained a 3-pointer in the final minute, but UM-Dearborn led 18-13 after the 1st.
Tris'styn Williams scored in the paint for Concordia's first basket in the 2nd. Paige Johnson drove up the middle and banked in a basket and Williams added a pair of layups, one of which went for an old-fashioned three-point play. Samantha Dorn drilled a 3-pointer and a layup to pull the Cardinals within 1 point, and a pair of free throws from Asaria Turman gave CUAA their first lead with a 29-28 advantage. However, the Wolverines closed the half on a 14-2 run to lead 42-31 at halftime.
J'May Simmons opened scoring in the 3rd quarter with a hook shot. Madison Birchmeier drained a pair of free throws and Tris'styn Williams scored on an offensive putback, but UM-Dearborn used an 8-0 run to take a 52-37 lead. Lindsey Ferrington ended the run with a 3-pointer, but the Wolverines maintained a double-digit lead and held a 64-49 advantage after the 3rd.
Stephanie Abraham made a pair of layups to start the Concordia offense in the 4th. UM-Dearborn continued to convert offensively, taking their largest lead of the game with a 77-55 advantage at the 4:19 mark. The Cardinals kept fighting as Asaria Turman made a pair of layups in the paint to begin a 9-0 run. CUAA got as close as 11 points after a deep triple from Lindsey Ferrington and a layup from Stephanie Abraham, but UM-Dearborn closed out the match with an 83-69 win.
Concordia will return to action this Saturday, February 15 with a match against current WHAC leader Indiana Tech. Tip-off is set for 1pm.