(Ann Arbor, MI) – Concordia women's basketball hosted their WHAC regular season finale against Madonna on Wednesday evening. The Cardinals entered 16-11 overall and 10-8 in WHAC play while the Crusaders came in 5-21 overall and 3-15 in the WHAC. CUAA jumped out to a hot start in the 1st quarter and weathered a late Madonna run to secure a 76-66 victory.
Katie Snow (JR/Grosse Pointe Woods, MI)'s double-double led the Cardinals with 23 points and 10 rebounds in the game. Aly Lenz (SO/Fenton, MI) was also in double figures with 12 points, going 4-4 from behind the arc. Madison Birchmeier (FR/Corunna, MI) finished third with 8 points.
A free throw from Katie Snow sparked a 9-0 Concordia run to begin the game. Shelbea James (SR/Dexter, MI) drained a pair of free throws to put the Cardinals ahead 11-2 at the 5:42 mark. Jerrica Neal (SR/Gary, IN) drilled a 3-pointer from the corner and Asaria Turman (FR/Ypsilanti, MI) added a pair of layups for an 18-5 lead. Katie Snow converted a layup and a pair of free throws to give CUAA a 22-7 advantage after the 1st.
Asaria Turman scored in the paint for the Cardinals' first basket in the 2nd. J'May Simmons added a pair of jumpers as Concordia continued to lead by double digits. Back-to-back triples from Shelbea James and Stephanie Abraham (SO/Marine City, MI) put CUAA ahead 34-19 with just over a minute to play. Concordia headed to the locker room with a 34-22 lead.
Katie Snow converted an old-fashioned three-point play to start off the 3rd quarter. Samantha Dorn (FR/Brownstown, MI) drained a 3-pointer in transition and Aly Lenz added a triple, but Madonna began to mount a comeback effort. The Crusaders trimmed Concordia's lead to just 4 points at the 1:03 mark, making the score 47-43. Lindsey Ferrington (FR/Flint, MI) answered with a deep triple and CUAA led 50-45 after the 3rd.
Katie Snow drew contact under the basket and made a pair of free throws to start the 4th. Aly Lenz knocked down two more 3-pointers and Snow continued to drive to the basket. However, Madonna continued to hang around trailing by just 3 points with a 65-62 score at the 1:52 mark. Aly Lenz answered with her fourth triple of the day and both Madison Birchmeier and Lindsey Ferrington made critical free throws in the final minute. CUAA secured the 76-66 win as time expired.
Concordia improves to 17-11 overall and 11-8 in WHAC play, moving into the 5th spot in the conference standings. The Cardinals will conclude the WHAC regular season on the road against Cornerstone this Saturday, February 22. Tip-off is set for 1pm.
