(Grand Rapids, MI) – Concordia women's basketball traveled out west to Aquinas on Wednesday evening for a WHAC contest. After a high-scoring first half, the Cardinals pulled ahead and weathered a late Saints run to claim a 71-67 victory and move to 10-0 in the WHAC.
Taylor Leatherman led the team with 27 points, she also joined the 1,000-point club with a three-pointer in the third quarter. Abby Long finished second with 23 points. Julia Hirt was also in double figures with 10 points. Alexx Braddock and Ellery Baker tied for a team-high 10 rebounds.
��1,000 POINT CLUB��@concordiawbb's Taylor Leatherman joins the 1,000-point club with a 3-point bucket in the third quarter of tonight's 71-67 win over Aquinas!#gocards pic.twitter.com/tKmHAa1wfl
— Concordia Cardinals (@CUAACardinals) January 11, 2024
Alexx Braddock opened the scoring with a jumper. Taylor Leatherman added a basket and Abby Long knocked down three 3-pointers as both offenses clicked early on. Julia Hirt drove for a layup and finished off an "and-1" to keep Concordia ahead. CUAA held a 24-21 lead after the first quarter.
Aquinas briefly took the lead to start the second quarter until Alexx Braddock tied the game with a free throw. After a 7-0 Aquinas run, Taylor Leatherman scored to stop the Saints' momentum. Julia Hirt and Leatherman drained triples and Emily McCalla added a layup. Abby Long began to catch fire with Concordia's next 7 points and CUAA trailed 47-44 at halftime.
Abby Long nailed a 3-pointer to tie the game in the third quarter. Taylor Leatherman hit a go-ahead triple to start a 9-0 run, scoring 7 of the team's points during the stretch. Aquinas pulled within 3 points but Abby Long drained another 3-pointer and CUAA led 59-55 after the third quarter.
Ellery Baker started an 11-0 run with a jumper in the fourth quarter. Taylor Leatherman notched the next 9 points in the run including two 3-pointers to push the lead to double digits. The Cardinals worked the shot clock for the remainder of their possessions, but Aquinas used a 12-0 run to tighten the game. However, CUAA's defense held strong and the team claimed the 71-67 win as time expired.
Concordia will host #25 Indiana Tech this Saturday at 1pm.
