(Seward, NE) Concordia University Ann Arbor Women's Basketball opened up the 70th annual Concordia Invitational Tournament (CIT), and the first CIT since 2020, with a game against the Cougars from Concordia University Chicago (CUC). The Cardinals controlled much of the game through the first three quarters, leading by as much as 15, but the Cougars came back in the fourth quarter to win the game, 71-65.
Taylor Leatherman led the team with 18 points, followed by Samantha Dorn (14), Zaria Mitchner (11), and Ellie Kallner (10). Leatherman also led the team with 13 rebounds while Kallner had a team high 5 assists.
Ann Arbor shot just 23.1% from three, while Chicago hit 50.0% of their three-point attempts. The game saw 34 total offensive rebounds, with Ann Arbor pulling down 19 of those. As a result, the Cardinals had 16 second chance points in the game.
The Cardinals jumped out to a five-point advantage early following an Ellie Kallner triple. They were able to maintain that lead for much of the first quarter in large part due to CUAA's eight offensive rebounds in the period. The Cougars clawed their way back into the game, hitting three shots from beyond the arc in their run. The Cougars had a lead as large as five until McKenzie Maciejewski sank a three pointer and then a layup to retake the lead. Zaria Mitchner hit a buzzer beater to give CUAA the two-point advantage after one.
Samantha Dorn drained a pair of threes to open up the second quarter for the Cardinals and grow the lead to eight. The Cardinal defense limited the Cougars to just 29.4% shooting from the floor. The only thing that kept CUC within reach was their shooting from three-point range, making 3 of their six attempts in the second quarter. Taylor Leatherman closed out the half with six points to keep the Cards in the lead.
The Cards scored seven unanswered points to open up the second half, forcing CUC to take an early timeout. It wasn't until nearly four minutes into the half when the Cougars were able to get onto the board. Concordia Ann Arbor continued to attack the boards, especially on offense creating second and third opportunities. Ellie Kallner sank a three, but then the Cougars went on a 15-4 run to pull within four points with one quarter to go.
CUC started the fourth quarter strong, taking the lead by a point with 7:30 minutes remaining. The Cardinals missed all five of their attempts behind the arc in the quarter, while the Cougars shot 50.0% from the field to help increase their lead. Chicago cemented their lead with a few crucial rebounds on both sides of the court and held on to win 71-65.
The Cardinals are now set to face the loser of the Nebraska and Wisconsin game, Saturday in the consolation game at 1:00 PM.
