Following the first half of Saturday's game, Concordia had some work to do after falling behind by 10 to Cal Baptist University. Despite the double-digit differential, the game was far from over, and the Eagles were far from done. After chipping away at the lead in the third and reducing it to five, Concordia posted 27 points in the final quarter in front of a packed CU arena to knock down the Lancers and claim the 82-76 win. The victory was the first for the Eagles over the Lancers since the 2009-2010 season.
What Happened: The Eagles and Lancers traded points to six, but Concordia strung together two three-pointers from
Reilly Walsh and
Montana Walters and a jumper from
Michaela Vanderklugt to take a six point lead. But the Lancers lunged back and went on an 11-2 run before Walters knocked down a second deep shot to tie the game at 19. Cal Baptist finished the period with a 26-21 lead. The Lancers continued set out on a scoring spree and established a 14 point lead with seven to play. But points from Fulcher,
Portia Neale and Walters combined with strong defense from
Morgan Bryant held CBU within 10 entering the break. Although the Eagles out shot the Lancers in field goals and three-pointers, Concordia committed 12 turnovers.
Fulcher Fuels Up: Fulcher found a rhythm in th paint and posted 11 points in the third quarter to help the Eagles step on the throttle. Walters' magic worked as well. The guard added three rebounds, three assists and five points to her totals to put Concordia within five. After a
Sopavy Seng layup to start the fourth, Fulcher fed Walsh a pass and she buried it for three more Eagle points. Vanderklugt, despite being in foul trouble, clutched up for the Eagles and sank a deep shot followed by a jumper to give the Eagles a slight lead. Walters capitalized on the overtake opportunity with back-to-back three-pointers and an eight point lead. In the final 23 seconds, the Eagles made four of six free throws to take the win.
Eagle Eye: Walters tallied 21 points, seven assists, seven rebounds and a steal. Fulcher added 21 of her own to go along with five rebounds. Vanderklugt had 11 points with five rebounds and
Riley Friauf put up eight points and rebounds.
What's Next: The Eagles are now 10-7 and 7-4 in conference. Friday Jan. 27th, Concordia has a rematch with Azusa Pacific at 5:30 p.m. in Azusa, Calif. In their first meeting of the 2017-2018 season, the Cougars captured a 66-57 win. APU is now 10-2 in conference and 19-3 overall.
