Concord Loses Close Game to Notre Dame, 80-77

Box Score
The contest was a see-saw affair throughout as the teams traded the lead 16 times and were tied on 10 different occasions. Down by seven with 1:45 left to play, the Mountain Lions fought back to cut the Notre Dame lead to three on three different occasions inside of 35 seconds left to play in the game.

The Mountain Lions' best chance to tie the game came with 10 seconds remaining, but a turnover stalled the opportunity. After a Concord foul, Notre Dame converted 1-of-2 attempts from the charity stripe to make it a 79-75 game. Coming off of NDC's made free throw; Wagner was able to get CU to within two points with eight seconds remaining with a pair of foul shots of her own.

However, Notre Dame went on to convert 1-of-2 free throws to extend its lead to three points at 80-77 with two seconds left in regulation. A last second shot by Wagner from just inside half court was offline as time expired.

For the second consecutive game, Concord had at least four players in double figures.

Wagner's career day came off of an 8-for-17 shooting performance from the field that included three three-pointers. She also went a perfect 7-of-7 from the foul line to boost her overall free throw percentage to 78.5 percent on the season. 

Coming off her impressive performance Thursday night at Davis & Elkins, junior forward Jacqueline Kestner registered her first double-double of the year with 11 points and 12 rebounds. Her 12 boards tied a career-high from last season against Seton Hill.

Senior center Sammi Webster was a force inside for the Mountain Lions as well, scoring 11 points, collecting seven rebounds and swatting four shots for a new career-high in blocks. Through four games this season, Webster has shot 64.0 percent from the floor on 16-of-25 shooting.

Junior forward Andrea Bertrand continued her strong early season play with 16 points and seven rebounds.

For the game, the Mountain Lions were out rebounded by Notre Dame (49-45), but CU bested the Falcons in field goal percentage (39.1-37.3). Both teams were even in points in the paint at 28, while the Falcons edged Concord in second chance points (25-22) and points off turnovers (12-10).

Wagner and junior guard Ashley Brown tied for a team-high with four assists apiece.

Notre Dame was led by Martha Nagbe, who produced team-highs of 23 points and 15 rebounds.

The Mountain Lions will continue their four-game homestand at the Carter Center Monday afternoon when they host Urbana at 1:00 p.m. Admission to Monday's game is free of charge.