Benedictine (10-13, 6-5 NIIC) lost for the second time this season to Concordia (8-16, 5-6 NIIC), which snapped a seven-game losing streak with the victory. Benedictine finds itself in a tie for third place (with Aurora University) in the NIIC standings with a game to play in the regular season.
After Benedictine scored the first bucket of the game, Concordia reeled off 10 straight points to take a 10-2 lead. Behind nine early points from Vanessa Acosta, the Cougars led by a 21-12 count just less than 10 minutes into the contest.
Benedictine rattled off an 11-2 run over the next three minutes to knot the game at 23-23. Walczak started the run with a trey, which was followed by a pair of Dana Sullivan 3-pointers and a Tamika Curtis lay-in. Benedictine trailed by no more than three points, and took a 36-34 lead on another Walczak triple with two minutes remaining in the half. Baskets from Ellie Bravo and Lindsey Seggebruch sent Concordia to the break with a 38-36 lead.
A basket by Liz Fredlund knotted the game at 40-40 early in the second half, but Concordia unleashed a long-range attack, getting 3-pointers from Bravo, Alissa Johnson, Allison Mueller and Jennifer Seales to forge ahead, 52-42. Benedictine answered right back with a 10-2 run, capped by a Lauren Zuro bucket, to cut its deficit to two points (54-52).
Mueller opened and closed the decisive 12-0 run with baskets for Concordia, which led by a 66-52 count with nine minutes remaining. Sullivan stopped the run with a 3-pointer, but the Eagles only got as close as six points the rest of the way, and that came on a Walczak trey in the final minute.
Walczak made 9-of-14 shots from the field, including 4-of-6 treys, on her way to her career high. Curtis added a double-double of 14 points and 12 rebounds in addition to her five steals, while Amanda Burditt added 11. The Eagles were outscored by a 19-4 margin at the free throw line.
Mueller made 6-of-7 shots from the field and all six of her free throws on her way to 20 points, while Johnson (18) and Bravo (13) also scored in double figures. The Cougars shot 55 percent from the field for the game, including a 14-for-23 effort (61 percent) in the second half.
Benedictine closes the regular season by hosting Aurora on Saturday, Feb. 19.