MEQUON, Wis. – Last season the women's basketball team of MSOE faced tough odds with a depleted roster but came away with some big wins and finished just two games below .500 in the conference standings. The Raiders are back again, this time with a full roster and their sights set on a NACC tournament spot. The Red & White showed the same amount of grit this afternoon when they took on Concordia Wisconsin but a poor first quarter proved to be their undoing in a 57-45 defeat to open up the 2021 season.

RESULTS
MSOE RAIDERS – 45
Concordia Wisconsin – 57

HOW IT HAPPENED
MSOE (0-1, 0-0 NACC North) had a few tough third quarter performances during last years slate of game. Unfortunately, it was the first quarter that proved to be the difficult one today. The Raiders, seeing their first live action since last years season finale, had some rust to shake off and it was a CUW (2-1, 0-0 NACC North) team that already had two games under their belt that took advantage. The Falcons outpaced the Raiders by 11 points in the quarter, a total that was greatly helped out by their play in the paint. CUW scored 26 points under the rim in the first half compared to the Raiders 10. MSOE was able to gain a point back in the second quarter but still faced a 10-point deficit to overcome in the second half…which they almost accomplished. The Raiders increased their shooting percentage over their first half totals and once again outscored the Falcons in the third, but it was their large run in the final frame that put them back into the ballgame. The Red & White went on a 13-4 run to draw within five at 45-40 before the Falcons pulled away for good in the final six minutes of the contest. Eight Raiders ended up finding the scoresheet in the 57-45 loss.

RAIDER REMARKS

• The Raiders will see CUW down the road for their respective season finales. The away series will take place on Feb. 26-27^th.
• MSOE was able to force 11 more turnovers than the Falcons and used those extra chances to outscore CUW 17-10 in that category.

MSOE STAT TRACKER
Points – Kayla Barreto (14)
Rebounds – Amy Reiser (9)
Assists – Alyssa Cazares (2)
Steals – Amy Reiser (4)
Blocks – Amy Reiser (2)

WHO'S ON DECK
The Raiders will head into NACC North divisional play next weekend when they welcome Edgewood to Hotchkin Arena for their first of only two home series all season. Both the Jan. 22^nd and Jan. 23^rd games are scheduled for 7:00 pm tip-offs.

For up-to-the-minute MSOE Raiders news, visit us at www.go-raiders.com. You can also follow the Red & White on Twitter @MSOE_Raiders and @msoe_raiders on Instagram.