Milwaukee Hands CSUN A 58-50 Defeat

NEW ORLEANS—Milwaukee defeated CSUN 58-50 in the final Preseason WNIT game for both women's basketball squads Saturday afternoon at the University of New Orleans.

Back-to-back Serafina Maulupe three-pointers keyed a 10-4 start for the Matadors. With 6:31 remaining in the first quarter, the Panthers mounted a 20-3 charge that spanned to the 5:37 mark of the second and gave Milwaukee an 11-point advantage. The Panthers pushed the lead to as many as 15 in the second quarter. A short CSUN spurt, capped off by a Tessa Boagni three-pointer at the first half buzzer made the score 32-22 in favor of Milwaukee at halftime.

Eliza Matthews scored four straight points to begin the second half for the Matadors. Milwaukee (1-2) tallied six of the next eight points to return to a double-digit lead. CSUN chipped away, closing the advantage to under 10 on two different occasions. Taylor Nate scored seven points in the final four minutes of the third to get the Matadors to within seven, 44-37, after three complete.

"Taylor, she produced some things for a group that do not show up in the stat sheet and it became contagious for the rest of our team," said CSUN head coach Jason Flowers.

The Matadors scored the first four points of the fourth quarter to get within three. Jenny Lindner responded with four straight for Milwaukee to push the lead to 48-41. The teams exchanged baskets. Matthews made a layup to bring CSUN to within five with 3:17 to play. The Matadors got a stop on the defensive end. Maulupe drove the lane and made a layup for a 50-47 score.

With 2:09 to play, Lindner was fouled. She made 1-of-2 free throws to create a two-possession game. Lindner's second attempt was no good, but she was fouled getting the rebound. She again sank 1-of-2 attempts. Trailing 52-47 with exactly 2:00 to play, CSUN called timeout. Meghann Henderson drove the lane, but she was called for a charge. Milwaukee converted the chance with a Jamie Reit bucket.

The ensuing CSUN possession saw the Matadors turn the ball over. Lindner's jumper stretched the lead to 56-47. Channon Fluker's free throw cut the lead to 56-48 with 44.6 seconds remaining. The Panthers called timeout. On the inbounds, Steph Kostowicz was fouled and she converted both free throws. CSUN worked the ball down low to Matthews who was fouled. Milwaukee was under the limit, so the Matadors inbounded the ball from underneath the basket.

Boagni was fouled near the basket, but she missed the first attempt. CSUN was called for a lane violation. Milwaukee called timeout with the ball at the 24-second mark. The Matadors forced a turnover. Henderson went the length of the court for a layup. CSUN fouled the Panthers' McKaela Schmelzer. Schmelzer missed both attempts. A Maulupe' jumper missed at the buzzer, making it the final 58-50.

Lindner led all scorers with 19 points. She also added a game high 11 rebounds. Kostowicz posted 17 for the Panthers. Maulupe and Boagni both scored 10 to pace the Matadors.

"I thought today's effort as a group was the best we had all year," said Flowers. "Obviously, the outcome isn't what we wanted, but how we went about our business and how we played. I thought we did a better job defensively and we were tougher. The things we can do better, we can work on in practice and improve."

The Matadors (0-4) open the home slate next weekend by hosting the Warner Center Marriott Thanksgiving Basketball Classic. On Friday night, CSUN faces Idaho (1-1) at 7:30 p.m. In the other semifinal game, Arizona (2-0) takes on TCU (2-0) at 5 p.m. The winners of Friday's action play Saturday at 7:30 p.m. for the championship. The third-place game is set for Saturday at 5 p.m.

~www.GoMatadors.com~

Next Event

Team Stats

Serafina Maulupe

Tessa Boagni

Eliza Matthews

Taylor Nate

Players Mentioned

Tessa Boagni

Channon Fluker

Meghann Henderson

Eliza Matthews

Serafina Maulupe

Taylor Nate