MEQUON – The Lakeland University women's basketball team went down to the wire with rival Concordia University Wisconsin again but came up just short in a 53-51 loss Saturday afternoon on the road in a Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference game.

A Muskies' game-winning three-point attempt just before the final buzzer was off target and Lakeland lost to the Falcons for the second time this season in another competitive game between the two teams. The Muskies dropped to 8-7 overall and are now 5-5 in the NACC, and now have lost each of their last four games by five points or less or in overtime.

The Falcons (11-4 overall, 8-2 NACC) rallied from a 12-point deficit to take the lead just before the end of the third quarter and would lead all of the final period, but the game was in doubt to the very end. The Muskies never trailed by more than five points in the fourth and spent much of the team within a single possession, including having three possessions to tie or take the lead in the final 22 seconds.

Concordia led by five when Miranda Jacobson (Jr.-Felch, Mich.) hit a pair of free throws making it 50-47 with 45 seconds left, and the Muskies cut the deficit to one when Rachel Stankevich (Sr.-Goodman, Wis.) hit a short jumper with 12 seconds to play.

The Falcons then converted a pair of free throws a second later, but after a timeout Amanda Majewski (So.-Peshtigo, Wis.) had a three-pointer to tie that missed. Jacobson scooped up the rebound and followed with a putback to make it 52-51 with six seconds left, and Concordia's Clara Chambers then split two foul shots with four seconds to play to give CUW a two-point lead. Stankevich had a final try for a long three-pointer just before the buzzer but it was off.

Lakeland had put itself in a terrific position earlier in the game with a good first quarter followed by a huge second quarter. The Muskies led 11-7 after one period before the Falcons scored 10 straight points to claim a ix-point lead, but Lakeland then finished on a 20-3 run over the final 6:15 of the first half, with Janai Farr (Fr.-Racine, Wis.) drilling a three-pointer just before halftime for a 31-20 lead.

The Muskies eventually pushed the lead as high as 37-25 after a steal and layup by Abby Nylund (Fr.-Crystal Falls, Mich.) with 6:08 left in the third quarter, but Concordia responded from there and took the lead back on two free throws by Chambers making it 40-39 with two seconds left in the third.

Stankevich finished with a double-double with 14 points and 11 rebounds plus four assists for Lakeland, which shot 22 of 59 (37.3%) for the game. Jacobson, Nylund and Maddy Doll (Sr.-Florence, Wis.) all added eight points each, and Doll also added eight boards plus a game-high four blocked shots.

The Muskies held Concordia to 28.1% shooting (18 of 64), and also outrebounded the Falcons 43-42. Brianna Wagner finished with 16 points and Audrey Scharmer added 10 points and 14 rebounds for CUW.

Lakeland is back home Tuesday when it hosts Edgewood College at 7 p.m. at the Woltzen Gymnasium.