MEQUON, Wis. – Concordia University Wisconsin's Lindsey Lonigro scored on a layup at the buzzer and the Lakeland University women's basketball team's season ended in heartbreaking fashion with a 74-72 loss Tuesday night in the first round of the Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference Tournament.

Lonigro scored her only two points of the game as time expired as the Falcons went the full 94 feet in the final seconds just after Kacey Gardner (Sr.-Evergreen Park, Ill.) hit an 18-foot jumper to tie it with 7.2 seconds left. Fifth-seeded Lakeland finished its season with a 14-12 record while fourth seed Concordia (16-10 overall) advanced to a semifinal game against No. 2 seed Wisconsin Lutheran College Thursday night.

The Muskies went down swinging, staging a furious rally from a nine-point deficit with 3 1/2 minutes left. Gardner scored Lakeland's final eight points and 13 of the team's final 16 points in the last 2:21, and a full-court press forced three turnovers in that time, enough to give the Muskies a chance at the end.

Gardner scored with just under 15 seconds left to trim a four-point deficit to two at 72-70, and the Muskies then forced a turnover in the backcourt with 14 seconds left when Jenna Caterino (So.-Stanton, Mich.) deflected the ball off a CUW player and out of bounds. Forgoing a timeout, Lakeland took possession and Gardner dribbled up top and drove inside the three-point line, then pulled up and swished a jumper to tie it with just over seven seconds left.

Out of timeouts, Concordia inbounded and the Muskies at first had the Falcons hemmed in deep in the backcourt. The Falcons escaped with time winding down and broke out to a 2-on-1, and Emily Hafemann hit Lonigro streaking to the hoop. The sophomore guard caught the ball and quickly laid it in off the glass, releasing it just before the clock expired for the winning points.

The second meeting between Lakeland and Concordia in four days played out for the first 3 1/2 quarters much like the first one. The Muskies controlled the first half, held a solid halftime lead and still led after three periods, never trailing in the game's first 32 minutes before the Falcons came on strong late.

Lakeland opened the game scoring the first nine points, and would stretch the lead back out after the Falcons rallied to tie it late in the first quarter. Kerstin Sauerbrei (Jr.-Ripon, Wis.) hit her second three of the period and Ellie Felsinger (Sr.-Cedar Grove, Wis.) scored just before time expired to put the Muskies ahead 18-13 after one period.

Lakeland took its largest lead at 27-17 after another layup by Felsinger, and still led 35-28 at halftime after Lauren Downs (Sr.-West Bend, Wis.) hit a runner from the elbow at the buzzer. The Muskies increased the lead to nine early in the third quarter and continued to hold the lead as Felsinger continued a career game with the team's first seven points after halftime.

The Falcons, who shot 40% (8-for-20) in the first half, began to warm up as the quarter went on, and tied the score twice late in the period. Lakeland would close the quarter on the upswing though with another buzzer-beater, with Gardner hitting a short jumper in the lane with a second left to regain the lead at 50-48.

The Muskies would struggle to start the fourth, though, with six empty possessions in all including three turnovers, and CUW took its first lead of the game at 52-50 on a layup by Hafemann with 7:59 left. The Falcons would start to build on the lead, and consecutive three-pointers by Aubrey Buchholtz left the hosts up 63-54 with less than four minutes left.

Unlike Saturday's game, though, when the Muskies never could find an answer as the Falcons finished on a 26-10 run to win 71-63, Lakeland responded late, and with the pressure defense began chipping away in the closing minutes. Mackenzie Miller (Fr.-Schoolcraft, Mich.) scored inside to make it 63-56, and then Gardner took over. Two free throws made it 63-58 with 2:21 left, and 24 seconds later the senior converted a three-point play to cut the lead to 65-61.

The Muskies got even closer, as Sydney Walker (Jr.-Flint, Mich.) first prevented a certain layup with an incredible block, and then split two free throws with 1:21 left. Gardner then came up with a steal, and Lakeland actually had a chance to tie but Sauerbrei's three-pointer rattled out.

Hafemann then would hit 7 of 8 free throws in the final 47 seconds, but the Muskies continued to score to extend the game. Gardner scored Lakeland's final eight points in the last 29 seconds, finishing her final game with 22 points.

Felsinger also scored a career-high 23 points, making 10 of 14 shots from the field. Gardner hit 8 of 16 shots and 6 of 7 from the foul line, and also added five rebounds, two assists and one steal. She finished her career with a school record 403 assists, second in program history with 241 career steals and 10th all-time with 597 rebounds.

Sauerbrei and Miller also scored eight points each. Walker paced the Muskies with nine rebounds and added three assists and two blocks. Lakeland finished shooting 42.0%, making 29 of 69 field goals, and outrebounded the Falcons 39-34. The game was the final one for six Lakeland seniors, including Downs, Felsinger, Gardner, Katie Bleck (Weyauwega, Wis.), Brianna Jones (Indianapolis, Ind.) and Nicole Sachman (Niles, Mich.).

Hafemann finished with a career-high 35 points for Concordia, making 10 of 16 field goals and 14 of 15 from the free throw line, including 16 points and 8-for-9 free throw shooting in the final quarter. Buchholtz also added 16 points plus seven rebounds off the bench.