The Dominican University women's basketball team whittled a 13-point halftime deficit all the way down to one, 51-50, with 6:39 remaining in the game but the visiting Concordia University Wisconsin Falcons settled down and converted on five of six attempts from the foul line in the final minute to stave off the Stars, 64-56 on Saturday afternoon in the Igini Sports Forum.
 
"Today our team took a huge step," said third-year head coach Gabby Johnson when asked about her team's second half push.  "We battled back against a quality opponent and worked to almost erase a 13-point lead late in the game.  That tells me that our future is bright and that this team wants to compete and get better."
 
Playing in front of a raucous home crowd that included guests of the Dominican University Department of Athletics from Special Olympics Illinois, Dominican outscored the Falcons 32-27 in the second half while shooting 50-percent (15-30) from the field over the final 20 minutes and holding the Falcons to just 29-percent (9-31) shooting in the half.
 
Dominican used an 18-4 run that spanned 8:07 midway through the second half to claw back into the game before Megan Coenen settled down the Falcons with a bucket.  Madelyn Landgraf then took over for Concordia Wisconsin, scoring nine of 12 points in the final 3:17 to lift the Falcons past the Stars.
 
"I think our kids fed off the atmosphere created by our guests from Special Olympics Illinois, the Dominican mascot and the student-athletes in attendance," said Johnson when asked about the home crowd.  "It's always easier to battle back when you have the home crowd behind you."
 
Allie Tapanes (Winfield, Ill.) paced the Stars with a game-high 18 points.  The Stars' junior guard scored 11 points in the second half and shot 6-for-16 from the field in the game while logging 36 minutes.  Shamia Clark (Rock Island, Ill.) added 14 points and grabbed seven rebounds while Danielle McGruder (Plano, Texas) and Jasmyn Hardin (Cincinnati, Ohio) scored six points apiece off the Stars' bench.
 
Audrey Scharmer paced four players in double-figures for the Falcons with 14 points.
 
The Stars are now 1-21 on the season and 0-17 in the Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference.  Dominican will return to action on Wednesday, traveling to Lisle, Illinois, to take on the Benedictine University Eagles.  Tipoff is scheduled for 7:00 p.m.