RIVER FOREST, Ill. -- Alverno College was unable to overcome a 14-point halftime deficit and lost to host Concordia University Chicago in the Northern Athletics Conference Challenge Game to end the 2010-11 season.

The Inferno (11-14) fell behind 8-0 in the opening minutes of the game, and finally got on the board when Shataya McComb (Kingston, N.Y.) scored on a fast-break layup and converted the three-point play with a free throw.

Alverno cut the Cougars' lead to 19-18 on a pair of free throws by Alicia Kontowski (South Milwaukee, Wis.) with 8 minutes remaining, but the hosts closed out the half on a 17-4 run for the 36-22 lead at intermission.

Gabby Allen (Milwaukee, Wis./Bay View), who was held to 0-of-5 shooting in the first period, scored the first 10 Alverno points in the opening minutes of the second half.

After trailing by as many as 16, Alverno closed the gap to just four, 52-48, on a steal and a score by Kayla Kennedy (Trempealeau, Wis./G-E-T) with 5:38 left.

But that would be as close as the Inferno would get to the Cougars (10-15), who closed out the game on a 13-5 run for the 65-53 final.

Three Inferno players would score in double-figures led by the two seniors Allen and McComb with 12 points apiece, while Kontowski added 10. Freshman Kristen Speerschneider (New Franken, Wis./Luxemburg-Casco) went 2-of-6 from the 3-point line and added a pair of free throws for eight points.

McComb, who recorded her sixth double-double of the season as she snagged a game-high 10 rebounds, surpassed 500 points in her two-year career with the Inferno.

Allen, who became the school's all-time scoring leader last week, finished her career with 1,286 points.

The NAC Challenge Game matches up the teams from the North Division versus the South Division based on the final standings. Alverno (North) and CUC (South) were both the fifth seeds in their respective divisions -- as both tied for fourth place -- but each became the fifth seed based on tiebreakers. The North Division won the NAC Challenge 4-2, despite Alverno's loss.

Box Score