River Forest, Ill. -- Basketball season is in full swing on the campus of Concordia University of Chicago, with both the men's and women's teams taking the floor for multiple games this past week. 

The women's team went 1-1 last week, falling in a non-conference contest Tuesday night in Pella, Iowa to Central College before rebounding with a road conference win over Marian University on Saturday. They improved to 3-1 in conference play, and are enjoying their first three-game conference winning streak since Jan. 16-22, 2020. 

Tuesday's loss came by a final score of 69-61. Three Cougars scored in double-figures, led by junior Jaylene Wade (Lansing, Ill.) with 19. Wade was on fire from beyond the arc, shooting 5-7 from three-point territory. It's the fifth time in seven games the junior has scored in double-figures this year. 

Senior Ava Gardner (Park Ridge, Ill.) and junior Mikalah Ellis (Chicago, Ill.) joined Wade in double-figures, both with 12 points. Gardner added a team-high four steals while Ellis led the team with 12 rebounds. 

The duo had a big hand in the team getting back in the win column Saturday with their 65-45 triumph of the Sabres. Gardner filled out the stat sheet, leading all scorers with 20 and steals with four while also grabbing four rebounds and dishing out three assists. Not to be outdone, Ellis fell just two points short of her second-straight double-double while leading the team in rebounds and assists with ten and five, respectively. 

Next up for the team is a trip to the Illinois Institute of Technology this Saturday, Dec. 18, to take on the Scarlet Hawks at 1 p.m. They'll look to move to 3-0 all-time against IIT and win four-straight in conference for the first time since they won seven in a row from Dec. 30, 2017-Jan. 20, 2018. 

The men dropped a pair of conference contests last week, to Concordia University Wisconsin at home on Monday and on the road at Marian on Saturday. In Monday's game, the short-handed Cougars battled hard against their rival, trailing by just six at half before ultimately falling by a final of 84-66. 

All 11 active Cougars played in the game and three scored in double-figures, led by senior Jalen Meeks (Aurora, Colo.) with 20. In his first start of the season, sophomore Emanuel Wilson (Wheaton, Ill.) gave the Cougars a team-high 32 minutes and tied for the team lead with six boards. He was 5-6 from inside the arc on his way to 12 points. 

Saturday's contest with Marian was an intense, back-and-forth battle that ended in a 74-72 victory for the Sabres. After falling behind by as many as 13 early on, the Cougars fought back to take a one-point lead into the half. The second half brought several more lead changes before Marian took the lead for good on a three-pointer with 25 seconds to play. 

Senior Jordan Matthews (Chicago, Ill.) led the way with a season-high 22 points on 8-11 shooting, including 2-3 from deep. He added a team-high three steals, three rebounds, and three assists. Fellow senior Izak Ruddell (Saint Joseph, Mich.) posted team-highs in rebounds with seven and assists with five while scoring ten points. 

Following six days off, the team will again hit the road this Saturday, Dec. 18, to play against Benedictine University in Lisle, Ill. Tip-off is scheduled for 4:15 p.m.

You can keep up with all things CUC Athletics on Twitter @CUChicagoSports, watch all the action at cucougars.com/coverage, and view all photos from the seasons here.