The 9th-ranked Concordia University women's basketball team shrugged off a slow offensive start to earn a 80-75 road victory over the Dana College Vikings on Tuesday evening at the Gardner-Hawks Center in Blair, Neb.
The Bulldogs (18-2, 9-2 GPAC) struggled through a sluggish first half, making it to the 14:18 mark before tallying the first field goal. Concordia has now won four straight and gains some momentum heading into the 54th annual Concordia Invitational Tournament. Dana (7-15, 2-8 GPAC) continues to struggle as a team now dropping 12 of their last 15 games.
The Bulldogs were able to reel Dana in and kept them within striking distance after the game started with the Vikings jumping out to a quick 11-1 lead. The Bulldogs used a tough full court press and aggressive post play to close the gap to five at 32-27 at halftime.
Concordia conditioning and experience paid off in the second half as the Bulldogs were able to take the lead at the 17:25 mark of the second half and never looked back. The Bulldogs offense found rhythm in the second half as Melissa Tinkham, Talisa Krejci, and Whitney Stichka all found their stroke.
Tinkham led the Bulldog offense with 19 points, Stichka added 15 points, and Krejci contributed 14 off the bench. Senior post Jenni Lovegrove continued her solid play with 7 points on 3-of-6 shooting while pulling down 10 rebounds.
Dana was led by Amy Nichol with 17 points and eight rebounds. Amanda Bryant added 16 points for the Vikings.
The Bulldogs continue the road trip this weekend, heading to Chicago, Ill., to take part in the 54th annual Concordia Invitational Tournament.