#22 Concordia University 81, Bethany College 66 (view stats)
Concordia University, ranked No. 22 in the NAIA, earned an 81-66 victory over Bethany College on Tuesday evening in Seward. The Bulldogs used a balanced scoring attack to pull away for the victory.
The game stayed close for most of the first half. The Bulldogs used a 7-0 run to take a 41-30 lead with just under two minutes remaining and took a 43-32 lead into halftime.
Concordia led by as many as 13 early in the second half. However, the visiting Swedes managed to hang around and tied the game at 47-47 with 13:40 remaining in the game. Concordia quickly responded with an 11-1 run to reclaim control of the game. The Swedes made one final rally attempt to pull within five at 61-56, but the Bulldogs secured the 81-66 win.
Concordia scored 36 points in the paint and capitalized on Bethany’s mistakes with 30 points off turnovers. The Bulldogs also held a 10-4 lead in fast break points.
Five players scored in double figures in a balanced Concordia offensive attack. Angela Kuca scored a team-high 19 points, and Katie Rich added 18 points and six rebounds to lead the way. Kristin Miller added a double-double with 15 points and 10 rebounds, while Stacy Scheer and Treva Nutter added 11 and 10 points, respectively, for the Bulldogs. Nutter also added a game-high eight assists for Concordia.
Rhys Pihl had a tremendous evening for Bethany College in defeat. Pihl scored 41 points and added nine boards for the Swedes. She went 9-of-18 from the field and hit 20-of-22 free throws in the contest. No other player reached double figures for Bethany College.
Concordia returns to action with road games at Mount Mercy College on Nov. 7 and Briar Cliff University on Nov. 8.