Concordia University 78, Dakota Wesleyan University 56 (view stats)
The Concordia University women’s basketball team dropped Dakota Wesleyan by the score of 78-56 on Saturday in Seward. The Bulldogs improved to 17-9 overall and 8-7 in GPAC play with the win. Dakota Wesleyan slipped to 8-19 overall and 4-11 in conference play with the loss.
Concordia never trailed in the contest. The Bulldogs led by as many as 13 in the opening half of play, but the visiting Tigers managed to hang around. Dakota Wesleyan’s Ashley Johnson connected on back-to-back 3-pointers in the closing minutes of the first half, and Concordia’s lead was cut to 43-36 at halftime.
Dakota Wesleyan pulled within five points on two separate occasions in the opening minutes of the first half. However, a 12-0 run by Concordia increased the Bulldog lead to 17 at 58-41 with just over 12 minutes left to play. Concordia led by as many as 24 down the stretch and cruised to the 78-56 win.
Concordia scored 38 points in the paint compared to 24 for the Tigers. Concordia also held a 24-18 advantage in points off turnovers and a 16-7 advantage in second chance points. The Bulldog bench also played a huge role in the win. Concordia’s bench outscored the Dakota Wesleyan bench 29-10 in the game.
The Bulldogs were 27-of-70 from the field for 41.4 percent in the win. Concordia connected on 8-of-23 attempts from deep for 34.8 percent and 12-of-14 attempts from the foul line for 85.7 percent.
Defensively, Concordia caused problems for Dakota Wesleyan throughout the game. DWU was just 18-of-54 from the field for 33.3 percent. The Tigers went just 5-of-19 from behind the three point line for 26.3 percent and 15-of-22 at the foul line for 68.2 percent. “Our defense really pushes our offense,” commented Concordia freshman Katie Rich. “The bench was really there for us tonight, and we just wanted to be aggressive and push each other.”
Rich led the way for the Bulldogs with 16 points and five rebounds. TaLisa Krejci added 11 points, while Kat Ommen delivered 10 points, five boards and three assists off the bench. Kristin Miller added nine points and a team-high seven rebounds, while Stacy Scheer and Amber Quinn poured in eight points apiece for the Bulldogs.
“I thought we came out with really good energy today,” said Drew Olson, head coach of the Bulldogs. “We matched their intensity, but then we kind of went through the motions for awhile. After halftime, our defense really picked up. Offensively, we’re starting to figure it out, and we passed the ball a lot better today.”
Allison Johnson scored a game-high 20 points for Dakota Wesleyan. Maggie Malloy added 12 points, and Ashley Johnson had 10 points and nine boards for the Tigers.
“We have three very important games left in the regular season,” said Olson. “We need to take care of business against Dana, and then we have a big one at Sioux Falls next weekend. We just need to take things a game at a time.”
Concordia hosts Dana College on Feb. 10. The tip is scheduled for 6 p.m. at the Health, Human Performance and Athletic Center.