SIOUX CENTER, Iowa – The seventh-ranked Concordia University Women’s Basketball team threw the first proverbial haymaker in Tuesday (March 5) night’s GPAC Championship Game, but Dordt absorbed the blow and put together a furious second half charge. The Defenders rallied from 13 points down in the opening quarter while earning a sweep of GPAC regular season and postseason championships. Second-ranked Dordt took round three from the Bulldogs, 79-71, inside DeWitt Gymnasium in Sioux Center, Iowa.
No matter the outcome, Head Coach Drew Olson’s squad will be playing in the national tournament come the middle of this month. The disappointment comes from the feeling that Concordia (25-6) let one slip away on Tuesday.
The contingent of Bulldog fans who made the trip were howling early on as Abby Krieser went on a heater that saw her drain her first five shots, including four from 3-point range, in the opening five minutes. By the end of the first quarter, Concordia owned a 29-16 lead, an advantage that wound up being its largest of the night. The hot start combined with Dordt’s ice cold perimeter shooting provided exactly the dynamics the Bulldogs would have hoped for entering the night.
As well as Concordia played for the better part of the 40 minutes, the momentum shift was felt in the gym in the final quarter when Janie Schoonhoven and the Defenders got rolling by attacking the paint. Dordt made 10-of-13 shots from the floor and 10-of-13 shots from the foul line in the fourth period. The Defenders finally took the lead for the first time in the second half when Olivia Harazin converted a layup at the 5:35 mark of the fourth. Dordt effectively overcame its 2-for-17 (.118) 3-point shooting with its mite inside and with a 40-23 rebound advantage.
Having secured a win over the current No. 1-ranked team in the NAIA (Marian), the Bulldogs again fought valiantly while up against the league champion. All three defeats at the hands of the Defenders came down to single-digit margins. From a scoring perspective, Kendal Brigham kept Concordia tight with Dordt by pouring in 12 of her 21 points in the second half. Krieser finished with 19 points while Taysha Rushton and Sadie Powell posted 10 points apiece. The Bulldogs shot a slightly higher percentage from the floor than Dordt, 48.2 to 47.7.
Both teams had some key absences as Concordia was without starting guard Mackenzie Toomey and the Defenders (29-2) are without the services of Gracie Schoonhoven and Hayden Hiemensen. Dordt still has plenty of star power on its side in the likes of program all-time leading scorer Karly Gustafson and star backcourt player Bailey Beckman. The double figure scorers on Tuesday for the Defenders were Janie Schoonhoven (24), Macy Sievers (18), Beckman (16) and Gustafson (12). Dordt will most certainly be a No. 1 seed in the national tournament.
The official 64-team NAIA national tournament bracket will be unveiled as part of a selection show scheduled for 7 p.m. CT on Thursday. The Bulldogs learned last week that they would be one of 16 host sites for the first/second rounds of the tournament. On Thursday, Concordia will find out which three teams will join it in Seward for tournament play on March 15-16. The selection show can be watched live via the NAIA’s YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/@PlayNAIA.