Cold shooting in second half costs Concordia in 72-67 loss to Briar Cliff
Briar Cliff University rallied for a 72-67 women’s basketball win over Concordia University on Saturday afternoon in Sioux City. The Chargers outscored the Bulldogs 36-26 in the final half to secure the win. BCU improved to 14-9 overall and 7-4 in conference play with the win, while Concordia slipped to 11-10 overall and 4-7 in the GPAC with the loss.
Concordia connected on eight 3-pointers in the opening half and took a 41-36 lead into halftime. The Bulldogs were 39.1 percent from the field overall and 57.1 percent (8-of-14) from beyond the arc in the opening 20 minutes. The second half was a different story, as Concordia was just 23.3 percent from the field and 9.1 percent (1-of-11) from deep.
Briar Cliff took full advantage of Concordia’s offensive struggles in the second half. Alex Grant scored nine of her game-high 19 points in the final 20 minutes to help lift the Chargers to the win. Briar Cliff hit 26-of-64 shots (40.6 percent) in the win. The Chargers were just 6-of-24 (25 percent) from long range and 14-of-24 (58.3 percent) from the foul line. The Chargers, however, held a 26-16 advantage in points in the paint.
Grant finished with 19 points on 8-of-16 shooting from the field to pace Briar Cliff offensively. Kylie Dilla added 14 points off the bench, while Megan Salcedo delivered eight points and a game-high 10 rebounds for the Chargers.
Concordia finished 20-of-63 (31.7 percent) from the field in the loss, including 9-of-25 (36 percent) from deep. The Bulldogs connected on 18-of-19 (94.7 percent) free throw attempts and dished out 13 assists on their 20 made field goals.
Kristen Conahan (Omaha, Neb.) scored a team-best 17 points but was just 5-of-18 from the field. Katie Rich (Tilden, Neb.) added 15 points and a team-best nine rebounds. Lori Laboda (Parker, Colo.) scored eight points and pulled down seven boards off the bench for the Bulldogs in the loss.
Concordia hosts Doane College on January 26. Tip is scheduled for 6 p.m. at the Health, Human Performance and Athletic Center.