MITCHELL, S.D. – The Bulldogs came out firing on all cylinders, racing past William Penn University (Iowa), 92-42, on Saturday afternoon (Oct. 31). Concordia University, Nebraska capitalized on extra possessions generated by its dominance on the offensive glass and relentless defensive pressure, turning turnovers into scoring opportunities to steadily widen the gap. Bree Bunting led all scorers in the lopsided victory, reaching the 500 career point milestone in the process.
Head Coach Drew Olson and crew finished 2-0 in the CorTrust Classic, outscoring their opponents (204-111).
“I thought our effort and energy were good,” Coach Olson said. “Defensively, we were really solid. We had a few breakdowns on certain possessions, but overall, it was a really good defensive effort. That was probably the main takeaway. Offensively, we weren't great. Overall, this weekend, we played really good basketball. We just did not shoot well as a team. We know we're a really good shooting team, and it's going to come. What we're doing defensively and the shots we're getting on offense are all good. Eventually, the ball is going to go in, and it's going to be pretty fun to watch.”
The first quarter was pure dominance as the Dawgs jumped out to a 20-4 scoring stretch to bolster a 29-8 opening stanza. Sammy Leu and Bree Bunting made treys to start the run as Maci Pittenger drained her first college bucket from long range. Leu led the first quarter scorers dropping seven of her 13 points.
The Statesman couldn’t stop Bunting from charging the rack for four made layups in the second. A Kersey, Colo., native, Bunting totaled 15 points scored on 7-for-9 shooting in her drive to 500. Joclyn Bassett swiped two of her game high four steals in the period as the defense spurred on Concordia with 14 first half takeaways to put the game out of reach by halftime break (52-21).
The Bulldogs controlled the boards with a 45-27 (18-3 offensive) rebound advantage. Makynna Robbins pulled down nine, while also recording eight points and three steals. Other top rebounders were Raelyn Kelty (sox) and Ayla Roth (four). The CUNE swipers reached 25 steals and forced 40 turnovers as a unit. Bulldogs with at least three steals were Bassett, Robbins (three), Leu (three), Kelty (three) and Abbie Kromarek (three).
The lead buckets were spread across the roster including the likes of Bunting, Leu, Ava Reed (10), Roth (10), Pittenger (nine), and Hoffman (eight).
Concordia struggled shooting 34-for-83 (.410) from the field (7-for-38 3-PT) and .424 over the two-game classic. Defensively, it held William Penn to 15-for-42 (.357) and only allowed one made basket from three (1-for-10).
The Statesmen (0-2) were led in scoring by Laney Parker (13), Reagan Pavesi (12) and Aliya Wagamon (10) in double figures. William Penn shot 11-for-20 (.550) from the free throw line compared to the Bulldogs’ 17-for-19 (.895).
No. 10 Concordia will prepare to host the Cattle Classic set for Nov. 6-7. The Bulldogs will face off against No. 16 Montana Tech University (2-0) and No. 3 Dakota State University (1-1). Friday’s game is set to begin at 4 p.m. CT.