OMAHA, Neb. – A Confident and decisive Concordia University Women’s Basketball team keeps on rolling. Fifteen Bulldogs contributed to Tuesday (Nov. 24)’s rout that featured 40 turnovers forced and another 14 3-point field goals that torched the nets in Omaha. Concordia led 14-3 out of the gate and cruised to a 99-47 victory at College of Saint Mary.
Fifteenth-year Head Coach Drew Olson’s squad will carry a five-game win streak into its Thanksgiving layoff. The Bulldogs (5-3, 4-1 GPAC) have won all five contests by double-digit margins.
“I thought we had some really good offensive stretches where we had good movement, unselfishness and got open shots,” Olson said. “We had good focus for the game considering finals (just concluded). It’s a good win to take into a break. I’m excited for our team to get some rest and ready to go with some big games ahead.”
This production was like a re-run of Concordia blowouts that have been common during the program’s era of dominance. In last season’s two meetings, the Bulldogs defeated the Flames by scores of 127-51 and 108-64. In the latest matchup, Concordia got comfortable on both ends of the floor. It burned white hot in the opening 20 minutes when it went 10-for-19 from 3-point range. Freshman Taysha Rushton put up 10 of her game high 17 points in the first half.
On the defensive end, the Bulldog pressure devastated College of Saint Mary, which shot only 30.2 percent (16-for-53) from the floor. Concordia was content to let the Flames (2-for-26 from beyond the arc) fire away from the outside. On the interior, Lexas Redthunder (13 points, 10 rebounds, four blocks) starred for College of Saint Mary (1-4, 0-2 GPAC), whose other GPAC loss came at the hands of Briar Cliff.
Rushton added five assists and three steals (just one turnover) to her stat line. Off the bench, Taylor Farrell continued to snipe from long range while totaling 13 points on 3-for-4 3-point shooting. Meanwhile, four Bulldogs posted either eight or nine points: Mackenzie Koepke (nine), Kendal Brigham (eight), Sadie Powell (eight) and Chloe Schumacher (eight). Bailey Conrad led the team with six assists while Rylee Pauli paced the squad with seven rebounds. Conrad was one of 13 Concordia players to swipe at least one steal.
Both sides’ leading scorers entering the evening were held in check on the offensive end. Concordia star guard Taylor Cockerill did not score, but grabbed four rebounds in her 15 minutes of action. CSM standout freshman Honnah Leo went 0-for-8 from the floor and scored one point.
During the win streak, the Bulldogs have outscored their opponents by an average of 89.2 to 58.2, have shot 39.0 percent from 3-point range and own a cumulative turnover margin of plus-73. Over the last three games, Rushton has turned the ball over just once in 62 minutes of play.
Up next on the schedule is next Wednesday (Dec. 2)’s contest at Hastings (1-2, 1-1 GPAC). Tipoff from Lynn Farrell Arena is set for 6 p.m. CT. The Bulldogs and Broncos met in the 2020 GPAC tournament title game with Concordia coming out on top, 60-49.