OMAHA, Neb. – The undefeated Bulldogs traveled to College of Saint Mary over Thanksgiving break, stepping on the hardwood for the matchup on Tuesday night (Nov. 21). Constant fouls made the first quarter have no rhythm. Still, Concordia used the patented Coach Drew Olson press to dismantle the Flames offense, forcing 24 first half turnovers as six different Bulldogs hit double digits in the 119-54 route. Taysha Rushton, Sadie Powell, and Abby Krieser led the team with 15, 14 and 13 respectively.
No. 11 Concordia stays undefeated at 5-0 overall and 3-0 in the Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC). Head Coach Drew Olson commented on freshmen getting playing time and how they are close as a class.
“We got a lot of people in. It is really important for freshmen to get experience and get a lot of their nerves out. They got a few opportunities to play in other games, but to get extended minutes and get in the feel of the game was good. Really happy for them. The freshmen are a really fun group. They are just fun to be around. They work really hard and they are a joy to be around. On and off the court they are really good people.”
Up seven with under three minutes to play in the first quarter, the Dawgs finished the first 10 minutes with a 9-4 run to stretch their lead to double digits (30-18). Powell led the charge out of the gates, scoring 10 of her 14 points before the ending first quarter buzzer.
Concordia launched out to a 22-0 clobbering, which started in the second quarter with nine different Bulldogs scoring in the game deciding run. Krieser scored four of her 13 total points early in the scoring drive as she shot 100 (6-6 FG) percent from the field. Freshmen Sammy Leu and Raelyn Kelty added five total points in the run, contributing early to the contest.
In the second quarter, multiple of the freshmen coach Olson raved about had totaled 14 points via Kelty, Leu and Juliana Jones. This bolstered a 61-25 lead at the break with the Dawgs shooting over 50 percent after the first 20 minutes.
Concordia continued to put the pressure on defensively as they forced 38 total turnovers scoring 57 points on the night pressuring constantly for the rock. Rushton picked it up on the offensive end in the third, scoring seven points on 3-5 FG shooting.
All fourteen Bulldogs who touched the floor got on the scoreboard one way or another, as the bench players scored 63 points, more than all the players combined for the Flames. Bree Bunting took advantage of the final quarter, shooting 3-4 from the field for seven points and put the finishing touches on the road win.
Concordia (5-0, 3-0 GPAC) will take some days off for Thanksgiving before taking on Nebraska rivals Midland (2-5, 0-3 GPAC) on Wednesday (Nov. 29). Tip off is set for 6 p.m. CT inside Wikert Event Center. The Bulldogs defeated the Warriors in both matchups last season.