SEWARD, Neb. – The Bulldogs roll into the next two contests on a three-game win streak traveling for both bouts this week. Concordia University, Nebraska will hit the road to Omaha and Sioux City to compete against the College of Saint Mary and Briar Cliff. Head Coach Drew Olson and the side have climbed to a 19-5 record and a 14-4 GPAC showing.
This Week
Wednesday, Feb. 11 at College of Saint Mary (3-21, 2-16 GPAC), 6 p.m.
--Max Country | Live Webcast | Live Stats | Location: Lied Fitness Center (Omaha, Neb.)
Saturday, Feb. 14 at Briar Cliff (13-10, 8-9 GPAC), 2 p.m.
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By the numbers
· Doane was kept within arm’s length before the Bulldogs went on a 17-0 tear with 4:19 left in the fourth quarter. The march led to an 84-59 win on the blacktop shooting 49.2 (31-for-63) percent from the field and 53.3 (8-for-15) percent in the fourth quarter. Concordia made 13 treys compared to the Tigers’ five. Bree Bunting made 4-for-8 helping contribute to her career high 19-point performance. Raelyn Kelty continues to improve with 19 points and eight rebounds on a tall 8-for-11 clip. Ayla Roth put up 14 points and Juliana Jones delivered seven points, four boards, three assists, two steals and a block. The Defense of the road blues swiped 15 steals and poked out 22 turnovers in Haddix Center.
· The Mustangs came out firing with a 15-5 opening game run powered by Lily Vollertsen’s 11 first quarter points. The Dawgs regrouped quickly and fired back (15-2 run) creating a larger margin (70-40) with their 33-12 third stanza advantage. The defense took seemingly everything from Morningside forcing 30 turnovers, 26 steals and turned 30 points off turnovers. Sammy Leu dropped 18 points on 6-for-9 shooting (4-for-6 3-PT) and four assists. The swipers came out early as the majority of the steals came from Bunting (seven), Leu (five), Roth (five), and JJ Jones (three).
· The Bulldog press has led to being top-10 in the NAIA in turnovers (4th) and steals (2nd) late in the 2025-26 campaign. A nasty game of speed up the opponent’s decision-making has allowed Concordia to take ownership of 26.8 extra possessions fueling the 81.8 points scored every 40 minutes. Gobbling up 16.6 swipes a game, the thieves in front are led by none other than Sammy Leu (2.9 spg) with 70 steals – one ahead to be at the top of the GPAC. Leu and her top pickpockets include Bree Bunting (1.9), Gabrielle Wagner (1.5), Ayla Roth (1.5) and Raelyn Kelty (1.4).
· Concordia defeated the Flames on Nov. 19 with a 96-44 emphatic victory. Leu (16), Vieselmeyer (12), Jones (12) and Makynna Robbins (12) reached double figures as the Holyoke, Colo., product grabbed eight rebounds. The Bulldogs pushed out 39 turnovers and 14 steals, while also shooting 45.7 (42-for-92) percent. On Jan. 10, the home starters carried the heavy weight of scoring as 80 of the 89 points came from the first five in the 89-70 win over the Chargers in Friedrich. Roth shined in the bright lights with 20 points on 5-for-8 from three. Kelty (six rebounds) buried 19 points and Leu (five assists) put together 17. Vieselmeyer dropped 11 points and 11 rebounds for a double-double.
· Bunting came into her own this past week with her career high show (19 points) versus the Tigers and a program high (season) seven steals against the Mustangs. The junior guard continues to look more comfortable in her starting role firing 60.8 (14-for-23) percent in the last two games. A Kersey, Colo., native, Bunting’s stat line has been 33 points, nine steals, five rebounds and four assists in 42 minutes of game time. She has made a massive jump from a season ago, now reaching 10.0 points per game compared to last season (4.0).
· With two weeks of gameplay left before the start of the GPAC tournament, Dordt (17-1) stands in first of the conference standings. Dakota Wesleyan (16-2), Concordia (14-4) and Hastings (14-5) round out the top-four of the conference currently. Briar Cliff (12-7) stands at No. 5, while Northwestern (9-9), Doane (8-11) and Morningside (8-11) are duking it out for the final slots. Mount Marty (7-11) will look to solidify a final spot in the postseason playoff with only eight spots total.
· Concordia is rated 25th in the newest release from Monday (Feb. 2). The RPI has the Bulldog’s strength of schedule slotted at No. 64. Other GPAC teams in the top-25 are Dordt (5th) and Dakota Wesleyan (13th). Hastings (50), Briar Cliff (53) and Northwestern (63) are in the first 75 squads. The Red Raiders (19) and the Defenders (39) have the hardest slate of top GPAC schools. The newest ARC rating (released Feb. 3) has the GPAC with three of the top-5 in the Midwest including Dordt (1), Dakota Wesleyan (2) and Concordia (5). The Bulldogs have three quad one wins and a 3-5 record in the top of the NAIA as released on Feb. 2.
Probable Lineup
G – Bree Bunting, 5-9 (10.0)
G – Ayla Roth, 5-9 (10.4)
G – Sammy Leu, 5-10 (8.5)
F – Raelyn Kelty, 5-11 (7.9)
F – Kristin Vieselmeyer, 6-2 (11.3)
The Opponents
The Flames are 3-21 overall and 2-16 in GPAC games with a 14-game losing streak. CSM has wins against York University (55-49), Waldorf (73-67) and Midland (66-51). Taking a 36.1 percent shooting clip, Saint Mary makes 56.8 points per game with a 25.6 shooting percentage from three. Madelyn Gaughen is the points leader with 14.8 per contest, 2.5 assists and 1.6 steals. Jai'La Porter scores 12.0 points per game and pulls down a team high 6.7 rebounds.
CSM Probable Lineup
G – Madelyn Gaughen, 5-9 (14.3)
G – Kathryn Gaughen, 5-6 (2.1)
G – Jai'La Porter, 5-6 (12.0)
F – Madison Keli, 5-10 (5.2)
F – Haley Debuse, 6-0 (9.5)
The Chargers have won two out of their last three games with an 18-7 overall record and a 12-7 GPAC showing. Firing a 43.7 percent from the hardwood, Briar Cliff swishes 32.9 percent from 3-point land, making 8.2 a contest. The Dawgs will have their eyes posted for Mallie McNair (17.8) and Abby Lee (19.9) on defense. A star in the making, Lee rebounds 7.7 per game and takes 2.3 steals. McNair rebounds 4.3 per game and dishes out 2.8. Outrebounding their opponents by a +3.6 margin (38.6), the Chargers force 20.2 turnovers a game averaging 21.0 points off steals per 40 minutes.
Briar Cliff Probable Lineup
G – Mallie McNair, 5-8 (17.8)
G – Brooklyn Heineman, 5-7 (9.0)
G – Kenna Mongan, 5-8 (9.3)
G – Mallory Leerar, 5-11 (4.3)
F – Abby Lee, 6-0 (19.9)
Next week
The Bulldogs will come home to face Mount Marty for senior day on Wednesday. Concordia will travel to Hastings for its final regular season contest.