SEWARD, Neb. – The Bulldogs stonewalled Midland from the opening whistle and only allowed one first-half field goal by the visitors in the 76-24 route inside Friedrich Arena on Wednesday (Jan. 21) night. With the victory, Head Coach Drew Olson eclipsed the 500th win of his career. His overall record is 500-159 (305-106 GPAC), making him the first coach to eclipse 500 wins in the history of Concordia University, Nebraska Athletics.
The Dawgs begin a new win streak having totaled a 16-4 overall record with an 11-3 GPAC rundown.
“It’s nice to be acknowledged but the real thing is the players and the assistant coaches that helped get us to that point,” Coach Olson said. “It shows where this program is at. I wouldn’t be at 500 if I weren’t incredibly blessed with amazing players that are super talented and got those wins. Really, it is an acknowledgment of them. All the past teams. It’s pretty cool.”
This was a whipping from the outset of the tip-off to surge to 500. Concordia jumped out to a 13-1 lead off the back of Bree Bunting’s three buckets (eight points) and two steals in the early going. Keeping the defensive intensity high, the Bulldogs followed with another 14-6 scoring drive, up 27-7, toward the middle of the second powered by Juliana Jones and Makynna Robbins on the attacking end.
The show stoppers such as Bunting, Sammy Leu, Sara Harley and Raelyn Kelty continued to rip possession out of the hands of the opposition, leading the charge in 14 first-half steals (21 turnovers). The collective press by the home whites led to bad shooting as the Warriors had three made field goals (3-for-31) in the first three stanzas.
Seeing blood in the water, veteran Kristin Vieselmeyer and the Dawgs drilled Midland with a 28-0 (61-11) shellacking to open the third quarter. The senior out of Holyoke, Colo., dropped seven of her 13 points early in the frame.
“It’s definitely rewarding seeing him be recognized for all of his efforts,” Vieselmeyer said of Olson. “His years putting in all that work and time into us as players but into the program in general. He’s a great coach. I wouldn’t have wanted any other coach throughout these four years. He’s really helped shape who I am as a person and as a Christian.”
The Bulldogs had 12 different players post numbers to the scoreboard (42.9 percent from the field) as the primary shooters were Vieselmeyer (13 points), Bunting (11), Robbins (nine, eight rebounds), Jones (eight), Libby Hoffman (eight), Kelty (seven) and Gabrielle Wagner (six).
Concordia ended with 33 forced turnovers and 22 steals over the Warriors. Abbie Kromarek, Bunting, Kelty and Vieselmeyer each had three swipes. Harley, a freshman out of Millard North, shelled out a game-high six dimes and two steals, continuing to make an impact outside of the final tally.
Midland (3-17, 2-12 GPAC) was led by Jenna Weber’s eight points. The Warriors struggled with a 13.6 (6-for-44) field goal percentage.
No. 10 CUNE (16-4, 11-3 GPAC) will welcome No. 1 Dordt (18-1, 12-1 GPAC) into Friedrich Arena on Saturday. The top-10 bout will tip off at 2 p.m. CT in Seward. The Defenders won out (79-57) in Sioux Center early December.