SEWARD, Neb. – With a chance to make an early season statement, the 17th-ranked Concordia University Women’s Basketball team capitalized. One day after blowing out Sterling College (Kan.), the Bulldogs returned to action at the 24th annual Cattle Classic and upset No. 5 Marian University (Ind.), 75-62, behind a 22-point outing from star guard Taysha Rushton. Concordia rode a 26-11 third quarter scoring advantage to victory inside Friedrich Arena on Saturday (Nov. 4) afternoon.
Head Coach Drew Olson’s squad has opened up the season at 2-0 with a pair of wins over 2023 national tournament qualifiers. Rushton and Kendal Brigham were named to the 2023 All-Cattle Classic team.
“I thought we had great composure and toughness throughout the game,” Olson said. “In that third quarter, the big difference was we were able to speed them up a little bit at times and create some transition baskets. I felt like we settled down. That second quarter, we were a little too sped-up ourselves. In the third quarter we played really, really well.”
Neither team had their ‘A’ game in the opening half, which saw the Knights take a 32-30 lead to the break. The Bulldogs started the third quarter on a 10-2 run and then put together a 9-0 spurt later in the period in taking control of the contest. Eleven of Marian’s 25 turnovers came during the third quarter stretch that defined the game. Then in the fourth quarter, the Knights slashed a 16-point deficit to eight before Concordia slammed the door. Brigham curled in a dagger of a trey that made it 73-60 with less than two minutes to go.
The plus-12 turnover margin for the Bulldogs paid dividends on an afternoon when both teams struggled to shoot from the perimeter. Rushton provided the scoring touch Concordia needed as she made 8-of-20 shots from the floor. Other double figure scorers were Brigham (14) and Abby Krieser (11). Mackenzie Toomey also added nine points and four steals and Sadie Powell chipped in with seven points and six rebounds. As a team, the Bulldogs shot 45.9 percent from the floor and made 15-of-17 (.882) tries from the foul line.
Led by veteran head coach Steve Brooks, Marian reached the national quarterfinals this past season. The Knights possess star power in the form of reigning national player of the year Ella Collier and post Kinnidy Garrard. Collier topped Marian with 18 points on Saturday. Garrard got the nod as the team’s All-Cattle Classic selection. The Knights shot 51.2 percent from the field but had only 43 shot attempts.
Said Olson, “They’re a really good team. I felt like defensively we did some really nice things by speeding them up in the press a little bit. In the half court, I felt like we did a really good job of understanding what they were trying to do and being able to limit that.
“I think it gives our team a lot of confidence. We had confidence coming into the year, but this kind of validates it. We’re excited and we know we have to get better. We have a full week off to continue to improve on some things, but I really like where our team’s at.”
Olson and Brooks have both led NAIA programs to national championships. With the latest victory, Olson pushed his career win total to 445, pulling him even with his former head coach Grant Schmidt (445-276) for the most victories of any head coach in the history of Concordia Athletics.
The Bulldogs will now wait until Nov. 15 for a return to action. On that date, Concordia will host Morningside (2-0) at 2 p.m. CT while tipping off league play. The Mustangs finished last season at 17-13 overall and were picked seventh in the GPAC preseason coaches’ poll.
All-Cattle Classic Team
Kendal Brigham, Concordia
Korynn Clason, Sterling
Kinnidy Garrard, Marian
Taysha Rushton, Concordia
Angela Slattery, Dakota State