SEWARD, Neb. – This is where it gets fun. With two weeks remaining in the regular season, the top-ranked Concordia University women’s basketball team shares first place in the GPAC with fellow national powers in Dakota Wesleyan and Northwestern. If the Bulldogs are to win a regular-season title for the third year in a row, they will have to earn it. They will be at No. 8 Morningside on Wednesday before hosting No. 4 Dakota Wesleyan on Saturday.
This Week
Wednesday, Feb. 6 at No. 8 Morningside (18-8, 10-8), 6 p.m.
-Webcast: YouTube
-Radio: 104.9 Max Country
Saturday, Feb. 9 vs. No. 4 Dakota Wesleyan (22-3, 15-3), 2 p.m.
-Webcast: Concordia Sports Network
-Radio: 104.9 Max Country
Thirteenth-year head coach Drew Olson’s squad had its nine-game win streak interrupted in an 81-75 loss at Northwestern over the weekend. The program has suffered only seven defeats since the start of the 2016-17 campaign and has not endured back-to-back losses in a season since 2015-16. The 23-3 record this season is especially impressive when considering Concordia has played the most challenging schedules of any NAIA women’s basketball team, according to Massey Ratings. The Bulldogs are 9-3 in their 12 games versus top 25 opponents.
Concordia celebrated its senior day last week when it hosted No. 14 Dordt. The result was a 90-88 nail biter of a victory that featured a frantic final few seconds. The lone senior on the roster is Crofton, Neb., native Quinn Wragge, who continues to creep up the program’s all-time lists. In school history, she currently sits seventh in points scored (1,664), seventh in rebounds (767) and 11th in steals (233). Last week she moved past Kristen (Conahan) Vogt on the scoring list. Junior Philly Lammers has moved up to 13th in scoring with 1,395 points.
Sophomore Taylor Cockerill is likely to be the next Bulldog to join the 1,000-point club. She put up 45 more points last week while hoisting 20 field goal attempts in both outings. The 28 she scored at Northwestern marked the second highest single-game point total of her career. The Waverly High School product leads the team with her average of 16.2 points per game (754 career points). While Cockerill was the team’s premier freshman last season, Mackenzie Koepke seems to have be filling that billing this winter. She put up a combined 24 points last week. She played an instrumental role down the stretch of the win over Dordt, emerging with a blocked shot and critical bucket in the final minute.
The Bulldogs would love to return the favor after Morningside snapped their 40-game home win streak back on Nov. 28 (Concordia is now 46-1 over its past 47 home games). In addition to their signature win inside Walz Arena, the Mustangs own a pair of victories over Dordt. Winner of four national titles, head coach Jamie Sale leans upon the likes of Sierra Mitchell (17.8 ppg) and Sydney Hupp (12.7 ppg) as his top scorers. Like the Bulldogs, Morningside is adept at taking the ball away from opponents. It ranks ninth nationally in steals per game (12.1).
Concordia is the only team this season to have won at the Corn Palace. The Bulldogs have won four of the last five meetings with Dakota Wesleyan (everyone knows when that one loss occurred). Head coach Jason Christensen has another team capable of making an extended March run. The Tigers possess big-time stars in Sarah Carr, Kynedi Cheeseman and Rylie Osthus. The advantage the Bulldogs have in this matchup is depth. Dakota Wesleyan has typically gone only two deep into the bench. The Tigers’ two other defeats have come against Hastings and Northwestern.
Projected Starters
(Scoring average in parentheses)
Concordia (23-3, 15-3 GPAC)
G – Grace Barry, Jr., 5-7 (10.9)
G – Taylor Cockerill, So., 5-9 (16.2)
G – Riley Sibbel, Jr., 5-9 (5.0)
F – Quinn Wragge, Sr., 6-0 (10.9)
F – Philly Lammers, Jr., 5-11 (14.7)
Morningside (18-8, 10-8 GPAC)
G – Grace Meyer, So., 5-8 (4.1)
G – Sierra Mitchell, So., 5-6 (17.8)
G – Jordyn Moser, Jr., 5-5 (8.2)
F – Sydney Hupp, Jr., 6-1 (12.7)
F – Sophia Peppers, Fr., 5-10 (4.6)
Dakota Wesleyan (22-3, 15-3 GPAC)
G – Kynedi Cheeseman, Jr., 5-10 (18.6)
G – Madison Mathews, Sr., 5-8 (6.9)
G – Rylie Osthus, Sr., 5-9 (11.5)
F – Sarah Carr, Jr., 6-0 (17.7)
F – Makaela Karst, Jr., 6-2 (10.2)