Mackenzie Toomey enjoyed the best statistical game of her career and a hot third quarter for the seventh-ranked Bulldogs made for an 82-55 runaway victory over Hastings on Wednesday (Feb. 21).
Concordia enters its final week of the regular season but is done with travel as both Hastings and Midland will be hosted in Seward, Neb. for the final two games. On Saturday (Feb. 24), the seniors of the Concordia University Women’s Basketball team will be honored for their final year as a Bulldog.
The No. 7 Bulldogs were down nine to the No. 1 Defenders at the break and a 17-point deficit continuing into the third quarter. Concordia would respond with grit and toughness in a hostile DeWitt Gymnasium, cutting the lead down to one possession but came just short, 81-78.
In recent years, the Bulldogs have not had an easy time of it at the Haddix Center. No. 7 Concordia erased a 12-point halftime deficit and edged Doane, 74-72, on Wednesday (Feb. 14) with the help of 18 points from Abby Krieser.
The mix at the top of the conference has gotten murky, as Concordia continues a three game road stretch with Doane on Wednesday and Dordt on Saturday (Feb. 17).
Super Bowl Sunday hosted a top conference matchup between Concordia at Dakota Wesleyan in the World’s Only Corn Palace. After seizing the lead for the first time midway through the third quarter, the Bulldogs were trampled by a 15-0 Tigers run that ended with an 83-75 loss for the visitors.
The Bulldogs seemed to be on an NBA type schedule, playing a game every other day in the last six days. The team finished the stretch against common conference opponent College of Saint Mary on Wednesday night (Feb. 7).
After back-to-back victories over conference opponents Morningside and Northwestern, the GPAC/Hauff Mid-America Sports announced that Taysha Rushton is the women's basketball player of the week on Tuesday (Feb. 6).
It took the full 40 for No. 1 Dordt to hold off No. 6 Concordia in a Monday (Feb. 5) night clash inside Friedrich Arena. The likes of Mackenzie Toomey and Taysha Rushton led the charge in the 84-79 loss.
With inclement weather postponing the Dordt matchup until Monday (Feb. 5), Concordia has a massive three-game stretch upcoming in seven days. After the No. 1 Defenders, the Bulldogs will stay in Seward for College of Saint Mary two days later, then travel to Dakota Wesleyan on Super Bowl Sunday.
It's a new-look Concordia Women's Basketball team, but the program is determined to prove it's still a major force in the GPAC and nationally. Taylor Cockerill and Mackenzie Koepke are the headlining returners.
Don't forget about TC. The leading scorer for the 2018-19 national championship team, Taylor Cockerill is roughly 90 percent of the way back from the knee injury she suffered last October.
As announced by CoSIDA, Grace Barry is the Academic All-America® Team Member of the Year for the entire NAIA. She is the first Concordia student-athlete to ever earn the award.
Let's answer the question: who wore it better? We ran down the top Bulldog women's basketball performers at each jersey number during the 20 seasons of GPAC hoops.
Fans were out in force in anticipation when Voss brought his No. 1-ranked Bulldogs to Hastings for a big-time conference clash with the second-ranked Broncos on Feb. 12, 2003.
Before it all came to an abrupt end, the top-ranked Bulldogs put together another season to remember. They repeated as GPAC regular-season and tournament champions while forging memories along the way.
All-American Philly Lammers will be remembered for her incredible success on the court, her humility and her role in the most successful four-year run in Concordia women's basketball history.
The 2019-20 Concordia women's basketball seniors will leave a mark on the program that will stand the test of time. The results speak for themselves in the form of winning, relationships and memories made.
The Concordia women's basketball team serves a greater purpose than just what is seen on the court on game days. Despite winning a national title, the values of the program have remained unchanged.
What they have is more precious than winning. EVERY single coach/player that experienced the national title run reflected on the emotion of winning a title and just what made this team so special.