There was nothing pretty about it, but the third-seeded Bulldogs escaped an upset bid from 14th-seeded Benedictine and marched to the second round of the 2024 NAIA National Championship tournament while in front of the home fans.
Lose and your season is over. The final 64 teams are set, and the Bulldogs have clinched a spot to host the first two rounds of the NAIA national championship inside Friedrich Arena.
The pairings are set for the Concordia pod of the 2024 NAIA Women's Basketball National Championship. The Bulldogs will be joined in Seward by Benedictine, Columbia and Wayland Baptist.
A crew of five Bulldogs from the seventh-ranked Concordia Women's Basketball team were recognized with 2023-24 GPAC All-Conference awards. Taysha Rushton has earned her fourth First Team All-GPAC honor.
Concordia delivered the first blow to Dordt in the GPAC Championship Game on Tuesday (March 5), but the Defenders responded with a flurry in the fourth quarter and outlasted the visitors, 79-71.
There is no feeling like March basketball, which hails the GPAC Tournament Championship and includes two top-10 teams in the country, as the No. 7 Concordia Women’s Basketball team is set to brawl against No. 2 Dordt on Tuesday night (Mar. 5).
After the Bulldogs totaled an 18-point lead in the third, Briar Cliff whittled the advantage down to four points to make the tension rise in Friedrich Arena. Concordia came in clutch, bowing their back with a 9-0 run to end the 87-74 conference tournament semifinal victorious.
Featured StoryFor the first time in school history, Concordia University, Nebraska will play host to NAIA basketball national tournament games. Concordia has been named a host site for first/second round NAIA Women's Basketball National Championship play.
The last four teams stand in conference post-season play, and the 2nd-seeded Concordia Women’s Basketball team will host the 3rd-seeded Briar Cliff on Saturday afternoon (Mar. 2) in one of two GPAC semifinal games.
The 2nd-seeded Bulldogs earned a spot to hold a GPAC tournament quarterfinal in Friedrich Arena on Wednesday night (Feb. 28). Concordia came out aggressive against the 7th-seeded Morningside and dropped 14 from beyond the arc in the 86-65 thrashing of the Mustangs.
Featured StoryConfetti, cupcakes and the whole family greeted Drew Olson in the locker room following Wednesday’s win over Morningside. The victory marked another feather in the cap for Olson, the winningest coach in Concordia Athletics history.
Featured StoryIt's been three-and-a-half quick years since Taysha Rushton made her college decision official. Any reservations the Texan had about spending her college days in Nebraska subsided through close friendships and a love for basketball.
Featured StoryThe top eight scorers, including all five starters, return from last season's national tournament team. The roster makeup gives Coach Drew Olson his most experienced group since 2019-20. The aim is to get back to Sioux City in March.
Featured StoryEight years since she last starred for the Bulldogs, Bailey Morris continues to be characterized by competition and a love for the game. Says Morris of her Concordia years: "Those are some good memories for me. Those things have carried with me over the last eight years."
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The 2022-23 season was one of growth for a Bulldog squad led by Taysha Rushton and a strong nucleus of third-year players. Coach Drew Olson's squad came together down the stretch for a win at No. 19 Jamestown and a national tournament blowout of Columbia.
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Last season's Bulldog squad navigated the most challenging schedule in the NAIA and managed to reach the national tournament. Taysha Rushton leads a 2022-23 team that believes it's grown since the end of the 2021-22 campaign.
Featured StoryMackenzie Koepke had played in 102 of a possible 103 games over her first three seasons. After missing the 2021-22 season due to injury, the Lincoln Lutheran alum, a link back to the national championship team, is determined to go out on her own terms.
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Just a few weeks after playing the 123rd and final game of her collegiate career, Rylee Pauli reflected on four years of Concordia Women's Basketball. There were ups, downs, unique experiences and incredible highs.
Featured StoryLed by do-it-all guard Taysha Rushton and relentless senior Rylee Pauli, the 2021-22 Bulldogs extended the program's national tournament streak while beating five teams that qualified for nationals throughout the season.
Featured StoryFour starters, including First Team All-GPAC star Taysha Rushton, return for a Concordia Women's Basketball program coming off an appearance in the NAIA national quarterfinals last season. Depth will be a strength.
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