ANN ARBOR, Mich. – In front of its electric home crowd, Concordia University Ann Arbor roared out of the gates, but the energy and relentlessness of freshman Makynna Robbins off the bench turned the tide. The Concordia University, Nebraska Women’s Basketball team ended the first quarter on an 11-0 run and locked the Cardinals down in a 66-60 victory at the 72nd Concordia Invitational Tournament. CUAA closed within four points in the final minute before CIT MVP Robbins and company held off the charge.
The win gave Head Coach Drew Olson his 14th CIT championship as the program’s leader. CUNE has captured 33 CIT titles in school history.
“I was impressed with our team’s resiliency,” Olson said. “We really hung tough. They’re a really good defensive team and caused us some problems at times, but we responded so many times. We stepped up and made plays at the end of the game and executed. That’s a really big win against a good team on their home floor.”
The play that defined the tournament for the Houston native Robbins occurred late in the first quarter. As a Cardinal player secured a CUNE miss, Robbins swiped the ball and immediately laid it up for two. Then in the middle of the third, Robbins flagged down a Cardinal on the break, stole possession and dished to Sammy Leu on the break for a trey. In a game more about grittiness than firepower, Robbins answered the call in a hyper-charged environment.
The Bulldogs built an advantage as large as 12 points (38-26) and were threatening to pull away in the middle of the third quarter. To its credit, CUAA responded behind leading scorers Lauren Borsenik and Ryan Moorer and put CUNE’s CIT streak in peril. A key defensive play was delivered by Lue down the stretch when she blocked a shot and recovered the rebound. In the final minute, Kendal Brigham drained five-straight free throws to put the game on ice.
Many others had a hand in the victory. Junior Kristin Vieselmeyer returned to the lineup and supplied 13 points and three assists while senior Abby Krieser (CIT All-Tournament) filled the stat sheet with seven points, seven rebounds, three assists and two steals. After sitting out day one of CIT, Raelyn Kelty also reclaimed a starting spot and just missed a double-double (eight points and 10 rebounds). Meanwhile, Brigham chipped in with eight points on the strength of her clutch free throws.
But the freshman Robbins became the major storyline from an individual perspective. She made winning plays on both ends of the court as part of an eye-opening weekend. Said Robbins, “It’s been a crazy atmosphere that we’ve had. We got the opportunity that God gave us, and we capitalized on it. The atmosphere was awesome … all glory to God. He gave me some talents and the opportunity to perform. My teammates were there through all of it.”
Added Olson on the significance of the win, “We knew what was at stake. We knew the pressure having won that trophy nine times in a row. We started out a little bit shell-shocked, but we responded really well. Just so proud of our group.”
CUAA (6-14) had hoped to add its two CIT championships. The Cardinals opened the game with a 13-3 lead before going cold. Emily McCalla was named the team’s CIT All-Tournament team honoree.
Now it’s back to GPAC play for the remainder of the regular season. The Bulldogs will be in Fremont, Neb., this Wednesday to take on Midland (3-18, 3-12 GPAC) at 6 p.m. CT. CUNE will attempt to complete a season sweep of the Warriors, a foe it defeated by a 92-41 score on Nov. 26.
2025 CIT All-Tournament
MVP – Makynna Robbins, CUNE
Aubrey DeBauch, CUW
Abby Krieser, CUNE
Emily McCalla, CUAA
Khaliah Reed, CUC