SEWARD, Neb. – It’s been a frantic start to the month of November for Concordia University, Nebraska Women’s Basketball. Over the first four days of the month, the fifth-ranked Bulldogs played three times while hosting the Cattle Classic and making a trip out to Greeley, Colo. Officially, Head Coach Drew Olson’s squad stands at 1-1 heading into Saturday’s nonconference clash with No. 6 Dakota State University in Madison, S.D.
This Week
Saturday, Nov. 9 at No. 6 Dakota State (1-1), 4 p.m.
--Live Webcast | Live Stats | Location: DSU Fieldhouse (Madison, S.D.)
By the numbers
· Monday’s exhibition at University of Northern Colorado: In a contest that counted as an exhibition for Concordia, the Bulldogs went wire-to-wire with NCAA Division I opponent University of Northern Colorado on Monday in Greeley, Colo. Concordia had a possession in the final seconds with a chance to either tie or win the game. Ultimately, the Bears survived by a 66-64 final score in their season opener. A surge led by Raelyn Kelty in the third quarter gave the Bulldogs a lead as large as eight points. Playing in her home state of Colorado, Kelty thrived in going off for 21 points (7-for-13 from the field) and eight rebounds. Abby Krieser also enjoyed a fine performance in posting 18 points (4-for-7 from 3-point range), six rebounds and two steals. A member of the Big Sky Conference, Northern Colorado counted the game as its official 2024-25 season opener. The Bears went 15-16 overall in 2023-24. In addition to Kelty, three other Bulldogs played in their home state: Joclyn Bassett (Parker), Bree Bunting (Kersey) and Kristin Vieselemeyer (Holyoke, Colo.).
· At the 25th annual Cattle Classic, Concordia opened the event with a 78-64 win over Oklahoma City University before being clipped by 10th-ranked Southern Oregon University, 71-68, on day two. Grad student Kendal Brigham was named to the All-Cattle Classic Team after she produced a combined 26 points on 9-for-17 shooting. Brigham helped steer the Bulldogs back from 10 points down in the fourth quarter versus Southern Oregon. Concordia got as close as two points in the waning moments of the contest. Two other Concordia players notched at least 20 points on the weekend: Krieser (23) and Kelty (22). Kelty was also the team’s leading rebounder with 13 boards at the Cattle Classic.
· Despite saying goodbye to three influential seniors from the 2023-24 team, the Bulldogs aren’t flying under the radar to begin the season. Concordia checked in at No. 2 in the GPAC and at No. 5 in the NAIA in the preseason coaches’ polls. The ’23-24 squad rose as high as No. 6 in the poll and advanced to the NAIA national round of 16 (finishing at 27-7 overall). The returning starters are Krieser and Vieselmeyer while the departing starters were Sadie Powell, Taysha Rushton and Mackenzie Toomey.
· A native of Wahoo, Neb., Brigham is essentially a returning starter having played starter’s minutes off the bench the past two seasons. The return of Brigham for a ‘COVID year’ means the Bulldogs can play ultra-fast and aggressive offensively and defensively. Brigham is closing in on 1,000 career points. In 111 games as a Bulldog, she has totaled 947 points, 268 rebounds, 247 assists and 121 steals. Her career assist-to-turnover ratio is greater than 2-to-1.
· While Brigham is in her fifth season at Concordia, Krieser and Abby Heemstra are the two lone fourth-year seniors on the roster. Krieser has continued to expand her offensive game each season while standing out as one of the GPAC’s top backcourt defenders. Krieser averaged 9.3 points per game last season and was named a second team all-conference selection. As for Heemstra, she provides steady minutes in the post and averaged 4.8 points and 2.9 rebounds per game last season.
· The sophomore class will be a key to the ultimate success of this season’s team. Second-year Bulldogs Juliana Jones and Raelyn Kelty have jumped into the starting lineup this season. The Kiowa, Colo., native Kelty appears primed for a huge leap in year two. Though she’s a 5-foot-11 post player, Kelty is as fast as anyone on the roster and has the ability to score inside and out. Jones also continues to expand her game and so too do sophomores such as Bassett, Bunting, Libby Hoffman and Sammy Leu.
· This marks Drew Olson’s 19th season as head coach at his alma mater. His career record stands at 471-141 overall with 16 national tournament appearances (29 total national tournament wins). Olson guided the 2018-19 team to a national championship and has led the program to five national semifinal advancements (three national title game appearances) and to 12 total GPAC championships (six regular season and six postseason).
The opponent
Concordia got a look at Dakota State this past weekend at the Cattle Classic. As part of the event, the Trojans narrowly lost to No. 10 Southern Oregon, 70-68, and then barely avoided the upset in a 56-54 win over Oklahoma City. Before hosting the Bulldogs on Saturday, Dakota State will be at No. 9 Dakota Wesleyan on Wednesday. The Trojans are a major player on the national scene having reached the NAIA national semifinals in 2023 and then the quarterfinals in 2024. Their run last season finally concluded with a loss at the hands of Carroll College (Mont.) in Sioux City, Iowa. The No. 6 preseason national ranking represents the highest ranking for the program during the era of one division of NAIA basketball (which began in 2020-21). Head Coach David Moe’s squad again entered this season as the favorite in the North Star Athletic Association, a league it has won in each of the past four seasons.
Next week
Conference play will get started on Saturday, Nov. 16 when Morningside makes a visit to Friedrich Arena. Tipoff is scheduled for 3:45 p.m. CT on that date.