SEWARD, Neb. – Last week the top-ranked Concordia University women’s basketball team concluded its post-CIT gauntlet that featured four consecutive games against conference foes ranked in the top 15 of the national coaches’ poll. With no margin for error left in the race for a third GPAC regular season title in a row, the Bulldogs won at No. 14 Morningside, 69-53, and defeated No. 5 Dakota Wesleyan, 79-66. Those victories allowed Concordia (25-3, 17-3 GPAC) to keep pace at the top of the standings with Northwestern (also 17-3 in the GPAC).
This Week
Wednesday, Feb. 13 vs. College of Saint Mary (2-25, 1-19), 7 p.m.
-Webcast: Concordia Sports Network
-Radio: 104.9 Max Country
Saturday, Feb. 16 vs. at Mount Marty (14-13, 8-13), 1:30 p.m.
-Webcast: Stretch Internet
-Radio: 104.9 Max Country
Thirteenth-year head coach Drew Olson’s Bulldogs have put together a three-year run that is unprecedented in the program’s history. Over that stretch, Concordia has put together an overall record of 95-8. Winner of both GPAC regular season and tournament titles in 2016-17 and 2017-18, the Bulldogs became the first women’s basketball team in GPAC history (2000-present) to sweep conference championships in back-to-back years. Olson has led Concordia to a total of eight conference titles (four regular season; four postseason) since assuming the head coaching role prior to the 2006-07 season.
All-American Philly Lammers has never lost back-to-back games in her career and she helped ensure that fact would not change with her performance at Morningside. She collected 18 points, 11 rebounds and seven steals in that game while producing the 23rd double-double of her career. She then put up another 18 points versus Dakota Wesleyan. Lammers and company outscored last week’s opponents by a combined margin of 26 points over the second halves of those games. Grace Barry dished out a total of 13 assists and Taylor Cockerill put home 19 points against Dakota Wesleyan.
Senior Quinn Wragge’s continued rise up the program’s all-time lists will be a storyline as the stretch run of the season carries on. Still No. 7 in program history for career points, Wragge (1,690) is within striking distance of the fifth (Stephanie Schilke; 1,736) and sixth (Lynda Beck; 1,720) placeholders on the list. Wragge finished with 16 points and 10 rebounds versus Dakota Wesleyan. Lammers is also going to keep rising on the charts. She has recorded 1,431 points, 755 rebounds, 247 steals and 135 blocked shots over 103 career games.
This season has been a struggle for College of Saint Mary. The Flames have dropped 16 games in a row since their lone GPAC win – a 68-67 decision at Doane on Nov. 28. Head coach Kirk Walker’s squad averages 59.7 points per game and gives up 81.0 per contest. Going up against Concordia’s press will again be a chore for a squad that turns it over more than 21 times per game. Corryne Millett (11.6 ppg) is the only CSM player averaging double figures in scoring. The Bulldogs won the first meeting in Omaha, 88-55, on Nov. 20.
Mount Marty may get squeezed out of the eight-team GPAC tournament despite winning at Doane, 69-63, this past weekend. The Lancers enter the week having won four of their last five games with the lone loss coming at Dakota Wesleyan. Head coach Todd James Schlimgen’s squad likes to hoist the three. It ranks 17th nationally in 3-point field goals per game (8.3). The top Mount Marty scoring options are Karlee McKinney (13.3) and Ali Kuca (10.1). The Lancers have been solid defensively, holding opponents to 38.5 percent shooting through 27 games.
The GPAC tournament will begin with the quarterfinals on Wednesday, Feb. 20. Concordia has clinched at least a top three seed and will be at home on that date. The game will tip off at 7 p.m. CST.
Projected Starters
(Scoring average in parentheses)
Concordia (25-3, 17-3 GPAC)
G – Grace Barry, Jr., 5-7 (10.6)
G – Taylor Cockerill, So., 5-9 (16.0)
G – Riley Sibbel, Jr., 5-9 (5.3)
F – Quinn Wragge, Sr., 6-0 (11.1)
F – Philly Lammers, Jr., 5-11 (14.9)
College of Saint Mary (2-25, 1-19 GPAC)
G – Peyton Hagen, Sr., 5-8 (6.8)
G – Tyler Sumpter, Sr., 5-10 (9.0)
F – Dani Carlson, Jr., 6-0 (6.5)
F – Corryne Millett, Sr., 6-1 (11.6)
F – Ashley Nelson, Sr., 5-9 (5.6)
Mount Marty (14-13, 8-13 GPAC)
G – Molly Koisti, Jr., 5-8 (5.7)
G – Ali Kuca, Jr., 5-9 (10.1)
G – Karlee McKinney, So., 5-8 (13.3)
F – Sammy Kasowski, Sr., 6-0 (9.4)
F – Jamie Tebben, Jr., 6-0 (9.7)