SEWARD, Neb. – The second-ranked Concordia University women’s basketball team put forth a dominant performance in the quarterfinals of the GPAC tournament as it began pursuit of a fourth-straight conference postseason championship. The next obstacle in the path to another title is 12th-ranked Dordt, which will be at Walz Arena for a 2 p.m. CT GPAC semifinal meeting. Head coach Drew Olson’s team toppled eighth-seeded Midland, 95-46, on Wednesday. Meanwhile, the Defenders handled 15th-ranked Dakota Wesleyan, 75-55.
GPAC Semifinals
Saturday, Feb. 29 vs. (12) Dordt (24-7)
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--Admission: $10 for adults/senior citizens, $3 for K-12; only those with NAIA passes and GPAC student ID’s will be admitted free of charge.
The Bulldogs have won 13-straight GPAC tournament home games and have triumphed in 10 GPAC tournament games in a row overall. Concordia looked razor sharp in Wednesday’s quarterfinal. It shot 52.9 percent from the floor while holding Midland to 24.5 percent shooting. Sophomore Mackenzie Koepke knocked down four treys on her way to a career high 19 points. Grace Barry (15 points and four steals) and Philly Lammers (10 points and seven rebounds) also reached double figures. All 13 Bulldogs who saw action registered in the scoring column.
The scoring watch continues for Lammers, who has totaled 1,981 career points. She trails only former national player of the year Bailey Morris (2,054 points) on the program’s all-time list. Lammers, a three-time All-American, has been a prominent figure in the winningest four-year stretch in school history. The win total has now climbed to 134 since the start of the 2016-17 season. During that time, the Bulldogs have been nearly invincible at home with a record of 61-1. In 14 home games this season, Concordia has outscored its opponents, on average, 97.5 to 55.8.
The Defenders will attempt to top the Bulldogs for the first time this season. Concordia defeated Dordt 69-55 in Seward and 74-56 in Sioux Center, Iowa. The Defenders won handily over Dakota Wesleyan in the GPAC quarterfinals behind 17 points from Jordyn Van Maanen and 16 points from Erika Feenstra. Head coach Bill Harmsen’s squad appears to be a lock for a second national tournament bid in a row. One of the biggest strengths for Dordt is its rebounding (+10.1 margin that ranks No. 6 nationally). Feenstra ranks second in the GPAC with an average of 17.6 points per game.
On the other side of the bracket, second-seeded Hastings and third-seeded Morningside will go head-to-head in Hastings. The GPAC semifinal winners will meet in the championship game on Tuesday (March 3). Concordia had met in the GPAC championship game in each of the previous three years with the Bulldogs winning all three matchups.
Projected Lineups
Concordia (29-2, 21-1 GPAC)
G – Grace Barry, Sr., 5-7 (13.7)
G – Riley Sibbel, Sr., 5-9 (6.3)
G – Mackenzie Koepke, So., 6-1 (8.2)
F – Colby Duvel, Sr., 5-9 (8.0)
F – Philly Lammers, Sr., 5-11 (13.6)
Dordt (24-7, 15-7 GPAC)
G – Jordyn Van Maanen, So., 5-5 (6.3)
G – Payton Harmsen, Sr., 5-8 (4.4)
G – Ebby Prewitt, Sr., 5-9 (3.9)
F – Erika Feenstra, Jr., 6-0 (17.6)
F – Rachel Evavold, Sr., 6-1 (10.1)
2020 GPAC Women’s Basketball Tournament
GPAC Quarterfinals – Wednesday, Feb. 26
(1) Concordia def. (8) Midland, 95-46
(4) Dordt def. (5) Dakota Wesleyan, 75-55
(3) Morningside def. (6) Northwestern, 90-87 (OT)
(2) Hastings def. (7) Jamestown, 77-49
GPAC Semifinals – Saturday, Feb. 29
(4) Dordt at (1) Concordia, 2 p.m.
(3) Morningside at (2) Hastings, 3 p.m.
GPAC Championship – Tuesday, March 3
Time TBA