SEWARD, Neb. – Concordia University, Nebraska Women’s Basketball will start in the new year with a home slugfest versus Northwestern on Saturday (Jan. 3). The lone contest will be featured inside Friedrich Arena. The Bulldogs faced tough competition in Hawaii, unable to defeat No. 3 Campbellsville University (Ky.), 76-44, but ended their vacation taking down the University of Providence (Mont.), 63-48. CUNE is 11-3 overall and 6-2 in the GPAC beginning in 2026.
This Week
Saturday, Jan. 3 vs. Northwestern (8-5, 4-3 GPAC), 2 p.m.
--Max Country | Live Webcast | Live Stats | Location: Friedrich Arena (Seward, Neb.)
By the numbers
· A 14-0 run crushed the upset drive of the Argonauts and ended with a double-digit victory for the Bulldogs. Eighteen of Ayla Roth’s 25 on the scoreboard came from the long-range variety as the Milford High School alum dropped an improved 5-for-7 from the charity stripe. The Bulldogs shot 62.5 (5-for-8) percent from beyond the arc in the fourth stanza and held their adversaries to 18.2 (2-for-11) from field goal range. Bree Bunting (10), Kristin Vieselmeyer (nine) and Juliana Jones (eight) were behind Roth in scoring. Both squads forced 19 turnovers in the defensive battle as the Bulldogs swiped eight steals.
· The Tigers took control in game one of the Hawaii Classic towards the end of the first half with a 13-2 run (41-26). Campbellsville continued to use a zone defense to keep Concordia out of the paint and would solidify a win in the second half. Bunting and Jones delivered eight points each and Raelyn Kelty produced five rebounds, three assists and three steals. The Bulldogs shot 29.6 percent from the field and 21.2 percent from three in the trial.
· Concordia’s defense has proven to be a tough test thus far allowing the least amount of points (55.9) per outing. The press gobbles up possessions by forcing the most turnovers (28.9) when the ball is in opposing hands and blocks out passing lanes with the second least amount of allowed assists (11.6). With a higher denial rate (3.8) in the GPAC, Concordia makes even the half court possessions tough in Bulldog territory. With 16.9 steals every 40 minutes played, the Dawgs keep their paws ready to knock loose the rock any time their opponents have it.
· Roth’s career high performance of 25 of the team’s total 63 points versus Providence was her first time surpassing the 20-point mark. The freshman guard averages 9.2 points per game and has hit double figures in six of her 14 games. In eight games, the Milford, Neb., native has shot at least 40 percent from the floor putting her average at 37.4 percent. Roth also dishes out a team-leading 2.9 assists per game and swipes 1.5 steals.
· The offense is second in made field goals in the conference with 440 by one behind Hastings. Shooting 43.3 percent from the floor, the Concordia attack averages 31.4 baskets a contest and 70.3 percent from the foul line. Consistently hitting 83.6 points (16th in NAIA) a game, the Bulldogs make 11.1 treys (3rd in NAIA) at a 33.8 percent shooting clip. CUNE is third in the nation in three-point attempts with 459 in 14 games and 6th in net efficiency (0.346).
· On Saturday (Nov. 22), the Bulldogs had their most impressive win to date defeating the Red Raiders in the Bultman Center, 88-66. Freshman Ayla Roth dialed up a 19-point performance, and Concordia jumped ahead in the opening half, 39-23. Northwestern rallied but the away blues always had the final return in the win. Four Bulldogs hit double figures in the showing which included Roth, Kelty (14), Sammy Leu (11) and Bunting (10). From the charity stripe, the Bulldogs were 91.7 (11-for-12) percent and 43.0 percent from the floor. Forcing 22 turnovers, Concordia used the extra possessions to defeat the Red Raiders with 44 boards in the contest.
· In the most recent NAIA coaches’ poll, Concordia stayed at the No. 9 slot in the top 10 of the ratings. In the GPAC, Dordt (2nd) and Dakota Wesleyan (10th) are also at the top of the list midway through the season. Briar Cliff is rated at No. 13, which totals four conference squads in the highly touted rankings going into 2026. Hastings continues to climb, receiving votes just outside of the initial 25.
Probable Lineup
G – Bree Bunting, 5-9 (9.6)
G – Ayla Roth, 5-9 (9.2)
G – Sammy Leu, 5-10 (8.7)
F – Raelyn Kelty, 5-11 (5.9)
F – Kristin Vieselmeyer, 6-2 (11.7)
The opponents
The Red Raiders are 8-5 overall and 4-3 in conference play going into the week. NWC will face Dakota Wesleyan in its last game of 2025 on Tuesday (Dec. 30). Northwestern had a three-game winning streak versus Waldorf (93-61), Midland (105-47) and Benedictine College (Kan.), 83-76 (two OT) before falling to No. 11 MidAmerica Nazarene University (Kan.), 78-54. With a +2.2 scoring margin, the Red Raiders tally 77.8 points per game on 44.4 percent from the field. The percentage shooting numbers are similar giving up 75.6 points and 39.9 percent to their opponents. Ashtyn Wobig paces NWC’s scoring with 15.6 points per contest as Jenna Kluxdal comes off the bench for 13.5. Kylie Foss stuffs the stat sheet leading in rebounds (7.2), assists (3.8) and steals (2.2). Northwestern averages 5.2 blocks per contest.
Northwestern Probable Lineup
G – Kylie Foss, 5-6 (5.7)
G – Ashtyn Wobig, 5-9 (15.6)
G – Allison Piercy, 5-8 (13.1)
F – Margo Schuiteman, 6-1 (8.7)
F – Emily TerWee, 6-1 (7.5)
Next week
The Bulldogs will travel to Sioux City to face Morningside next. Concordia will then host Briar Cliff inside Friedrich Arena.