Concordia rallies for 66-62 win over Hastings College

The Concordia University women’s basketball team rallied for a 66-62 win over Hastings College on Wednesday evening.  Hastings led 38-29 at the break, but the Bulldogs outscored the Broncos 37-24 in the final half to secure the win.  Concordia improved to 13-12 overall and 5-8 in GPAC play with the win.  Hastings slipped to 11-14 overall and 4-10 in GPAC play with the loss. 

There were four ties in the opening half, but Hastings College led for the majority of the opening 20 minutes.  The Broncos took their biggest lead (38-26) with just over a minute left in the first half and settled for a 38-29 halftime advantage. 

The Broncos again jumped out to a big lead in the opening minutes of the second half.  Hastings led by 16 on two occasions and led 51-35 with less than 13 minutes remaining in the game.  Over the next six minutes, however, Concordia used a 17-0 run to grab a 52-51 lead with six minutes remaining in the contest. 

The teams traded leads multiple times over the next few minutes of action.  Concordia took a 58-55 lead on a 3-point play by Katie Rich (Tilden, Neb.) with 3:46 remaining.  Amber Kistler (Minatare, Neb.) followed with a jumper to push the lead to five at 60-55. 

The Broncos cut the lead to one (60-59) with less than three minutes to play.  Following misses by both teams, Rich hit one of two free throws to give Concordia a 61-59 lead with just over a minute to play.  A missed free throw by Hastings College gave the ball back to the Bulldogs, and Kristin Miller (Jefferson City, Mo.) hit a huge 3-pointer to increase the Concordia lead to five at 64-59 with 20 seconds to play. 

Quincey King hit a 3-pointer for Hastings with 10 seconds remaining to cut the lead to two at 64-62 with 11 seconds left.  Kistler hit one of two free throws for the Bulldogs to make the score 65-62.  Sophia McDermott missed a 3-pointer for the Broncos, and Kistler again hit one of two free throws for the final score of 66-62. 

Concordia was just 21-of-70 (30 percent) from the field in the game.  The Bulldogs were 7-of-20 (35 percent) from behind the arc and 17-of-25 (68 percent) at the foul line.  The Bulldog defense forced 24 Hastings College turnovers on the night, while Concordia totaled just nine turnovers in the win. 

Kistler led three players in double figures with 18 points.  She also added a team-best eight rebounds.  Rich added 16 points, and Miller delivered 15 for the Bulldogs. 

Hastings was 21-of-47 (44.7 percent) from the field in the loss.  The Broncos were 7-of-18 (38.9 percent) from deep and 13-of-18 (72.2 percent) at the foul line. 

McDermott and Brittney Wong each scored 16 to pace the Broncos offensively.  Alicia Statler added a double-double of 14 points and 11 rebounds, while Courtney Spawn poured in 11 for the Broncos. 

Concordia hosts Sioux Falls on February 5.  Tip is scheduled for 2 p.m. at the Health, Human Performance and Athletic Center.