SEWARD, Neb. – Concordia University, Nebraska Women’s Basketball have two games remaining in its regular season slate and will look to pounce on two wins in the upcoming games. Potentially the last time inside Friedrich Arena, the Bulldogs will clash with conference rival Doane and are set to compete against Mount Marty in Yankton, S.D. After dropping two games to No. 24 Hastings (84-49) and No. 16 Dakota Wesleyan (74-65), Head Coach Drew Olson’s bench is 13-13 overall and 8-12 in conference play.
This Week
Wednesday, Feb. 19 vs. Doane (15-11, 10-10 GPAC), 6 p.m.
--Max Country | Live Webcast | Live Stats | Location: Friedrich Arena (Seward, Neb.)
Saturday, Feb. 22 at Mount Marty (10-16, 4-16 GPAC), 2 p.m.
--Max Country | Live Webcast | Live Stats | Location: Cimpl Arena (Yankton, S.D.)
By the numbers
· In the first matchup with Doane (Jan. 8), it took two overtime periods to decide the winner with the Tigers (93-87) defending home court in the final minutes. The Bulldogs were up four with 13 seconds left in regulation but missed free throws. That left the door open for Mak Hatcliff and Megan Chambers to even the score at the end of the fourth. With a 16-0 record previously, Doane found a way in Crete. In the meeting earlier this season (Jan. 15), the Dawgs splashed for 15 treys in the 74-55 victory. The Bulldogs have defeated Mount Marty 17 games in a row having last lost in the series in the 2015-16 season. Coach Olson has accumulated a 29-4 overall record against the Lancers.
· Ranked 83rd in RPI, the Bulldogs have an 18th strength of schedule ranking. Doane is at 73rd in the rankings and with a 55th rank in schedule strength. Dordt (5), Briar Cliff (14), Hastings (15) and Dakota Wesleyan (24) are ranked in the top-25 in the NAIA RPI. In Massey ratings, Dordt remains No. 1 with Briar Cliff (5), Dakota Wesleyan (9), Hastings (13) and Northwestern (18) are all in the top-20 from the GPAC. Concordia is ranked No. 25 with a strong strength of schedule ranking (2).
· On Wednesday, Concordia came out early in the 2nd quarter with a 3-point (21-18) lead but the red hot Broncos responded with a 14-0 and a 12-0 putting the contest out of reach (53-30) by the end of the third. Kristin Vieselmeyer grabbed a season high 12 rebounds as the team mounted 44 total. Megan Belt had a team high nine points dropping three treys. Raelyn Kelty and freshman Makynna Robbins (10 minutes played) made six points apiece. The Bulldogs combined for a season low 17-for-63 from the floor and allowed 43.7 percent (31-for-71) from Hastings.
· On senior day, Dakota Wesleyan and the Bulldogs battled it out as Vieselmeyer and Abby Krieser cut the Tiger advantage down to three. The visitors responded via free throws and held on in the final minute. Krieser turned it on in the 15 points in the second half (21 total) taking over in the lane in the last two frames. Abby Heemstra tallied eight points using her patented mid-range shots and paint tries. Krieser and Heemstra were celebrated at halftime of the men’s game. CUNE shot (42.4 percent) slightly over the Tigers (41.1 percent) and forced 16 turnovers compared to the visitors’ 11. The two teams combined for 86.8 percent (33-for-38) from the charity stripe. Bree Bunting (12) and Vieselmeyer (10) both hit double figures for the Dawgs.
· Graduate Student Kendal Brigham has hit 15+ points eight times this year and capped off her season high versus Northwestern (20). The 5-5 guard has reached double figures 15 times, the most by any Bulldog this season. A Wahoo, Neb., native, Brigham reached her career high her senior year against Doane, scoring 24 points against the Tigers on Jan. 10 in a dominant win (101-60) at home. The Wahoo product has 1,207 career points, 193 made treys, less than 10 away from Bailey Morris (201). Brigham has doubled her career blocks to five in total this season.
· The Colorado connection has been evident with Assistant Coach Tae’lor Purdy-Korell in her 10th year with the Bulldogs. Originally from Agate, Colo., Purdy-Korell has been a link to the Centennial state. With four current varsity players on the roster (two starters), the Rocky Mountain natives have impacted the college in the cornfield averaging 66.4 (out of 200) minutes per game. Vieselmeyer, Kelty, Joclyn Bassett and Bree Bunting surmount 25.2 points from the 75.4 team average. With a junior, Vieselmeyer, and three sophomores, the high altitude natives have a couple of years remaining on the floor in Seward.
· Dordt is unbeaten no more thanks to Hastings but still leads in conference play (18-1) and will look to finish out the season as the GPAC champions. Briar Cliff (17-3), Dakota Wesleyan (16-4) and Hastings (15-5) are battling it out for the second slot and a semifinal home basketball game in the conference tournament. Four teams are in the middle of the pack including Northwestern (13-7), Doane (10-10), Morningside (10-10) and Concordia (8-12) but these eight GPAC teams are set for the postseason tournament.
Probable Lineup
G – Megan Belt, 5-6 (7.1)
G – Kendal Brigham, 5-5 (11.5)
G – Abby Krieser, 5-9 (8.6)
F – Raelyn Kelty, 5-11 (9.5)
F – Kristin Vieselmeyer, 6-2 (10.7)
The opponents
Doane split the last four games (2-2) defeating CSM (102-49) and Midland (83-61) but fell to Briar Cliff (96-67) and Dordt (77-74). With a 15-11 overall record, The Tigers will look to make the national tournament leaning on their primary scorer Mak Hatcliff (19.8). All five starters play a majority of the minutes, with all averaging double digits. Doane averages 74.8 points per game on 43.1 percent from field goal percentage. The Tigers are 6-7 on the road and shoot 32.3 percentage from three on 5.9 made treys per game.
Doane Projected Starting Five
G – Macy Holtz, 5-7 (16.8)
G – Maddie Portwine, 5-10 (10.8)
G – Mak Hatcliff, 5-7 (19.8)
F – Megan Chambers, 6-0 (11.9)
F – Kaylee Klover, 5-10 (12.1)
The Lancers are on a three game losing skid with a 10-16 overall showing and a 4-16 record in the GPAC. They have their last win versus Morningside (93-92) at Cimpl Arena finishing with a one point triumph. Averaging 68.1 points per game, Mount Marty has shot 40.1 percent from the field and 31.3 percent from three. Taking down 35.4 rebounds a game, the Lancers pass 12.1 assists in a contest. Kaela Martinez (12.0) and Sidney Thue (11.2) are out front in scoring for the home MMU squad. Thue (6.5) and Alexus Motley (6.0) lead the team in rebounds, while Martinez passes almost three assists (2.9) per game. Thue (2.0) and Martinez (1.3) are the ball hawks and Thue swats away 1.1 shots a contest.
Mount Marty Projected Starting Five
G – Kaela Martinez, 5-8 (12.0)
G – Emma Jarvoski, 5-9 (9.5)
G – Kyra Griese, 5-5 (4.3)
F – Alexus Motley, 5-8 (9.5)
F – Sidney Thue, 6-1 (11.2)
Concordia will have its GPAC tournament placement finalized after the following games and is scheduled to play on the road on Feb. 26. The opponent is not yet known.