SEWARD, Neb. – It will be mostly GPAC action the rest of the regular season for the top-rated Concordia University women’s basketball team. The Bulldogs have been idle since playing twice at the Southeastern University Christmas Invite (Dec. 20-21). Concordia suffered its first loss of the season during its stay in The Sunshine State, but it regrouped on day two with a 97-55 win over William Carey University (Miss.). Head coach Drew Olson’s squad remains undefeated within the GPAC at 7-0.
This Week
Thursday, Jan. 2 at (12) Northwestern (10-2, 5-2 GPAC), 6 p.m.
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Saturday, Jan. 4 vs. (6) Dordt (13-2, 5-2 GPAC), 2 p.m.
--Live Webcast/Stats | 104.9 Max Country
The decade of the 2010s is in the books for one of the most successful women’s basketball programs in the nation, at any level. Over the past 10 years, the Bulldogs went a combined 284-63 (second most wins among NAIA women’s basketball programs), won 10 GPAC titles, reached the national semifinals five times and put a cherry on top by claiming a national championship in 2019. If one were to put together an all-decade team, it would likely include some of the current stars like Grace Barry, Taylor Cockerill and Philly Lammers. It would also feature Bailey Morris, the 2014-15 NAIA Division II Player of the Year.
The loss to No. 2 Southeastern on Dec. 20 snapped the program’s 23-game win streak. The matchup marked the fourth meeting between the two sides since the start of the 2018-19 campaign. Concordia won the first three of those gatherings. The Bulldogs have dipped below 100 points per game on average, but remain second nationally in scoring (98.5). Concordia ranks No. 1 in the nation in steals per game (23.0), scoring margin (+38.4) and turnover margin (+18.2).
Lammers has moved all the way up to No. 5 on the program’s all-time scoring list with 1,769 points. The only names above her on that list are Morris (2,054), Sarah Harrison (1,800), Quinn Wragge (1,776) and Kari Saving (1,773). Harrison and Saving are both in the Concordia Athletic Hall of Fame and Morris and Wragge figure to join them in the future. Lammers also ranks fifth in school history in both rebounds (915) and steals (306). Lammers is the program’s only player to be named a first/second/third team All-American three times. She is the reigning GPAC Player of the Year.
The Bulldogs will be greeted by a Northwestern team with a different look than what they saw in the national semifinals last season. The Red Raiders graduated three senior starters, including prolific scorer Kassidy De Jong (2,254 career points). A couple of sophomores in Devyn Kemble and Alexis Toering have stepped into the starting lineup and are averaging in double figures. Chris Yaw is in his ninth season as head coach. He helped Northwestern to a national title in 2012. The Red Raiders will have had a similar layoff. They last played on Dec. 19 when they pummeled Waldorf University (Iowa), 98-25. Concordia won two of three meetings with Northwestern last season.
Just two seasons ago, Dordt finished under .500 at 14-17 overall. Now the Defenders have vaulted into the top 10 of the national poll while being led by Bill Harmsen, who was named the 2018-19 GPAC Coach of the Year. The mega star on the roster is junior Erika Feenstra, who leads the nation in field goal percentage (.672) and is averaging 21.3 points per game. Feenstra has help inside from freshman Karly Gustafson (10.8 ppg, 6.5 rpg). Dordt has wins over ranked opponents in Dakota Wesleyan and Northwestern to its credit. The Defenders defeated the Bulldogs in double overtime last season in Sioux Center, Iowa.
Coming up next week, Concordia will play at No. 4 Hastings on Jan. 8 before returning home to welcome Jamestown to Walz Arena on Jan. 11.
Projected Lineups
Concordia (12-1, 7-0 GPAC)
G – Grace Barry, Sr., 5-7 (12.2)
G – Riley Sibbel, Sr., 5-9 (6.1)
G – Mackenzie Koepke, So., 6-1 (8.5)
F – Colby Duvel, Sr., 5-9 (7.3)
F – Philly Lammers, Sr., 5-11 (15.0)
Northwestern (10-2, 5-2 GPAC)
G – Devyn Kemble, So., 5-6 (10.3)
G – Sammy Blum, Jr., 5-7 (14.7)
G – Bre Schuiteman, Sr., 5-8 (10.1)
F – Taylor VanderVelde, So. 5-8 (7.7)
F – Alexis Toering, So., 5-11 (12.5)
Dordt (13-2, 5-2 GPAC)
G – Jordyn Van Maanen, So., 5-5 (6.3)
G – Payton Harmsen, Sr., 5-8 (6.6)
G – Ebby Prewitt, Sr., 5-9 (3.7)
F – Erika Feenstra, Jr., 6-0 (21.3)
F – Karly Gustafson, Fr., 6-0 (10.8)