SEWARD, Neb. – Exactly halfway through the conference schedule, the Concordia University women’s basketball team again finds itself in the thick of the GPAC championship race. Last week’s double overtime loss at No. 13 Dordt caused the Bulldogs to fall one game out of the lead atop the league. Concordia bounced back with a crucial 93-85 home win over fifth-ranked Northwestern on Jan. 5. Thirteenth-year head coach Drew Olson’s program is aiming for a third conference regular-season title in a row.
This Week
Wednesday, Jan. 9 at No. 15 Hastings (10-7, 6-5), 6 p.m.
-Webcast: Stretch Internet
-Radio: 104.9 Max Country
Saturday, Jan. 12 vs. Briar Cliff (10-9, 4-7), 2 p.m.
-Webcast: Concordia Sports Network
-Radio: 104.9 Max Country
A fresh set of national rankings will be released by the NAIA on Tuesday (Jan. 8). Despite the defeat at Dordt, the Bulldogs have made a compelling case for the No. 1 ranking having defeated eight nationally-ranked foes while up against the most challenging schedule in the nation, according to Massey Ratings. Massey’s formula illustrates what an accomplishment it would be to win the league. According to Massey, the top five teams in NAIA Division II are all GPAC teams: Concordia, Dakota Wesleyan, Northwestern, Morningside and Dordt.
The narrative in last week’s victory over Northwestern revolved around the contributions of many and the ability to win big in the turnover count (31-13). The national leader in both assists (5.88) and steals (3.94) per game, point guard Grace Barry dished out eight assists while committing just one turnover. Philly Lammers posted a line of 19 points, eight rebounds, four assists, three blocked shots and two steals. Fellow All-American Quinn Wragge notched nine of her 15 points in the first quarter and moved up to No. 9 on the program’s all-time scoring list.
The dynamics offensively have changed a bit for this edition of Bulldog women’s basketball. Concordia is reliant on scoring in the paint, something its adept at thanks to the off-the-dribble exploits of Barry and Taylor Cockerill (team high 15.6 points per game) and the work inside of Lammers and Wragge. The Bulldogs went from shooting 34.4 percent from beyond the arc last season to 30.3 percent from long range this season. Freshman Mackenzie Koepke is emerging as perhaps the team’s best perimeter shooter. She nailed a pair of treys in the fourth quarter versus Northwestern and is shooting 38.0 percent from 3-point range this season.
Hastings has not been quite the same team without star point guard Shandra Farmer, who has not played since a 72-61 home win over then No. 8 Morningside on Dec. 1. With Farmer still absent, the Broncos managed to snap a four-game losing streak by topping Briar Cliff, 74-66, last week in a game played at the Tyson Events Center. Hastings is likely to try to slow the pace on Wednesday. Among GPAC teams, it ranks eighth in field goal percentage offense (.411) and ninth in scoring offense (71.9). Sans Farmer, the team’s leading scorer is Mackenzie Willicott at just 10.9 points per contest.
Briar Cliff is 10-9 overall, but has played the nation’s 14th toughest schedule, according to Massey. Like Concordia, the Chargers aspire to put pressure on their opponents. They average nearly 14 steals per game (No. 6 in the nation) led by Alyssa Carley. Head coach Mike Powers’ squad struggled to take care of the ball in its first meeting with the Bulldogs. Concordia forced 42 turnovers and won handily, 99-71. Briar Cliff owns two wins over teams that were ranked in the most recent NAIA coaches’ poll.
Projected Starters
(Scoring average in parentheses)
Concordia (15-2, 9-2 GPAC)
G – Grace Barry, Jr., 5-7 (11.5)
G – Taylor Cockerill, So., 5-9 (15.6)
G – Riley Sibbel, Jr., 5-9 (4.7)
F – Quinn Wragge, Sr., 6-0 (11.2)
F – Philly Lammers, Jr., 5-11 (14.6)
Hastings (10-7, 6-5 GPAC)
G – Emma Grenfell, Jr., 5-6 (9.2)
G – Sophia Pankratz, Jr., 5-7 (3.9)
G – Kaitlyn Schmit, So., 5-6 (6.6)
F – Gabby Grasso, Jr., 5-11 (7.3)
F – Mackenzie Willicot, Sr., 5-9 (10.9)
Briar Cliff (10-9, 4-7 GPAC)
G – Breanna Allen, So., 5-6 (4.5)
G – Alyssa Carley, Jr., 5-11 (12.4)
G – Taylor Wagner, Sr., 5-9 (12.1)
F – Madelyn Deitchler, Fr., 5-11 (8.1)
C – Taylor Vasa, Sr., 6-0 (8.3)