FREMONT, Neb. – The newly 10th-ranked Concordia women’s basketball team snuck out of Fremont with a win Wednesday night. The Bulldogs defeated Midland University, 59-57 in their eighth-straight win.
Concordia, 12-3 overall and 7-3 in the GPAC, dealt the Warriors their ninth loss of the season, dropping them to 7-9 (5-4 GPAC).
Head coach Drew Olson said, “The third quarter was key. I credit Midland for doing some really nice things and getting us out of our rhythm…with everybody we play in this conference, you have to respect them and bring your A game otherwise it’s going to be an ugly battle.”
Freshman Quinn Wragge continues to impress, scoring 14, which tied for a team high, and grabbing eight rebounds. Brenleigh Daum also put up 14 points, including four 3-pointers.
“Quinn had an awesome game,” said Olson. “There’s no way we win that game without her. Her defensive effort on Joelle Overkamp was awesome. Anytime when we needed a basket she got a couple in transition.”
Becky Mueller passed 900 career points after contributing 10 tallies in the contest. The senior needs 99 more to join the 1,000 point club. Mueller also grabbed five rebounds, all offensive.
As a team, CUNE shot .387 from the field and .226 from 3-point range. The Bulldogs struggled from the free throw line, shooting just .286. The percentage is the lowest since the game against Mayville State when the ‘Dogs shot .533 from the charity stripe.
The Bulldogs outrebounded the Warriors, 35-32 with 13 offensive boards. CUNE’s defense was able to force 19 turnovers, grab six steals and block one MU shot.
Concordia had an uncharacteristic first half, hitting just two 3-pointers on 17 attempts. The Bulldogs led only once during the first stanza after scoring the first bucket of the game. At the end of the second quarter, Daum scored from distance and completed a layup to cut the Warriors’ lead to two.
“I don’t think we played with that much focus and intensity offensively. We took some really bad shots. Defensively we kind of lost our heads…we were just not as in tune as we were in the third quarter and most of the fourth,” noted Olson.
The third quarter belonged to the Bulldogs as they outscored Midland, 23-12. Daum took over with less than three minutes remaining in the period nailing three 3-pointers, giving the Bulldogs a nine point lead heading into the fourth quarter.
Thanks to a layup from Wragge, the Bulldogs had their biggest lead of the game in the fourth quarter at 14. Midland threatened Concordia’s lead going on a 9-1 run to end the game, but it wasn’t enough to take away the Bulldogs’ eighth-straight victory.
Olson said, “I think we have found our identity and that’s why we’re going on this win streak…we have a great team that on any given night, anybody is capable, it doesn’t matter what team we’re playing…we’re very versatile.”
Northwestern College will be the next opponent on the Bulldog’s slate. Concordia will travel to Orange City, Iowa this Saturday for a 2 p.m. start time.