SEWARD, Neb. – CIT week has arrived for the third-ranked Concordia University women’s basketball team. The Bulldogs will play three games over a four-day stretch beginning with Wednesday’s home game versus seventh-ranked Morningside at 6 p.m. CT. In the first game of the Concordia Invitational Tournament on Friday, head coach Drew Olson’s squad will go up against Concordia-Ann Arbor in a rematch of the 2019 CIT title game.
#CIT2020
Hosted by Concordia University, Chicago in River Forest, Ill. (Geiseman Gymnasium)
CIT links
CU-Chicago tournament page
Advance tickets (available until Jan. 22)
Live webcasts for CIT games
Radio coverage: 104.9 Max Country
Game recaps/interviews
CIT alumni and friends social (Jan. 24)
Tickets
$15 advanced weekend pass | $20 weekend pass purchased on site | $12 day pass | children under six are free
2020 Concordia Invitational Tournament Schedule
Friday, Jan. 24
· 1 p.m. CST – Nebraska vs. Ann Arbor (women)
· 3:15 p.m. CST – Nebraska vs. Ann Arbor (men)
· 6 p.m. CST – Chicago vs. Wisconsin (women)
· 8:15 p.m. CST – Chicago vs. Wisconsin (men)
Saturday, Jan. 25
· 10:15 a.m. CST – Dance/Cheer competition
· 12:45 a.m. CST – Women’s consolation game
· 3 p.m. CST – Men’s consolation game
· 5:30 p.m. CST– Women’s championship game
· 7:45 p.m. CST – Men’s championship game
Five facts about CUNE women’s basketball at CIT
· CUNE owns the most CIT titles (29) in the history of the women’s event, which dates back to 1973. The Bulldogs first seized the title in 1983 when led by head coach Carl Everts. CUNE has won 28 of the last 33 CITs.
· Five different head coaches have led the program to CIT titles (in order): Carl Everts (seven), Mark Lemke (four), Micah Parker (four), Todd Voss (four) and Drew Olson (10). Olson’s 10 CIT championships rank as the most of any women’s basketball coach in the history of the tournament.
· The Bulldogs have won six-straight CIT championships, including 12-consecutive CIT games during the run. Over those 12 games, CUNE’s average margin of victory has been 30.2 points per game.
· Six Bulldogs have earned multiple CIT MVP awards: Quinn Wragge (2016, 2017), Bailey Morris (2014, 2015), Whitney Stichka (2006, 2008, 2009), Sarah Harrison (2002, 2004, 2005), Stacey Miller (1997, 1998) and Lynda Beck (1990, 1991). Philly Lammers is the reigning CIT MVP.
· Now in his 14th season as head coach, Drew Olson owns an all-time CIT record of 23-3 and has reached the CIT championship game in every season of his tenure. CUNE lost CIT title games to CU-Wisconsin in 2007 and to CU-Ann Arbor in both 2011 and 2013.
Update on the Dawgs
The Bulldogs are coming off GPAC road wins last week over College of Saint Mary, 108-64, and over Briar Cliff, 76-64. CUNE has now won three in a row since suffering its only conference blemish – a 66-59 loss at then fourth-ranked Hastings. There were plenty of contributors to last week’s victories. While senior point guard Grace Barry led the way with a combined 29 points, several reserves added scoring punch. In the win at College of Saint Mary, four Bulldogs came off the bench to notch double figures: Elsie Aslesen (16), Taylor Farrell (15), Chloe Schumacher (12) and Averie Lambrecht (10). Two reserves also reached double figures at Briar Cliff: MacKenzie Helman (14) and Claire Cornell (13).
Philly Lammers’ pursuit of the program’s all-time scoring record was put on hold last week. She played less than a minute-and-a-half at College of Saint Mary after being forced to leave the game due to injury. She then sat out the Briar Cliff contest, marking the first game she’s missed as a Bulldog. That means the Omaha native is stuck on 1,812 career points, second most in school history behind only Bailey Morris (2,054). Lammers is also 53 rebounds shy of reaching 1,000 for her career. Concordia has also been without All-American guard Taylor Cockerill all season.
In the NAIA Division II poll released last week, the Bulldogs slid back to No. 3 behind No. 1 Southeastern University (Fla.) and No. 2 Hastings. Concordia had held the No. 1 ranking for nearly an entire calendar year. It bumped up to No. 1 on Jan. 22 of last season and held that position for the remainder of the campaign on its way to winning the national title. Impressively, the Bulldogs have been ranked inside the top five nationally in every poll since late November of 2016. Over the previous three seasons, Concordia has finished seasons with final national rankings of first (2019), second (2018) and third (2017).
Up next
Before gearing up for CIT, Concordia will aim for a regular-season sweep of seventh-ranked Morningside, which it defeated, 88-77, in Sioux City, Iowa, on Dec. 11. The Mustangs (17-4, 11-2 GPAC) are the only visitor to leave Walz Arena with a victory in the last 61 home games (60-1 at home since February 2016) for the Bulldogs. Head coach Jamie Sale’s squad has been on a roll with six-straight wins since the calendar flipped to 2020. Morningside won handily, 90-65, at ninth-ranked Dordt this past weekend. The stars for the Mustangs are the likes of Sierra Mitchell (17.0 ppg), Sydney Hupp (14.8 ppg) and Sophia Peppers (14.0). Morningside ranks in the top 10 nationally in both scoring offense (84.2) and turnover margin (+8.4). CUNE has won seven of the past eight meetings in the series.
Wednesday’s game will be covered live by the Concordia Sports Network and by 104.9 Max Country.
The women’s CIT field
Concordia University, Nebraska Bulldogs
Head coach: Drew Olson, 14th year
Record: 17-2 (12-1 GPAC)
Conference: Great Plains Athletic Conference (NAIA Division II)
Location: Seward, Nebraska
Top player: At the moment it would be Grace Barry (Concordia hopes to get Philly Lammers back on the court very soon). Barry and Lammers are both All-America type of performers. Lammers is the second most prolific scorer in program history while Barry was named the MVP of the national tournament last season. Barry ranks in the top 10 nationally in assists (5.84) and steals (3.37) per game.
Key stat: The team’s dominance is reflected in its national ratings: first in turnover margin (+15.9), second in scoring margin (+33.0), second in scoring offense (94.4), fifth in 3-point field goals per game (11.2), seventh in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.17) and 15th in field goal percentage (.451).
CIT titles: 29 (most recent: 2019)
Concordia University, Ann Arbor Cardinals
Head coach: Kiefer Haffey, 2nd year
Record: 12-7 (7-5 WHAC)
Conference: Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference (NAIA Division II)
Location: Ann Arbor, Michigan
Top player: Junior Katie Snow fills up the stat sheet, averaging 11.2 points, 3.5 steals and 3.4 assists per game. Led by Snow, the Cardinals have are vastly improved from last season when they went 8-23 overall. Snow has notched 1,073 points in her career in Ann Arbor.
Key stat: Haffey’s squad ranks in the top 25 of NAIA Division II in steals per game (12.5), turnover margin (+3.6) and scoring defense (61.4). Opponents are shooting 39.5 percent from the floor.
CIT titles: 2 (most recent: 2013)
Concordia University, Chicago Cougars
Head coach: Lauren Rosengarden, 2nd year
Record: 4-10 (3-7 NACC)
Conference: Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference (NCAA Division III)
Location: River Forest, Illinois
Top player: Dynamic freshman guard Tara Hastings is averaging 15.0 points per game while shooting 35.9 percent from 3-point range (three games this season of 20+ points). She also averages 3.4 rebounds and 2.35 steals per outing.
Key stat: On average, the Cougars have been outscored by their opponents, 67.6 to 59.6. CUC slipped to 8-17 last season after posting a 17-9 record (13-7 NACC) during the 2017-18 campaign.
CIT titles: 4 (most recent: 1986)
Concordia University, Wisconsin Falcons
Head coach: Stacey Brunner-Jones, 16th year
Record: 8-6 (7-3 NACC)
Conference: Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference (NCAA Division III)
Location: Mequon, Wisconsin
Top player: Junior guard Emily Hafemann is an impressive 22-for-48 (.458) from 3-point range. She tops the Falcons with an average of 13.5 points per game while also adding 4.1 rebounds and 2.6 assists per contest.
Key stat: Under Brunner Jones, CUW has been a consistently solid defensive team. The Falcons are holding their opponents to 57.4 points per game and 37.7 percent shooting from the floor. Since winning its last CIT title in 2007, CUW has been beaten in the CIT title game by CUNE in 2010, 2015 and 2016.
CIT titles: 3 (most recent: 2007)