No. 3 Concordia set to face off with No. 14 CSM in second round
SIOUX CITY, Iowa – After bullying Bryan College (Tenn.) in Thursday afternoon’s first-round matchup, the third-ranked Concordia University women’s basketball team faces a stiffer test in the second round. No. 14 College of Saint Mary, which knocked off No. 18 Huntington (Ind.), 63-54, on Thursday, will serve as Friday’s opponent. Game time is set for 1:45 p.m. CDT from the Tyson Events Center.
GAME INFO
No. 3 Concordia (32-2) vs. No. 14 College of Saint Mary (27-6)
Friday, March 13 | 1:45 p.m. CDT
Sioux City, Iowa | Tyson Events Center
Live webcast: NAIAnetwork.com (fee required)
Live stats: Dakstats
Tickets: available at arena ticket office or via tysoncenter.com
Friday’s game features two national player of the year candidates in Concordia’s Bailey Morris (two-time GPAC player of the year) and Saint Mary’s dominant post Deaundra Young. Morris was needed for only 17 minutes of action in the Bulldogs’ thrashing of Bryan. On the other hand, Young played in 36 minutes and piled up 27 points and 19 rebounds to help the Flames rally back from an early deficit in round one.
Young is a matchup nightmare for any opponent.
“She’s probably the best post player in the country,” Olson said following Thursday’s win. “It’s going to be a really tough matchup for us.”
As institutions separated by roughly 72 miles, Concordia and College of Saint Mary have met frequently in recent years. The two teams last played each other on Nov. 5, 2013, when the Bulldogs prevailed, 96-89, in Omaha. Tracy Peitz tied a game high with 22 points to top Concordia.
Peitz and company will try to give the Flames fits in the same way they pestered Bryan, who shot only 17.5 percent on Thursday. Four different Bulldogs reached double figures in scoring, led by Mary Janovich’s 13 points. The freshman from Gretna, Neb., put up a team high 17 points in the GPAC tournament title game victory at No. 1 Morningside. She has made 17 of her last 27 attempts from 3-point range.
The Bulldogs are now 19-13 all-time in 14 national tournament appearances. Olson, who is 8-6 at the national tournament, has equaled Todd Voss for the most victories by a Concordia women’s basketball coach in program history.
College of Saint Mary, coached by Chuck Brewer, is 3-4 in five appearances on the national stage. The Flames are looking for their first second-round win in program history.