No. 3 Concordia takes 15th-straight meeting with Nebraska Wesleyan
By Taylor Mueller, Athletic Communications Assistant
LINCOLN, Neb. – For the second time this season, the Concordia Bulldogs put together a substantial offensive showcase that surpassed the 100-point mark with their dominating and 15th-straight win over host Nebraska Wesleyan (1-7, 0-4 GPAC) on Wednesday night. The Bulldogs, who are 6-0 on the road this season, notched their sixth-straight victory and improved their records to 11-1 overall and 6-1 in the GPAC with their 103-62 thrashing.
Nebraska Wesleyan gave the Bulldogs everything they could handle for the early part of the game, taking a quick 2-0 advantage and keeping the game close as both teams traded buckets through the first 10 minutes. It wasn’t until the 10:20 mark that sophomore Becky Mueller stroked her second 3-point shot of the game to give the Bulldogs a 24-21 advantage – off which they would gain some much needed momentum. Concordia used the spark to end the first half on a 31-8 run.
“Wesleyan played very well in the first 10 minutes, then our intensity and our ball pressure really wore them down,” head coach Drew Olson said.
The Bulldogs showed no signs of slowing down or relenting in the second half, beginning the next 20 minutes with a 19-5 run. By the time the dust had settled and the damage had been done, Concordia had netted 15 3-pointers on the night to go along with a 49 percent field goal shooting on the night.
“We made 15 threes and that’s a really nice sign,” Olson said. “I thought defensively we did a great job playing together in our press. Offensively we haven’t had it at times this year, but our defense has always been there.”
Mueller led the Bulldog attack with 19 points on the night, finishing 4-for-5 from 3-point land. Senior Tracy Peitz added 17 points while fellow senior Bailey Morris contributed 12 points and five rebounds. Redshirt freshman Laurel Krohn and sophomore Shelby Quinn came off the bench to add 11 points and seven assists respectively.
Though Olson was pleased with his team’s overall performance, he noted two athletes in particular who had strong performances.
“I thought Tracy played really well,” Olson said. “She’s been great her last two games. She picked up where she left off at Dordt. Her approach lately has been much better. She’s gotten her confidence back. Laurel did great things off the bench. She scored 11 points in 12 minutes. She took good shots. I hope we can keep getting that production off the bench from our guards.”
The Bulldogs turn around quickly and hit the road to take on York College (4-5) on Thursday. The opening tip is slated for 6:30 p.m. from the Freeman Center.