SEWARD, Neb. – The Bulldogs pushed around No. 13 Briar Cliff with defense and superior fourth-quarter shooting to route the visitors (89-70) on Saturday (Jan. 10). Ayla Roth and Raelyn Kelty led CUNE to a comfortable advantage as Sammy Leu crushed all hope of a comeback with 16 points in the final stanza. Each of the five starters hit double figures in the collective dominant victory.
Head Coach Drew Olson and company continue to climb with a four-game winning streak to 14-3 overall and an 8-2 GPAC performance.
“We were super excited to be back in the arena,” Assistant Coach Katherine Benes said. “Everyone contributed, which was awesome. It wasn’t just a one-man show. It was great Bulldog basketball. We are super excited. We feel like we are getting back to where we were at the beginning of the season with shooting, as we saw today. Everybody pitched in, and we couldn’t ask for anything better.”
At the 1:19 mark in the third, Roth (six) and Kelty (seven) went on a 13-2 scoring drive to bolster the Dawgs to a 15-point lead. Up 68-53, Sammy Leu came in with a haymaker knockout blow, scoring 16 of her 17 total points in the last seven minutes of play. Kelty delivered 10 points in the fourth and 19 total for her season high – just shy of her career (20). The Wahoo High alum, Leu, made life miserable swiping four steals as she continually closed passing lanes for the Chargers.
“Just turning up the pressure on defense,” Leu said. “Taking care of the ball, playing unselfish and finally seeing the ball go in. I think just encouragement from my teammates. Finally seeing the ball go in once, then it kept going in. Coach just really encouraged me on my defense. Like I said, we all have our roles, and that’s one of my bigger ones. Just turning up the pressure.”
The Bulldogs shot the lights out in the fourth frame at 69.2 (9-for-13) percent and 60.7 (17-for-28) percent in the second half. Big time showings came from the first five as Roth spurred on Concordia with 20 points and five boards. Veteran Kristin Vieselmeyer had a double-double filling the stat sheet with 11 points, 11 rebounds, three assists, two steals and two blocks. Bree Bunting was efficient with 13 points on 6-for-12 shooting.
The Bulldogs played looking to share the rock with 20 assists as the majority came from Leu (five), Bunting (four), Sara Harley (three), Kelty (three) and Vieselmeyer (three). Harley, a Millard North product, combined with Leu, Bunting, Roth and Libby Hoffman made it tough to see an open space on the floor, forcing 25 turnovers by Briar Cliff.
The Chargers (13-4, 7-4 GPAC) shot 37.9 (22-for-58) percent from the floor and rode the back of guard Mallie McNair’s 28 (11-for-12 FT) points to stay in the contest until the fourth. Freshman phenom Abby Lee tallied 16 points, nine rebounds and four steals.
Concordia (13-3, 8-2 GPAC) is set to battle against in-state rival Hastings (12-5, 8-3 GPAC) on Wednesday (Jan. 14). The Bulldogs will tip-off in Friedrich Arena at 6 p.m. CT on Wednesday.