SIOUX CITY, Iowa – It’s been an impressive opening week of conference play for the top-ranked Concordia University women’s basketball team. Fresh off a road win over Midland on Tuesday, the Bulldogs forced 42 more turnovers, pressed on the accelerator in the fourth quarter and cruised to a 99-71 win over Briar Cliff at the Newman Flanagan Center on Saturday afternoon (Nov. 10).
Thirteenth-year head coach Drew Olson’s program is no stranger to lengthy unbeaten runs to begin a season. The 2017-18 squad started out 24-0 before its first defeat. The latest Concordia edition is now 6-0 overall and 2-0 in conference play.
“I thought we could come out in the second half and put the hammer down, but Briar Cliff did a good job in that third quarter,” Olson said. “But then in the fourth quarter our kids really stepped up and played well defensively. We hit shots and really broke it open. We just have to stay disciplined and focused for all four quarters.”
After trailing 51-33 at the half, the Chargers (3-2, 0-2 GPAC) put together an 8-0 third quarter run that put them within 10 points (55-45). However, that was the closest Briar Cliff got after halftime. Taylor Cockerill drilled a trey for the final points of the third quarter, sparking a dominant performance over the final 10 minutes. During which, the Bulldogs outscored Briar Cliff 31-17 to effectively put the game on ice.
Concordia senior Quinn Wragge got that fourth quarter started with a bucket as part of her game high 19-point outing. She made 9-of-13 shots from the floor for a Bulldog team that shot 48.2 percent (40-for-83) overall. Once again, the offensive attack was fueled by a tenacious defensive approach led by junior point guard Grace Barry.
She’s the type of player that Concordia didn’t necessarily have on last season’s national runner up. Barry filled the stat sheet with 13 points, eight steals, six assists and four rebounds. She fits right in with the rest of the ‘gnats’ that have given opponents fits so far. Cockerill (14 points, four assists) and Philly Lammers (10 points, seven rebounds) also reached double figures in scoring. Off the bench, Delani Fahey and Taryn Schuette contributed nine points apiece.
It all added up to a quality road victory over a Briar Cliff outfit that already owns wins over No. 4 Saint Xavier University (Ill.) and No. 18 Olivet Nazarene University (Ill.).
“I think they’re much improved,” Olson said of the Chargers. “They’re a better team than they were last year. This was a good win. We just know that we have to keep getting better. To not put someone away was our learning lesson. When we’ve got somebody down by 18 at the half, you have to come out and start really well.”
When Briar Cliff took care of the ball, it did quite well offensively. It shot 47.8 percent (22-for-46) from the floor, 56.3 percent from long distance (9-for-16) and a perfect 18-for-18 from the foul line. The Chargers were paced in the scoring column by Faith Troshynski (15), Logan Ehlers (14) and Breanna Allen (12).
After a week on the road to begin GPAC play, the Bulldogs will be back home this coming week for a pair of clashes with nationally ranked opponents. Up first is Wednesday (Nov. 14)’s matchup with No. 13 Hastings (3-1, 2-0 GPAC). Tipoff is set for 6 p.m. CT from Walz Arena. Concordia has won five straight in the series with the Broncos.
SIOUX CITY, Iowa – It’s been an impressive opening week of conference play for the top-ranked Concordia University women’s basketball team. Fresh off a road win over Midland on Tuesday, the Bulldogs forced 42 more turnovers, pressed on the accelerator in the fourth quarter and cruised to a 99-71 win over Briar Cliff at the Newman Flanagan Center on Saturday afternoon (Nov. 10).
Thirteenth-year head coach Drew Olson’s program is no stranger to lengthy unbeaten runs to begin a season. The 2017-18 squad started out 24-0 before its first defeat. The latest Concordia edition is now 6-0 overall and 2-0 in conference play.
“I thought we could come out in the second half and put the hammer down, but Briar Cliff did a good job in that third quarter,” Olson said. “But then in the fourth quarter our kids really stepped up and played well defensively. We hit shots and really broke it open. We just have to stay disciplined and focused for all four quarters.”
After trailing 51-33 at the half, the Chargers (3-2, 0-2 GPAC) put together an 8-0 third quarter run that put them within 10 points (55-45). However, that was the closest Briar Cliff got after halftime. Taylor Cockerill drilled a trey for the final points of the third quarter, sparking a dominant performance over the final 10 minutes. During which, the Bulldogs outscored Briar Cliff 31-17 to effectively put the game on ice.
Concordia senior Quinn Wragge got that fourth quarter started with a bucket as part of her game high 19-point outing. She made 9-of-13 shots from the floor for a Bulldog team that shot 48.2 percent (40-for-83) overall. Once again, the offensive attack was fueled by a tenacious defensive approach led by junior point guard Grace Barry.
She’s the type of player that Concordia didn’t necessarily have on last season’s national runner up. Barry filled the stat sheet with 13 points, eight steals, six assists and four rebounds. She fits right in with the rest of the ‘gnats’ that have given opponents fits so far. Cockerill (14 points, four assists) and Philly Lammers (10 points, seven rebounds) also reached double figures in scoring. Off the bench, Delani Fahey and Taryn Schuette contributed nine points apiece.
It all added up to a quality road victory over a Briar Cliff outfit that already owns wins over No. 4 Saint Xavier University (Ill.) and No. 18 Olivet Nazarene University (Ill.).
“I think they’re much improved,” Olson said of the Chargers. “They’re a better team than they were last year. This was a good win. We just know that we have to keep getting better. To not put someone away was our learning lesson. When we’ve got somebody down by 18 at the half, you have to come out and start really well.”
When Briar Cliff took care of the ball, it did quite well offensively. It shot 47.8 percent (22-for-46) from the floor, 56.3 percent from long distance (9-for-16) and a perfect 18-for-18 from the foul line. The Chargers were paced in the scoring column by Faith Troshynski (15), Logan Ehlers (14) and Breanna Allen (12).
After a week on the road to begin GPAC play, the Bulldogs will be back home this coming week for a pair of clashes with nationally ranked opponents. Up first is Wednesday (Nov. 14)’s matchup with No. 13 Hastings (3-1, 2-0 GPAC). Tipoff is set for 6 p.m. CT from Walz Arena. Concordia has won five straight in the series with the Broncos.