2014-2015 Women's Basketball
35-3 Overall, 18-2 GPAC (2nd) - Season Stats
OCTOBER / NOVEMBER | |||||
| Oct. 31 | (17) Mayville State University (N.D.)  | Mayville, N.D. | W, 89-79 | ||
| Nov. 1 | (7) University of Jamestown (N.D.) | Jamestown, N.D. | W, 90-72 | ||
| Cattle Classic: Nov. 8-9 (also view Cattle Classic page for more tournament info): | |||||
| Nov. 7 | Doane vs. Valley City State | Seward, Neb. | 1 p.m. | ||
| Nov. 7 | vs. (6) St. Xavier University (Ill.) | Seward, Neb. | W, 81-64 | ||
| Nov. 8 | Doane vs. St. Xavier | Seward, Neb. | 9 a.m. | ||
| Nov. 8 | vs. Valley City State (N.D.) | Seward, Neb | W, 87-65 | ||
| Nov. 12 | * Mount Marty College | Yankton, S.D. | W, 63-59 | ||
| Nov. 15 | * (2) Morningside College | Seward, Neb. | L, 70-78 | ||
| Nov. 18 | Grace University University | Seward, Neb. | W, 102-31 | ||
| Nov. 22 | * Briar Cliff University | Seward, Neb. | W, 69-59 | ||
| Nov. 25 | * (5) Hastings College | Hastings, Neb. | W, 68-65 | ||
DECEMBER | |||||
| Dec. 3 | * (21) Doane College | Seward, Neb. | W, 62-54 | ||
| Dec. 6 | * Dordt College | Sioux Center, Iowa | W, 80-58 | ||
| Dec. 10 | * Nebraska Wesleyan University | Lincoln, Neb. | W, 103-62 | ||
| Dec. 11 | York College | York, Neb. | W, 112-45 | ||
| Dec. 13 | * Mount Marty College | Seward, Neb. | W, 92-61 | ||
| Dec. 19 | * Dakota Wesleyan University | Mitchell, S.D. | W, 100-70 | ||
| Dec. 30 | (9) Friends University (Kan.) | Seward, Neb. | W, 94-67 | ||
JANUARY | |||||
| Jan. 3 | * Dordt College | Seward, Neb. | W, 103-74 | ||
| Jan. 7 | * Midland University | Seward, Neb. | W, 79-59 | ||
| Jan. 10 | * Northwestern College | Seward, Neb. | W, 90-80 | ||
| Jan. 17 | * (25) Briar Cliff University | Sioux City, Iowa | W, 76-60 | ||
| Jan. 21 | * (17) Hastings College | Seward, Neb. | W, 82-75 | ||
| Jan. 28 | * Doane College | Crete, Neb. | W, 86-77 | ||
| Concordia Invitational Tournament: Jan. 30-31 (Times are EST) (view the CIT pages at CUNE for more information) WATCH LIVE | |||||
| Jan. 30 | CU-Chicago | Ann Arbor, Mich. | W, 102-66 | ||
| Jan. 31 | CU-Wisconsin | Ann Arbor, Mich. | W, 89-37 | ||
FEBRUARY | |||||
| Feb. 4 | * Nebraska Wesleyan University | Seward, Neb. | W, 73-42 | ||
| Feb. 7 | * Dakota Wesleyan University | Seward, Neb. | W, 76-71 | ||
| Feb. 11 | * Midland University | Fremont, Neb. | W, 105-66 | ||
| Feb. 14 | * Northwestern College | Orange City, Iowa | W, 83-57 | ||
| Feb. 18 | Grace University | Omaha, Neb. | W, 92-32 | ||
| Feb. 21 | * (1) Morningside College | Sioux City, Iowa | L, 76-77 | ||
| GPAC Tournament: Feb. 25, 28, March 3 | |||||
| Feb. 25 | Mount Marty College (Quarterfinals) | Seward, Neb. | W, 71-66 | ||
| Feb. 28 | (12) Hastings College (Semifinals) | Seward, Neb. | W, 67-60 | ||
| March 3 | (1) Morningside College (Championship) | Sioux City, Iowa | W, 80-72 | ||
MARCH | |||||
| NAIA National Tournament: March 11-17 -Watch Live - | |||||
| March 12 | Bryan College (Tenn.) (1st Rd) | Sioux City, Iowa | W, 76-35 | ||
| March 13 | (14) College of Saint Mary (2nd Rd) | Sioux City, Iowa | W, 92-82 | ||
| March 14 | (10) University of Jamestown (N.D.) (Quarterfinals) | Sioux City, Iowa | W, 76-59 | ||
| March 16 | (19) Briar Cliff University (Semifinals) | Sioux City, Iowa | W, 72-62 | ||
| March 17 | (1) Morningside College (Championship) | Sioux City, Iowa | L, 57-59 | ||
*Indicates Great Plains Athletic Conference Games
All Home Games in BOLD
2014-15 Bulldog Women's Basketball
Varsity Roster
| No. | Name | Pos. | Ht. | Yr. | Hometown | Previous School |
| 10 | Devin Edwards | G | 5-6 | So. | Lincoln, Neb. | Lincoln Northeast |
| 12 | Bailey Morris | G | 5-4 | Sr. | Clay Center, Neb. | Sandy Creek |
| 14 | Tracy Peitz | F | 5-11 | Sr. | Hartington, Neb. | Hartington Cedar Catholic |
| 20 | Mary Janovich | G | 5-7 | Fr. | Gretna, Neb. | Gretna |
| 22 | Brenleigh Daum | G | 5-9 | Fr. | McCook, Neb. | McCook |
| 24 | Kelsey Hizer | G | 5-10 | Sr. | Parker, Colo. | Parker Lutheran |
| 30 | Shelby Quinn | G | 5-5 | So. | Bellevue, Neb. | Bellevue East |
| 32 | Jade Gottier | G | 5-9 | Fr. | Albion, Neb. | Boone Central |
| 34 | Becky Mueller | F | 5-10 | So. | Elkhorn, Neb. | Omaha Concordia |
| 40 | Jenna Lehmann | F | 6-2 | Jr. | Albion, Neb. | Boone Central |
| 42 | Jericca Pearson | F | 5-11 | Sr. | Gibbon, Neb. | Gibbon |
| 44 | Alayna Daberkow | F | 6-0 | So. | Madison, Neb. | Madison |
| 50 | Rachel Royuk | G | 5-6 | Sr. | Seward, Neb. | Lincoln Lutheran |
| 52 | Laurel Krohn | G | 5-6 | RS-Fr. | Osmond, Neb. | Osmond |
| 54 | Ashley Kuntz | F | 5-10 | Sr. | Blair, Neb. | Omaha Concordia |
| Aubri Bro | G | 6-0 | So. | Papillion, Neb. | Omaha Concordia |
Women’s basketball slotted second in league preseason poll
SEWARD, Neb. – After earning a four-way share of first in the conference last season (second GPAC regular-season title in three seasons), the high-powered Concordia University women’s basketball program has been pegged in a tie for second in the league’s 2014-15 preseason coaches’ poll. The Bulldogs picked up 87 points and two first-place votes to equal Hastings. Morningside topped the poll with 97 points and seven first-place nods.
A top-two placement in the GPAC almost assures that ninth-year head coach Drew Olson’s squad will enter the season inside the nation’s top 10. The first national poll will be released on Oct. 28. But it’s not like lofty expectations are anything new for Bulldog women’s basketball.
“It’s hard if you have those expectations and you let them burden you,” Olson said. “We don’t really think about them once the season starts going. It’s cliché, but we take one game at a time and keep our focus on the next step. We don’t think of it as a burden. We want to have fun and we want those expectations. We want to embrace them and take on the challenge. I don’t think it hurts us at all.”
With All-Americans Bailey Morris (GPAC player of the year) and Tracy Peitz returning as part of a deep and experienced senior class, Concordia will shoot for the top at both the conference and national level. Morris took off as a junior in one of the best seasons ever for a Bulldog women’s basketball player. After two-first round exits in a row at the national tournament, Olson and company have designs on a longer stay in Sioux City, Iowa, at the end of this season.
2014-15 GPAC Women’s Basketball Preseason Coaches’ Poll
1. Morningside – 97 points (7 first-place votes)
T2. Concordia – 87 (2)
T2. Hastings – 87 (2)
4. Northwestern – 73
5. Midland – 60
6. Briar Cliff – 50
7. Doane – 43
8. Dakota Wesleyan – 39
9. Mount Marty – 32
10. Dordt – 27
11. Nebraska Wesleyan – 10
Season preview: 2014-15 women’s basketball
By Jake Knabel, Director of Athletic Communications
At a glance:
2013-14 Record: 25-8 overall, 16-4 GPAC (T-1st)
Head Coach: Drew Olson (191-75, 8 years; 6 National Tournament appearances; 2 GPAC regular-season titles)
Returning Starters: Kelsey Hizer (Sr.), Bailey Morris (Sr.), Becky Mueller (So.), Jericca Pearson (Sr.), Tracy Peitz (Sr.)
Other Key Returners: Devin Edwards (So.), Ashley Kuntz (Sr.), Jenna Lehmann (Jr.), Shelby Quinn (So.)
Key Newcomers: Jade Gottier, Mary Janovich
Key Losses: Britney Birtell, Kristin Conahan, Lori Laboda
2013-14 GPAC All-Conference: Bailey Morris (player of the year; first team), Tracy Peitz (first team), Kristen Conahan (honorable mention), Kelsey Hizer (honorable mention), Becky Mueller (honorable mention), Jericca Pearson (honorable mention)
2013-14 NAIA All-America: Bailey Morris (first team), Tracy Peitz (third team)
Outlook
The last two seasons have brought 50 combined wins and another GPAC regular-season title, but also two early exits at the national tournament. That does not sit well with an experienced senior class headlined by 2013-14 All-Americans Bailey Morris (first team) and Tracy Peitz (third team). Both understand what it takes to make a deep March run having been part of the national semifinalist 2011-12 squad.
Morris and Peitz made for a dynamic duo in leading last year’s team to a late season eight-game winning streak despite a rash of injuries that sidelined two-time All-American Kristen Conahan and a critical piece in the post in Jericca Pearson.
“There was a successful part of the season, but then we ended sooner than what we wanted,” ninth-year head coach Drew Olson said. “I think that really motivated a lot of our kids for this season. The program has high expectations every year. Losing in the first round of the national tournament makes them want another chance and make sure we don’t do that again.”
While Conahan has graduated, Pearson returns along with four others with extensive starting experience. But there’s no doubt who makes this team go. Morris broke the program single-game scoring record with 45 points as part of a signature performance in an 89-78 win over No. 3 Northwestern on Feb. 15. That game helped propel her to GPAC player of the year honors in one of the greatest seasons ever for a Bulldog women’s basketball player.
The 5-foot-4 point guard has spent the offseason honing her skills on the defensive end while also focusing on cutting down on turnovers. It’s hard to imagine a season much better than the one Morris had as a junior, but Olson won’t be surprised if it works out that way.
“She’s going to be a different player,” Olson said. “There are going to be times when we expect her to score, but with the players we’ve brought in and the improvement of the players returning, I don’t think she’ll be relied upon to have a 45-point performance. She has that in her. I think her contribution – the change in her game – is just making everybody better on our team and distributing the ball really well. I think the other thing she wants to be is a better defender this year and be looked at as a great defender.”
Morris’ desire to be the best is undeniable, but she’d rather talk about what this season might bring from a team perspective. The early returns from practice have been overwhelmingly positive. Morris has a difficult time containing her excitement for what lies ahead.
“We always have high expectations, but with this group especially,” Morris said. “The things I see our team doing in practice as a whole, I just know that this is a special group. I can’t wait to see some of the things we’re going to do this season. Most of all, I just want us to reach our potential. Obviously we have a lot of potential so our expectations are even higher. I believe strongly in this group. I know that everyone on this team is willing to work hard and do whatever it takes and to sacrifice for the team.”
Morris topped Concordia last season with averages of 19.3 points and 4.1 assists per game. Meanwhile, Peitz set career highs across the board, averaging 13.8 points and a team high 6.1 rebounds. Pearson was also enjoying a career year until tearing her ACL in game No. 15.
Kelsey Hizer represents the other key piece of a senior class that could account for all five spots on the floor at times during this season. Olson, who needs five victories to surpass Carl Everts (195 wins) as the winningest coach in program history, gushes about his group of fourth-year players.
“It’s an awesome class. I’ve never had any class like this,” Olson said. “You go back to the 2005 year where they had seven seniors and look at the success they had. I think this class is very similar. They’ve been to the national tournament all three years. They have a final four appearance. They’ve got two conference titles. It’s really an impressive résumé. Hopefully they can continue to build on it this year.”
One key to adding to that résumé is the continued blossoming of Peitz, last season’s GPAC defensive player of the year. Olson sees potential for the 5-foot-11 forward to become an even bigger star.
“Tracy’s one of the scariest players in the conference just because of her versatility and athleticism,” Olson said. “She can guard any position. I think she’s really expanded her game this summer to be more of an offensive player. I just wish she would realize how great of a player she is. If she can figure out how good she is, there’s going to be a breakthrough like what Bailey has realized.”
Last season the Bulldogs also broke in several freshmen such as Becky Mueller, Shelby Quinn and Devin Edwards. Mueller was one of only two players to start every game. She provides an outside shooting presence and appears even more confident, according to Olson, heading into her sophomore campaign. She averaged 11.4 points and shot 41.0 percent from 3-point range in her first collegiate season.
Like Mueller, Gretna High School product and first team all-state selection Mary Janovich will have a shot to start from day one. Janovich brings plenty of speed and quickness and an advanced defensive game. Former Boone Central High School star Jade Gottier is also a key member of the class of freshmen. Both figure to get plenty of minutes.
“They add a lot of potential – great athleticism,” Olson said. “They’re different players. Mary is a little bit more defensive-minded and she’s going to score without really needing plays called for her. She’s a great defender. Jade’s a little bit more offensive-minded. She’s a great attacker with the ball – great passer, great vision.”
In terms of depth, this Bulldog squad might even rival the 2011-12 team that went 34-3. With better fortune health-wise, Morris won’t have to go through a stretch of playing 36 or more minutes in eight of 12 games as she did last season.
“It’s going to be great,” Morris said. “If no injuries happen, this is the deepest team I think we’ve had since my freshman year – if not deeper. We can sub five in, five out and there’s no change in our press or energy level. Everybody’s just going hard all the time and everybody’s got highly-developed skills. We mesh well together. Coach Olson can throw any five on the court and you know it’s going to work.”
Morris and company will get an idea early on about where they stand. Concordia begins the season against three-straight opponents that reached the national tournament last season. That will lead into the GPAC grind, which appears to be as brutal as usual.
Last season Concordia shared the GPAC regular-season crown with perennial powers Hastings, Morningside and Northwestern. Olson does not expect any drop off for any of those teams.
“It’s going to be really difficult,” Olson said. “With those three teams – Hastings loses a lot, Northwestern loses a lot. I don’t see them missing a beat. Everybody counts out Northwestern every year after they lose one of their key players, but you just know somebody’s going to step up. They have great coaching on both staffs. Then Morningside’s a beast. They return a ton. They bring in a ton. Jamie Sale’s a great coach and they’re going to be really good.”
The same will be expected of Concordia, built around its senior nucleus. This season it’s not just about getting back to Sioux City. It’s about what happens there.
Says Morris, “I can’t wait to see what happens this year.”
Olson’s squad opens the season Friday, Oct. 31 when it plays at Mayville State University (N.D.) at 7 p.m. The Bulldogs also take on the University of Jamestown (N.D.) on the road the following day.
Bulldogs land familiar top-10 preseason national ranking
NAIA Division II WBB top 25 poll
SEWARD, Neb. – Until checking in at No. 13 in last season’s postseason poll, the Concordia University women’s basketball program enjoyed a streak of 37-straight top-10 national ratings. Head coach Drew Olson’s Bulldogs are back in the nation’s top 10 with the release Tuesday of the NAIA Division II Women’s Basketball Coaches’ Preseason Top 25 Poll that places Concordia at No. 9.
Tuesday’s announcement marks the 40th-consecutive NAIA Division II poll that has included the Bulldogs, who have been part of every ranking since the beginning of the 2011-12 season. The senior class, led by All-Americans Bailey Morris and Tracy Peitz, has played for a ranked Concordia squad in every game since arriving in Seward. During that stretch, Concordia has held down a top-five spot in 18 rankings, including four-straight No. 1 appearances to begin the 2012-13 season.
In Olson’s first eight seasons, Concordia has finished inside the top 25 five times, including four top-10 final rankings. The team’s highest final ranking under Olson was a No. 3 spot following a 34-3 record and national semifinal appearance in 2011-12. This year marks the seventh-straight that the Bulldogs have appeared in the preseason top 25 poll.
All-time, Concordia has been ranked No. 1 a total of 13 times. The 2002-03 squad, coached by Todd Voss and recently inducted into the school’s hall of fame, spent nine-straight polls at No. 1 from Jan. 7 through the end of the season.
In the GPAC preseason coaches’ poll released on Oct. 21, the Bulldogs were picked to tie Hastings for second behind league favorite Morningside. In the national poll released Tuesday, four GPAC teams received top 25 mention: No. 2 Morningside, No. 5 Hastings, No. 9 Concordia and No. 15 Northwestern. Both Midland and Briar Cliff were listed under “others receiving votes.”
Preseason top 25 rankings under Olson
2014-15: 9
2013-14: 5
2012-13: 1
2011-12: 22
2010-11: 11
2009-10: 22
2008-09: 7
2007-08: NR
2006-07: NR
Final end of season top 25 rankings under Olson
2014-15: ?
2013-14: 13
2012-13: 9
2011-12: 3
2010-11: NR
2009-10: NR
2008-09: 8
2007-08: 10
2006-07: NR
Bulldogs cruise in season opener at No. 17 Mayville State
MAYVILLE, N.D. – Following the lead of senior Tracy Peitz, the ninth-ranked Concordia women’s basketball team raced out to a 13-0 advantage on the way to a season-opening 89-79 win at No. 17 Mayville State University on Friday night. Concordia’s frenetic pace resulted in 40 Comet turnovers to fuel the comfortable victory.
Ninth-year head coach Drew Olson’s Bulldogs won their season opener for the fourth-straight season.
“Defensively we were really good,” Olson said. “We were really in tune. They had some freshmen guards that probably weren’t used to that kind of pressure. We were able to turn them over a lot, which is a good thing. We were just as bad on the other end. We can’t do that tomorrow (at Jamestown) against a team with more experienced guards.”
Peitz, a third team All-American last season, exploded for nine of her team high 20 points in the game’s opening 13-0 splurge. She also added six rebounds, four steals and four assists for a Bulldog squad that picked up its first road win over a ranked team since an 80-72 win at No. 12 Briar Cliff on Nov. 23 of last season.
But the story of the night was Concordia’s relentless pressure defense. The Bulldogs showed off their increased depth, playing all 14 players that made the trip to North Dakota. Ten of those individuals collected at least one steal, led by reigning GPAC player of the year Bailey Morris and her five thefts.
While Peitz dominated early on, freshman Mary Janovich sparkled in her collegiate debut. She went for 12 of her 18 points in the second half. As good as the Gretna native’s play was on the offensive end, her work wreaking havoc on the Comet backcourt stood out even more.
“Mary was a menace defensively,” Olson said. “She was forcing them into some tough passes that led to steals for other players. Offensively, she knocked down shots. She played very efficiently.”
Leading 50-33 at the half, the Bulldogs ballooned the lead to as large as 29 points with another big spurt to begin the second half. Concordia blitzed Mayville State (1-1) with a 22-10 run that made it 72-43 after freshman Brenleigh Daum’s triple with 14:42 left in the contest.
Daum, who Olson says has taken off lately in practice, finished with 10 points on 4-for-6 shooting. The talented freshman trio of Daum, Janovich and Jade Gottier (five points) combined for 33 points. Said Olson of the three rookies: “They were awesome.”
Those contributions were big on a night when Concordia committed 33 turnovers of its own. Morris and Peitz uncharacteristically combined for 16 giveaways. Olson believes the fix is simple.
“Both Tracy and Bailey were almost too passive,” Olson said. “Most of our turnovers happened when we were trying to make an extra pass. We have to be more aggressive and take those opportunities.”
Two other Bulldogs reached double figures in scoring in addition to Daum, Janovich and Peitz. Morris posted 13 points to go along with seven assists and three rebounds. Jericca Pearson, making her return from an ACL tear she suffered in the middle of last season, came off the bench to post 10 points and four boards. Senior Kelsey Hizer equaled Peitz’s four steals.
Mayville State, a member of the North Star Athletic Association and 2014 national tournament qualifier, got as close as nine points in the final minute. The Comets actually ended the game on a 22-6 run spearheaded by Liza Hoglo, who poured in a game high 27 points on 8-for-14 shooting.
Concordia shot 47.1 percent compared to 44.8 percent shooting for Mayville State. The Comets won their season opener a week earlier, defeating Brandon University, 92-80, in Mayville.
The Bulldogs face another stiff test on Saturday when they remain in North Dakota to take on seventh-ranked Jamestown (N.D.) at 1 p.m. The Jimmies are off to a 2-1 start. Last season Jamestown defeated Concordia, 77-74, inside Walz Arena in a game played on Nov. 8, 2014.
Suffocating defense drives 90-72 win at No. 7 Jamestown
JAMESTOWN, N.D. – The ninth-ranked Concordia University women’s basketball team completed an impressive weekend in North Dakota by pulling away from No. 7 University of Jamestown, 90-72, on Saturday. The Bulldogs also defeated 17th-ranked Mayville State University on Friday, giving them road wins over ranked opponents on consecutive days to open the 2014-15 season.
A day after forcing 40 turnovers at Mayville State, head coach Drew Olson’s squad pestered the Jimmies into 35 turnovers. That led to a 42-16 Concordia advantage in points off turnovers.
“It’s a little different style defensively,” Olson said. “We’re a lot more aggressive and really anticipating passes. The freshmen have given us more depth and athleticism. Just having everyone healthy is big. We didn’t have the numbers last year to keep up that kind of pressure.”
Jamestown actually trailed by just two, 68-66, with 4:28 left after a pair of free throws by Kaeli Kraska. Concordia then punished the Jimmies with a 22-6 spurt to put the game out of reach. Sophomore Alayna Daberkow grew up during that stretch as she filled the stat sheet with five points, four rebounds, three steals and a block over the final four-and-a-half minutes alone.
Daberkow finished with 12 points and eight rebounds while going 3-for-3 from the field and 6-for-7 from the free throw line. It was the best outing in the young career of the Madison, Neb., native.
“Alayna just dominated for about a five-minute stretch,” Olson said. “She was coming up with rebounds and knocking down free throws. She was awesome.”
A great defensive effort got even nastier in crunch time as the Bulldogs held Jamestown to only two made field goals over the final five minutes. Concordia frustrated Jessica Beck, who was coming off a 32-point game in the Jimmies’ 90-77 loss to the University of Winnipeg, into 2-for-8 shooting and six turnovers.
On the offensive end, electrifying point guard Bailey Morris led a group of five Bulldog double-figure scorers with 22 points – 16 of which came in a big second-half performance. Sophomore wing Becky Mueller emerged as a big reason for Concordia’s 37-30 halftime lead. Mueller drained 13 first-half points and finished with 21 while knocking down 5 of 6 shots from 3-point range and grabbing eight rebounds.
Kelsey Hizer came up with 14 points and three rebounds. Hizer converted on a big three-point play late in the game as part of Concordia’s game-finishing run. Fellow senior Tracy Peitz posted 10 points, seven boards and three steals.
Jordan Bridges came off the bench to top Jamestown with 13 points and 13 rebounds. The perennially powerful Jimmies are a member of the North Star Athletic Association. Last season head coach Greg Ulland’s squad went 27-4 overall.
The scary thing about Concordia’s start – it hasn’t come close to reaching its peak and still has two road victories over top-20 teams to begin a season with a great deal of promise.
“We can get a lot better,” Olson said. “We’ve got a lot to work on. We’re definitely happy to get two wins on the road. I thought Becky, Alayna and Brenleigh (Daum) were highlights for us this weekend. Bailey was solid and Kelsey was phenomenal today. She did all the little things for us.”
The Bulldogs will play host for the first time this season when the 15th annual Cattle Classic tips off on Friday, Nov. 7. Concordia will challenge No. 6 Saint Xavier University on Friday and then Valley City State University the following day as part of the four-team invite set to be played inside Walz Arena.
Pressure D powers No. 9 Concordia to third-straight win over top-20 opponent
SEWARD, Neb. – After a slow opening few minutes, the ninth-ranked Concordia University women’s basketball team turned on the jets, ambushing No. 6 Saint Xavier University (Ill.), 81-64, inside Walz Arena on Friday night. The visiting Cougars had entered the 15th annual classic with a 2-0 record that included a road win over top-ranked Saint Francis University (Ind.) to begin the season.
By claiming victory in its home opener, head coach Drew Olson’s squad rattled off its third-straight win over a top-20 opponent to ring in the 2014-15 season.
“Both teams played really well,” Olson said. “I give a lot of credit to them. They carved us up with their press early on. We had to adjust and change some things. Our kids did a nice job of switching defenses.
“Our depth is one of our strengths. Saint Xavier is a really nice team. Their starting five is very good. No. 10 (Morgan) Stuut is one of the best players in the country. I thought Kelsey Hizer and Tracy Peitz did a very nice job of bothering her.”
With Becky Mueller missing Friday’s contest due to injury, senior Jericca Pearson stepped into the starting lineup and played big inside (18 points and 11 rebounds). She teamed with Bailey Morris (21 points, three steals), Tracy Peitz (14 points, three steals) and Brenleigh Daum (11 points) to give Concordia four double-figure scorers as part of another balanced offensive attack.
But it’s that dogged defense that continues to drive opponents crazy. Concordia held two-time All-American and reigning Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference player of the year Morgan Stuut to 16 points on 6-for-21 shooting. The Bulldogs forced 20 Saint Francis turnovers while holding the Cougars to 30.6 percent shooting.
“Our goal is to get up in everybody’s face and not let them through the middle to get stops,” Pearson said. “That’s what we kept doing. If we didn’t get it done in the backcourt, we got it done in the halfcourt. It just worked really well for us today.”
Even in the midst of a prolonged run, Concordia had to shake off a plague of turnovers. The Bulldogs committed 14 turnovers in the first half and then 10 more in the second half as part of a fast-paced affair.
Though Concordia may have taken risks by at times playing in too much of a rush, its flair also produced several highlight-reel plays. Morris dropped five dimes, including a look-away dish to Kelsey Hizer that made it 58-42 Bulldogs with 10:45 left.
After falling behind 12-5 in the opening four-plus minutes, Concordia’s defense dug in, and on the other end, Morris nailed a pair of triples and Devin Edwards added one during the spurt that spanned just over four minutes.
Pearson, a native of Gibbon, Neb., did her best work in the second half when she totaled 11 points and eight rebounds. She put up seven points over the final 4:06 to help Concordia maintain a double-digit lead. Off the bench Daum, a freshman from McCook, Neb., again provided scoring punch. She went 8-for-8 from the free throw line.
“Brenleigh is a pure scorer,” Olson said. “She knows that she’s coming into fire away and she’s doing that really well.”
The 5-foot-4 Morris sparked one of the loudest crowd eruptions when she rejected 6-foot Caitlin McMahon early in the second half. That block doubled Morris’ career total.
The Cougars had five players post 10 points or more, led by Stuut’s 16. McMahon registered a double-double with 13 points and 11 rebounds.
Concordia has defeated three ranked opponents already: No. 6 Saint Xavier, No. 9 Jamestown and No. 17 Mayville State.
“It’s preparing us for the national tournament and preparing us for the conference season,” Pearson said. “We want to take one game at a time. We’re going to continue to play hard and we’re not going to let down.”
The Bulldogs conclude the Cattle Classic on Saturday when they host Valley City State University (N.D.) at 1 p.m. The Vikings defeated Doane, 66-49, in the opening game of the classic on Friday.
No. 9 Concordia continues feast on turnovers in perfect Cattle Classic weekend
By Leah Eklof
SEWARD, Neb. – The ninth-ranked Concordia University women’s basketball team continued its early-season roll by defeating Valley City State University, 87-65, on Saturday afternoon. The Bulldogs hosted the Vikings in Walz Arena on Saturday for the final women’s game of the 15th annual Cattle Classic tournament. The Vikings had previously been undefeated with a record of 2-0 in their season before meeting the Bulldogs.
Four Bulldogs reached double-figures in points to help build and then maintain a significant lead over Valley City State. Bailey Morris led the way with 18 points and five assists while Brenleigh Daum scored 16 points and dished out four assists off the bench. Senior Tracy Peitz (14 points) and freshman Jade Gottier (10 points) were also key factors. As a freshman, Daum had another great night in helping the Bulldogs to victory.
“Coming in, I wasn’t quite sure if Coach was going to have me play JV or varsity, but he ended up letting me go with the varsity squad,” Daum said. “He’s told me that I’m a shooter and my role is to go in and score for us, so I’ve just been trying to fulfill that role.”
Daum and the Bulldogs had the Vikings buried in a 55-27 hole at halftime. Valley City State struggled to handle Concordia’s press, committing 21 turnovers and shooting just 31.8 percent over the game’s first 20 minutes. Morris had four steals and Daum added three as part of another pesky defensive effort.
With the win over Valley City State as well as three over ranked opponents, Concordia improves its record to 4-0 at the end of the Cattle Classic.
“When you look at the schedule at the start of the year, you wouldn’t really imagine we would be 4-0,” head coach Drew Olson said. “I was really confident in our team. I know the team that we have is very good. We have players with great experience so I wasn’t really too worried, but I am really happy to start 4-0. Especially when three of them are ranked and two were on the road, so hopefully this is just a good stepping stone.”
When asked if she had any idea what to expect for her first conference game Daum states, “No, I really don’t as a freshman, but I know we’re just going to go in like we have been and play hard.”
The victory also pushed Drew Olson’s career record to 195-75, tying him with Carl Everts for the most coaching wins in Concordia women’s basketball history.
Next up, the Bulldogs hit the road for Yankton, S.D., to play against Mount Mary College in their first GPAC game of the season. Tipoff is slated for 6 p.m.
2014 All-Cattle Classic Team
F - Hannah Dostal, Doane College
F - Morgan Stuut, Saint Xavier University
F - Tracy Peitz, Concordia University
G - Bailey Morris, Concordia University
G - Georgia Williams, Valley City State University
Olson becomes program’s winningest coach as Bulldogs grind out road victory
By Taylor Mueller, Athletic Communications Assistant
YANKTON, S.D. – Even if it was not always pretty, it was a special night for ninth-year head coach Drew Olson.
After a rough first half start, the Bulldogs were able to pull together and garner not only their fifth win of the season, but Olson’s 196th career victory as the Concordia head coach. With the win, Olson passed Carl Everts to become the winningest Concordia women’s basketball coach in school history. Concordia’s 63-59 decision moved the team to 5-0, 1-0 GPAC, as they notched their seventh-straight victory over Mount Marty.
The victory was certainly not a given from the opening tip, however, as the Bulldogs found themselves in a slugfest with the host Lancers.
Both teams struggled to find the bottom of the net early, as Concordia managed just a 21-percent field goal percentage. After missing the previous two games due to injury, it was sophomore Becky Mueller who provided much of the heavy lifting early on, scoring seven points to equate for nearly a third of the team’s first half points. All-Americans and Bailey Morris and Tracy Peitz combined for just one point in the first half, as the Bulldogs headed into the locker room clinging to a 22-19 lead.
“We started very stressed and tense for some reason,” Olson said. “There wasn’t a lot of flow to the game. Once we settled down and played more loose, especially in the second half, it started to get back closer to normal. It still wasn’t great basketball, but we’ll take the road win.”
The Lancers were not going to spoil Olson’s record setting day if Morris had anything to say about it.
Morris did not stay quiet for long, scoring on a layup to answer an early Mount Marty bucket as the second half began. The basket began a 15-point second half performance and would be all she needed to get back in the zone as she knocked in consecutive 3-point buckets with 17:18 left to play.
“Bailey was the difference,” Olson said. “Every time Mount Marty would get close, she made a big play. She would hit a three or make a drive.”
Peitz was finally able to get on the board as well when she dropped her first bucket with 12:59 remaining to put the Bulldogs up 42-39.
Concordia gradually began to extend its lead, increasing it by as much as 12 points in the second half. A late Mount Marty run made things interesting down the home stretch, but it was not enough as Concordia stifled any hopes of a comeback.
“Defensively, we did a great job,” Olson said. “We were getting them to play out of rhythm. Mount Marty’s great at the dribble drive and we were not allowing them in the lane. It wasn’t typical Concordia pressure causing turnovers, but we were happy to get them out of rhythm.”
Morris led all scorers in the game with 16 total points to go along with a team high seven assists. However, it wasn’t all offense for the 5-foot-4 reigning GPAC player of the year as she remained active on the defensive end of the court by hauling in six boards, collecting two blocks and swiping three steals. Mueller pitched in with 13 points while Peitz made her defensive presence known with two blocks. Senior Kelsey Hizer led the team with seven rebounds.
As Olson headed to the locker room after the game, he was met by an ecstatic women’s basketball team who greeted him with congratulatory signs and a refreshing Gatorade bottle shower.
“I’m very blessed to have had so many great players and so many fun kids to coach,” Olson said.
Olson’s Bulldogs now prepare for a showdown as they host second-ranked Morningside on Saturday at 2 p.m.
Olson leaps to top of Concordia women’s basketball coaching wins list
SEWARD, Neb. – With Wednesday’s 63-59 win at Mount Marty, Drew Olson surpassed Carl Everts as the winningest coach in the history of Concordia women’s basketball. Now in his ninth season at the helm of the program, Olson owns an overall record of 196-75 (.723). The 2012 GPAC coach of the year has guided the Bulldogs to two regular-season conference championships, a GPAC tournament title, six national tournament appearances and a trip to the national semifinals in 2012.
In his first eight years, Olson has averaged nearly 24 wins per season while leading Concordia to five years of 25 or more victories. His 2011-12 squad went 34-3 overall, won GPAC regular season and tournament titles and went to the final four of the national tournament. During Olson’s tenure, the Bulldogs have risen as high as No. 1 in the national poll and have placed in the final top 10 four times. The program has an active streak of 40-straight top-25 appearances.
“I’m very blessed to have had so many great players and so many fun kids to coach,” Olson said after Wednesday night’s victory.
In terms of winning percentage, Olson ranks second only to Todd Voss, who went 108-32 over four seasons as head coach from 2002-06. Olson is the only Bulldog women’s basketball coach to reach 100 GPAC victories. He currently sports a conference record of 105-47.
A 2003 Concordia graduate, Olson starred for three seasons while playing point guard for head coach Grant Schmidt. The Omaha native piled up 1,123 points and powered the Bulldogs to two national tournament appearances. Olson went on to serve three seasons as an assistant men’s basketball coach at Bellevue University before taking over the Concordia’s women’s basketball program.
Schmidt remains Concordia’s winningest basketball coach when factoring in both the men’s and women’s programs. Schmidt went 445-276 (.617) over 23 years as Bulldog head men’s basketball coach.
Concordia women’s basketball winningest coaches
1. Drew Olson (2006-- ) – 196-75 (.723)
2. Carl Everts (1981-92) – 195-127 (.606)
3. Mark Lemke (1992-98) – 119-63 (.654)
4. Todd Voss (2002-06) – 108-32 (.771)
5. Micah Parker (1998-02) – 80-41 (.661)
Ninth-ranked Women’s basketball hosts No. 2 Morningside in top-10 clash
SEWARD, Neb. – Two perennial league powers that tied for last season’s regular-season GPAC championship square off on Saturday as the ninth-ranked Concordia University women’s basketball team hosts No. 2 Morningside, the league’s preseason favorite. The pair of undefeated squads will tip off at 2 p.m. inside Walz Arena.
Head coach Drew Olson’s Bulldogs are off to a 5-0 start that includes three victories over teams ranked inside the top 20. Concordia has already won three times away from home. In its latest outing, Bailey Morris and company held off a late Mount Marty rally as the Bulldogs opened the GPAC slate with a 63-59 victory.
Morris, who scored 15 of her 16 points in the second half at Mount Marty, tops Concordia in scoring (18.0), assists (5.4) and steals (4.0). The 2013-14 GPAC player of the year has been an even bigger pest on the defensive end this season and is a catalyst for a Bulldog squad that ranks second among all NAIA Division II teams with an average of 17.8 steals per contest.
Of course there is plenty of depth to support the All-American point guard. Sophomore Becky Mueller has nailed eight of her first 13 attempts from beyond the arc and senior Tracy Peitz, last year’s GPAC defensive player of the year, has chipped in 12.8 points and 5.0 rebounds per game. Fellow seniors Kelsey Hizer (6.2 ppg, 4.4 rpg) and Jericca Pearson (7.2 ppg, 5.0 rpg) are important role players.
In terms of national rankings, Concordia checks in at No. 6 in turnover margin (plus-8.0), 21st in scoring (82.0), 31st in blocks per game (3.6), 31st in scoring margin (plus-14.2) and 35th in 3-point field goals per game (6.8).
The Bulldogs have reason to like their depth, and so does Morningside. Fourteenth-year head coach Jamie Sale has 10 players averaging five or more points per game. Only sophomore Taylor Bahensky (10.8 ppg) averages more than 10 points for a Mustang squad that has put up almost 80 points per contest through six games.
Morningside presents potential matchup problems for Concordia with the frontcourt duo of 6-foot-2 junior Jessica Tietz (8.2 ppg, 4.5 rpg) and 6-foot senior Ashlynn Muhl (7.3 ppg, 6.8 rpg). The Mustangs also have a standout freshman guard in Bellevue, Neb., native Madison Braun (9.7 ppg), who scored 17 points in a 73-45 win over Clarke University.
Prior to last season’s 86-77 Morningside win over Concordia in Sioux City, Iowa, on Feb. 22, the Bulldogs had won five-straight meetings with the Mustangs. That stretch included a 90-82 overtime victory for Concordia on Nov. 16 in the 2013-14 conference opener. Senior Kristen Conahan went 8-for-14 from 3-point range on the way to a 28-point performance.
The Bulldogs and Mustangs are two of 20 remaining unbeaten teams in NAIA Division II women’s basketball.
Morris, Peitz chasing milestone point totals
Bailey Morris enters the weekend 21 points shy of 1,500 for her career. In the history of Concordia women’s basketball, eight players have reached the 1,500-point plateau. A total of 22 have eclipsed the 1,000-point mark that Tracy Peitz continues to chase down. The native of Hartington, Neb., sits at 913 points over 105 career games. Last season she averaged a career best 13.8 points. The program’s all-time leading scorer is Sarah Harrison (2001-05), who posted 1,800 career points.
Inexperienced Bulldogs make big strides
One key to Concordia’s increased depth this season has been the rise of three freshman as well as sophomore Alayna Daberkow. Freshman Mary Janovich (6.8 ppg, 1.5 spg) has started four of the first five games and fellow rookie Brenleigh Daum ranks fourth on the team with an average of 9.4 points per game. Meanwhile, Daberkow has become one of the team’s top producers off the bench. She is averaging 6.4 points and 5.0 rebounds. She put up career highs of 12 points and eight rebounds in the 90-72 win at No. 7 Jamestown on Nov. 1. In addition, freshman Jade Gottier has played 11.2 minutes per game off the bench.
No. 2 Morningside sends ninth-ranked Bulldogs to first defeat
SEWARD, Neb. – The ninth-ranked Concordia University women’s basketball team was up to its old tricks on Saturday afternoon, forcing 22 Morningside turnovers in the first half. However, the Bulldogs were unable to overcome a 43-23 disadvantage on the boards and fell, 78-70, to the second-ranked Mustangs in a battle of top 10 NAIA Division II teams.
Concordia and Morningside (7-0, 1-0 GPAC) entered Saturday’s showdown as two of 20 remaining undefeated teams in the nation. The Bulldogs (5-1, 1-1 GPAC) came up short in their attempt to record their fourth win over a top-20 rated opponent.
“It’s frustrating because I felt like we controlled the tempo most of the game, especially in the first half,” ninth-year head coach Drew Olson said. “We were forcing the action and causing turnovers. We had control up 10 with two minutes left in the first half and had some bad turnovers and let them get back in it.”
Not so unexpectedly, star 6-foot post Ashlynn Muhl gave the Bulldogs headaches on the interior. Muhl’s work inside spurred Morningside’s plus-20 rebounding advantage. Muhl posted 21 points and 12 rebounds, equaling the game high point totals put up by teammates Lexi Ackerman and Madison Braun.
Concordia led by as many as 10 points following back-to-back treys from Bailey Morris and Kelsey Hizer to finish off a 10-0 late first-half run. The Bulldogs outscored Morningside 36-16 over a stretch of almost 14 minutes of the opening half. But the Mustangs took the momentum to the locker room when Taylor Bahensky came up with a steal and then threw in a long three at the buzzer, cutting Concordia’s lead to 38-36.
The Mustangs, who won their first six contests by an average of 32.0 points per game, led for the majority of the second half. The Bulldogs hoisted only 21 shots in the second half, due in part to grabbing only one offensive rebound over the final 20 minutes. The Mustangs held Concordia without a field goal in the game’s closing four minutes and sealed the win with 5-for-6 free throw shooting down the stretch.
“I didn’t feel like a starting group came out with the energy we needed in the second half,” Olson said. “Every time we got a lead Morningside would hit a three or get an and one. We didn’t close well in the first half or at the end.”
The Bulldogs took a one-point advantage into the final three minutes thanks to a big splurge from Hizer. She tallied seven of Concordia’s eight points during an 8-3 run that edged her squad in front, 69-68.
“Kelsey played great. Her overall game was very good,” Olson said. “I thought Jenna (Lehmann) was fantastic. She finished well and gave us a good post presence. I thought Becky (Mueller) played well. She worked her tail off defensively guarding a bigger player.”
Saturday’s game featured large runs on both sides. Following a Morris steal and layup out of the gates, Morningside went on a 12-0 run. After falling behind by 10, the Mustangs responded with a 13-0 run that began late in the first half and spilled into the second 20-minute stanza.
Mueller topped Concordia with 15 points. She went 3-for-5 from beyond the arc. Hizer put up 14 points while Morris added nine points, six assists and six steals.
Concordia and Morningside will meet again in Sioux City, Iowa, on Feb. 21. The two GPAC powers shared last season’s conference regular-season title along with Hastings and Northwestern.
The Bulldogs will be back at home on Tuesday to host a nonconference tilt with Grace University (2-4) at 5 p.m. The Royals, a member of the National Christian College Athletic Association, have played two GPAC opponents already. They have dropped games against Mount Marty (105-40) and No. 15 Northwestern (112-24).
Daberkow dominates in blowout of Grace
By Taylor Mueller, Athletic Communications Assistant
SEWARD, Neb. – After a slow start, it didn’t take long for the ninth-ranked Bulldogs to open the offensive floodgates and enforce their stifling defense on Grace University en route to a dominating 102-31 victory. The win moved Concordia to 6-1 overall.
Momentum swayed back and forth in the early stages of the game, until a Brenleigh Daum bucket with 15:08 remaining in the first half sparked a 41-2 run. At the end of 20 minutes, Concordia had built itself a 49-16 lead.
“We didn’t come out real sharp,” head coach Drew Olson said. “We missed some shots and turned the ball over a couple of times but once we settled down, the game came easily to us. It’s easy to think, ‘let’s get up by 40 (points) right away.’ But you just need to keep grinding each possession and after the first five minutes that what we started to do.”
Sophomore Alayna Daberkow, who had a monster night with her first career double-double of 18 points and 13 rebounds (to go with three steals), explained what allowed the Bulldogs to get back on track after a rough start.
“I think it helped a lot once we just loosened up a little bit,” Daberkow said. “We started off kind of tense and were off to a slow start and once we started playing like ourselves it was a lot more fun and easier for us.”
The Bulldogs were certainly prepared to take the reins after the intermission, scoring the first 12 points to begin the second half on their way to a 53-5 run.
Concordia dominated every facet of the game, outrebounding Grace 56-32, accumulating 28 steals, and shooting 92 percent from the charity stripe on the night. Concordia shared the ball exceedingly well, combining for 25 assists. Every single Bulldog who entered the game scored a basket. Concordia showed solid depth as well as nine members of the Bulldog squad contributed with seven or more points.
Mueller pitched in with 13 points, nine of which came from behind the arc as the hot-shooting Mueller shot 50 percent for the game from 3-point land. Freshman Mary Janovich and senior Bailey Morris added 11 and 10 points, respectively, to the Bulldog cause.
Daberkow commented on how her mindset has changed from last season, and the impact that it has had on her game.
“This year, I’ve definitely relaxed a lot more,” Daberkow said. “It’s really fun this year. I just love being on the team with the girls and I like the opportunity so I try to make the best of it.”
Having knocked off three of the four rated teams that they have faced this season, Olson has been mostly pleased with the seven-game start.
“I feel pretty good,” Olson said. “At the start of the season, if you had said we’d be 6-1, I’d be pretty happy with it. I still feel like we let one slip on Saturday and we learned from that lesson, but I like where we’re at.”
Concordia will prepare for a tussle with Briar Cliff University inside Walz Arena at 2 p.m. on Saturday in a matchup that will feature similarities to last week’s game that saw No. 2 Morningside edge the Bulldogs.
“It’s kind of nice playing Briar Cliff and Morningside close together,” Olson said. “They’re the same style of play. We just need to take care of the ball better and make better decisions when we get inside the paint.
“I think they’re a little more perimeter oriented. Their guards shoot the three and they play a little bit faster on offense.”
Morris surpasses 1,500 points in victory over Briar Cliff
SEWARD, Neb. – It took nearly 30 minutes for Bailey Morris to record her first points of the game and the Bulldogs went just 6-for-35 from 3-point range on Saturday afternoon. However, those recipes for disaster failed to stop the ninth-ranked Concordia University women’s basketball team from claiming a 69-59 win over visiting Briar Cliff inside Walz Arena.
The win pushed head coach Drew Olson’s squad to 7-1 overall and 2-1 in conference play.
“Briar Cliff went with a 2-3 zone and we got great looks. We just couldn’t throw it in the ocean,” Olson said. “Hopefully we’ll be better next game.
“Yes we did get the win, but it doesn’t feel as good as it could.”
Every Bulldog not named Brenleigh Daum struggled shooting the ball in the opening 20 minutes. It was Daum’s white-hot outside stroke that kept Concordia afloat during a first half in which it shot only 29.7 percent. After missing her first 3-point attempt, Daum then nailed three in a row and five out of six shots from beyond the arc during an 18-point first half.
Daum passed the torch to fellow freshman Mary Janovich in the second half. Though Morris went 2-for-16 shooting, she dropped 10 dimes, including several to Janovich, who put up 11 of her 12 points after halftime. Morris twice fed Janovich on run outs in the final minute-and-a-half to help sew up the win.
The Chargers (3-3, 1-1 GPAC) led by as many as six points after Jessi Corrick knocked in two of her team high 17 points with a pair of free throws late in the first half. Daum and Laurel Krohn followed with back-to-back triples to make it 31-all at the break. That spurt spilled over into second half as Concordia jumped out to a 38-33 lead after Janovich’s three-point play.
Briar Cliff would grab one-point leads of 41-40 and 43-42, but the Bulldogs then went on a game-defining 11-0 run that included a Morris bucket. Her first two points of the contest pushed her career scoring total to 1,500, making her the ninth player in program history to reach that point figure.
Sophomore Becky Mueller joined Daum and Janovich as Bulldogs with 10 or more points. Mueller posted 13 points despite going 0-for-8 from the 3-point arc. Mueller also added a game high eight rebounds to aid a 47-37 Concordia advantage in the rebound category.
In addition to eight points and 10 assists, Morris also plucked six steals. The 5-foot-4 point guard entered the day ranked No. 4 nationally with an average of 4.29 steals per game. Backing Morris was senior Tracy Peitz, who had eight points, seven rebounds and two steals.
Lexi Henschke chipped in 13 points for the Chargers, who hold a conference win over Doane. Briar Cliff shot 39.6 percent and committed 24 turnovers as the Bulldogs defeated the Chargers (receiving votes in the national poll) for the third-straight time.
The Bulldogs will play one last time before the Thanksgiving holiday when they travel to No. 5 Hastings (4-3, 2-2 GPAC) for a 6 p.m. tipoff on Tuesday. The Broncos swept the season series last year on the way to tying with Concordia, Morningside and Northwestern for the GPAC regular-season title.
Backcourt stars fuel win at No. 5 Hastings
HASTINGS, Neb. – This was the GPAC player of the year version of Bailey Morris. Coming off a 2-for-16 shooting effort in Saturday’s win over Briar Cliff, the Bulldog point guard regained her shooting touch to lead the ninth-ranked Concordia University women’s basketball team to a 68-65 victory over host and fifth-ranked Hastings inside Lynn Farrell Arena on Tuesday night. In doing so, Morris and company stayed unbeaten (4-0) on the road by claiming their third away win over a top-20 foe.
Ninth-year head coach Drew Olson’s squad is now 8-1 overall and 3-1 in GPAC play.
“I thought we executed really well. We made the plays when we needed them,” Olson said. “Hastings is a good team. We really had to work to score. A lot of that came from Bailey. Then we buckled down defensively. I thought Kelsey (Hizer) was amazing on (Jamie) Van Kirk. It was more of a defensive effort for us.”
The Bulldogs built a lead as large as 10 points in the first half, but not surprisingly, Hastings (4-4, 2-3 GPAC) fought back to make it a tense second half. The Broncos got within one possession on several occasions, but Concordia responded down the stretch with efforts like Mary Janovich’s trey and Morris’ three-point play.
Then with 40 seconds remaining and Concordia clinging to a one-point lead, Morris made the game’s biggest play by stealing a Bronco inbounds and then calmly sinking a pair of free throws. An errant Hastings pass on the ensuing possession led to two more Morris free throws that made it 68-63 with 24 seconds left, providing all the scoring the Bulldogs needed.
Concordia’s star guard finished with a game high 31 points while draining all 13 free throw attempts and 4 of 6 shots from beyond the arc. Tuesday marked Morris’ fourth-career game with 30 or more points and the 25th time she has surpassed 20 points as a Bulldog.
“She played awesome,” Olson said of his senior floor general. “She had a layup early and then got going by knocking down some threes. She had the confidence that she could go score whenever we needed it. I thought she did a great job with her decision making, knowing when to attack or pull back. She had an overall great game.”
Janovich also put forth one of the best performances of her young career. She went on her own 5-0 run late in the game that pushed a one-point lead to a six-point advantage. The Gretna, Neb., native recorded 15 points, four rebounds and three steals in 30 minutes of action. Said Olson, “It was a good breakout game for her. She had an aggressive mindset that she was going to score.”
Defensively, Concordia managed to limit star Hastings guard Jamie Van Kirk to 14 points – roughly 10 below her season average entering the night. As a team, the Broncos (4-4, 2-3 GPAC) shot only 36.2 percent on the way to falling for the third time in conference action.
“They fought hard,” Olson said. “It felt like they gave us everything they had. They played well and they were physical. I don’t know if we played our best, but I feel like our ‘A’ game will usually win.”
Olson’s squad also owns road wins over No. 7 University of Jamestown and No. 17 Mayville State University, in addition to a home victory over No. 6 Saint Xavier University. The team’s only blemish was a 78-70 home loss versus No. 2 Morningside on Nov. 15.
The Bulldogs take the Thanksgiving weekend off prior to returning to action to host Doane (5-4, 4-1 GPAC) at 6 p.m. on Wednesday, Dec. 3. Concordia has won each of the last six meetings with the rival Tigers, who have triumphed in three-consecutive GPAC games behind standout Hannah Dostal.
Morris collects fifth career GPAC weekly honor
SEWARD, Neb. – Thanks to a 31-point performance in last week’s 68-65 win over No. 5 Hastings, senior point guard Bailey Morris has been named the GPAC/Hauff Mid-America Sports Women’s Basketball Player of the Week, as announced by the conference on Tuesday morning. Morris has now received the weekly award six times in her career. She garnered GPAC player of the week honors three-straight times during February of last season.
Morris spurred the ninth-ranked Bulldogs to the win at Hastings in last week’s only contest for Concordia. The native of Clay Center, Neb., sank all 13 of her free throw attempts and went 4-for-6 from beyond the arc on the way to the fifth 30-plus point effort of her career. She also added three rebounds and two steals as the Bulldogs recorded their fourth win of the season over a ranked opponent (third on the road).
Morris currently ranks third among all NAIA Division II players with an average of 4.22 steals per game. She checks in at No. 19 with 5.2 assists per contest and 37th in free throw shooting percentage (.837).
The 2013-14 GPAC player of the year ranks ninth in Concordia women’s basketball history with 1,537 career points. She owns three of the top-five single-game scoring totals in school history. She also ranks fourth in program annals in career steals (296) and eighth in career assists (363) in 109 games. Since the start of Morris’ freshman season, the Bulldogs own a record of 92-19 (.829).
Morris and company return to action at 6 p.m. on Wednesday when they host Doane (6-5, 4-1 GPAC).
Third-ranked Bulldogs face another ranked foe in Wednesday home tilt
SEWARD, Neb. – The third-ranked Concordia University women’s basketball team should be used to it by now. The Bulldogs will go head-to-head against another top 25 opponent when a budding 21st-ranked Doane squad visits Seward on Wednesday. Tipoff is slated for 6 p.m. from Walz Arena.
Fans are encouraged to dress accordingly for the Hawaiian-themed evening that includes a men’s basketball game to cap the night. A live webcast of the contest will be available via the Concordia Sports Network.
Concordia mows down ranked opponents
The Bulldogs have already defeated four teams ranked among the nation’s top 20 squads in the NAIA coaches’ poll (see below). They also own a win over a team listed among others receiving votes. The only loss came at the hands of No. 2 Morningside, 78-70, on Nov. 15.
Wins over top 25 opponents
68-65 at No. 5 Hastings College
81-64 vs. No. 6 Saint Xavier University
90-72 at No. 7 University of Jamestown
89-79 at No. 17 Mayville State University
Home dominance
Since the beginning of the 2011-12 season, Concordia owns a record of 46-7 (.868) when playing inside Walz Arena. Of the seven losses, only one came against a team that was unranked at the time of the game. The other defeats came at the hands of No. 2 Morningside (2014), No. 8 Northwestern (2013), No. 9 Briar Cliff (2013), No. 10 Concordia-Ann Arbor (2013), No. 10 Jamestown (2013) and No. 13 Morningside (2011).
Seniors chase 100 wins
The 2014-15 Concordia senior class, led by All-Americans Bailey Morris and Tracy Peitz in addition to Kelsey Hizer and Jericca Pearson, owns a record of 92-19 (.829) since beginning their careers in 2011-12. The best four-year run in the history of the program occurred from 2001-05 when Concordia went a combined 123-21 (.854) and made two national tournament semifinal appearances.
Morris eclipses 1,500 points
Senior Bailey Morris surpassed 1,500 career points on Nov. 22 in a 69-59 win over Briar Cliff. Currently at 1,537 points, the point guard from Clay Center, Neb., ranks ninth on the program’s all-time scoring list. She also ranks fourth in program annals in career steals (296) and eighth in career assists (363) over 109 games.
Morris year-by-year scoring
2014-15 – 16.4 ppg (148 points)
2013-14 – 19.3 ppg (616 points)
2012-13 – 14.6 ppg (467 points)
2011-12 – 8.5 ppg (306 points)
CAREER – 14.1 ppg (1,537 points)
Olson knocking on 200
On Nov. 12, ninth-year head coach Drew Olson (199-76, .724) became the Concordia women’s basketball program’s all-time winningest coach by claiming his 196th victory (surpassing Carl Everts’ 195 wins). Olson now needs one more win to make himself the school’s first-ever women’s basketball coach to reach 200 career victories. In his first eight seasons, Olson has led the Bulldogs to six trips to the national tournament, a national semifinal appearance, two GPAC regular-season titles and one GPAC tournament championship. He has also guided the program to five seasons of 25 wins or more and an active streak of 41-straight top 25 national rankings.
Peitz seeking to become 23rd member of 1,000-point club
Senior Tracy Peitz stands at 934 points over 109 career games as she continues her pursuit of 1,000 points. In the history of Concordia women’s basketball, 22 players have reached the 1,000-point mark. Over the past three seasons, Kristen Conahan (1,656 points), Bailey Morris (1,537 points) and Katie Rich (1,293 points) all eclipsed that mark. The program’s all-time scoring leader is Sarah Harrison, who piled up 1,800 points from 2001-05.
Doane brings battle-tested squad to Walz
Like Concordia, Doane has played a tough early-season slate. Seven of the Tigers’ first 11 games have been played against teams either ranked or receiving votes in the national coaches’ poll. No. 21 Doane has defeated No. 5 Hastings (89-81, OT) and No. 15 Northwestern (73-60) and has won each of its last three GPAC games, claiming wins over Dordt, Hastings and Midland. The experienced Tiger squad, guided by 16th-year head coach Tracee Fairbanks, is led by star senior forward Hannah Dostal (16.3 ppg, 10.1 rpg). Doane possesses a national ranking for the first time in six years.
Defensive grit paves way for fifth win over ranked opponent
KLKN-TV: Drew Olson earns 200th career win
SEWARD, Neb. – The third-ranked Concordia University women’s basketball team went scoreless over the first six minutes of action on Wednesday night before recovering to top visiting and 21st-ranked Doane, 62-54, inside Walz Arena. For the second-straight home game, the Bulldogs were hardly a thing of beauty on the offensive end, but again they found a way with their in-your-face defensive approach.
In the process, head coach Drew Olson’s squad claimed its fifth top-25 victim already this season to improve to 9-1 overall and 4-1 in conference action. The win also marked the 200th in the career of Olson, now in his ninth season at the helm of the women’s basketball program.
“It’s more about the players and the kids I’ve had in the program,” Olson told KLKN-TV after the game. “I’ve had a lot of really great players, but more great people. It’s been really fun coaching all of them.”
Concordia took its first lead of the night on Bailey Morris’ trey at the 10:49 mark of the second half, making it a 40-39 score. Morris, always one for theatrics, later dished a behind-the-back pass to Mary Janovich for a fastbreak two that gave the Bulldogs a 59-52 advantage in the game’s latter stages.
Morris’ resulting ear-to-ear grin represented a major contrast to the frustrations that characterized the first 20 minutes. There was more fun to be had soon after when a Morris crossover tied a Doane defender in knots.
“After about two dribbles I kind of had an idea of what I was going to do,” said Morris of the highlight reel dime. “I don’t think Mary did. I was really happy when she finished the play. It started on her steal. It’s all her.”
Without a doubt, the Bulldogs won Wednesday’s game because of their work on the defensive end – and in part due to the star power of Morris at point guard. The reigning GPAC player of the week kept Concordia afloat with 14 of her game high 20 points in the first half and freshman Mary Janovich proved to be a menace again with her pesky defense.
Concordia forced 33 Doane turnovers, surrendered less than 40 percent shooting and held the Tigers without a field goal over the game’s final four minutes. That defensive prowess carried the day.
“That’s basically what it came down to,” Morris said. “We finally started getting some stops and stopped bailing them out. Our defense got stops and then our offense came naturally.”
The Bulldogs missed their first 10 attempts from the field as Doane (6-6, 4-2 GPAC) built a 12-0 lead out of the gates. In the opening 10 minutes, Concordia went 2-for-18 from the field and turned it over eight times as part of its sloppiest stretch of play this season. A saving grace was four blocked shots during that period that thwarted several Tiger run outs.
Doane held a lead as late as the 6:48 mark of the second half when McKenna Dodd drilled a long 3-pointer. The Bulldogs responded with the next six points to restore order and control of the game.
Janovich (13 points and three steals) was the only Bulldog other than Morris to reach double figures in scoring. All-American Tracy Peitz spent a large portion of the contest saddled to the bench due to foul trouble. Senior Kelsey Hizer chipped in five steals to match Morris’ total.
Doane, which entered the game with three-consecutive GPAC wins, garnered its first national ranking in six years with Tuesday’s poll release. The Tigers were led by the 13 points of Heather Broman. With limited touches, star forward Hannah Dostal managed only four shots from the field and seven points.
The Bulldogs look to remain unbeaten on the road (4-0) on Saturday when they travel to play Dordt (6-5, 0-4 GPAC) in Sioux Center, Iowa, at 2 p.m. Concordia swept last season’s two meetings with the Defenders, winning by margins of 23 and 18 points.
Third-ranked Bulldogs suffocate Defenders
SIOUX CENTER, Iowa – A 19-5 second half run allowed the third-ranked Concordia University women’s basketball team to build a comfortable lead that propelled the Bulldogs to an 80-58 win at Dordt on Saturday afternoon. Concordia used a familiar script that included another turnover feast to remain unbeaten away from home (5-0).
Ninth-year head coach Drew Olson’s squad moved to 10-1 overall and 5-1 in conference play.
“We did some really nice things with our press, getting them out of what they wanted to do and forcing some tough shots,” Olson said. “We were able to create some turnovers that allowed us to get some easy baskets that we needed, because we didn’t shoot well. It was a bit of a struggle offensively.”
Despite shooting 35.8 percent, the Bulldogs led virtually the entire game on the strength of their defensive tenacity (33 Dordt turnovers) and in part due to sophomore Alayna Daberkow’s work on the boards (nine rebounds). After leading 39-34 at the half, Concordia surged with an 11-0 run out of the break before the Defenders (6-6, 0-5 GPAC) answered with a 10-0 spurt of their own.
Concordia responded by tightening back up defensively and by getting key 3-point daggers from Mary Janovich and Kelsey Hizer to pull away late. Janovich teamed with the likes of seniors Bailey Morris, Jericca Pearson and Tracy Peitz to suffocate the Defenders. Janovich continues to draw praise for her defensive prowess.
“Mary’s doing a great job picking her moments to be aggressive,” Olson said. “We want her to be aggressive. She’s hitting timely shots and I’m just so impressed with her defensively. She puts incredible pressure on the ball without fouling.”
Olson also liked the work he got off the bench from Pearson (six points and seven rebounds) and Morris’ contributions despite an off shooting afternoon. Morris chimed in with eight assists, six steals and four rebounds in addition to her 15 points. Janovich topped the Bulldogs with 16 points.
Peitz scored Concordia’s first six points of the game before sitting out much of the first half with more foul trouble. She still managed to rack up 15 points (7-for-10 shooting) and five steals in 13 minutes of action.
Sophomore Becky Mueller added 14 points. Nine different Bulldogs registered in the scoring column and a total of 13 different players saw action for Olson’s squad.
A 5-for-31 (.161) shooting performance from beyond the arc prevented the Bulldogs from distancing themselves even further from Dordt. Concordia entered the contest with a .291 season percentage from the 3-point line.
“We got great looks. They just didn’t go down,” Olson said.
The Defenders, who remain winless in conference play, got 17 points from Abby Chapman (5-for-15 from the field). Dordt was limited to 30.2 percent shooting (16-for-53). Concordia also held the Defenders to just 18 points in the paint.
Both teams spent plenty of time at the free throw line, where Concordia went 17-for-28 (.607) and Dordt went 19-for-30 (.633).
Three of the Bulldogs’ five GPAC wins have come away from home. Concordia also owns conference road wins over Mount Marty (63-59) and then No. 5 Hastings (68-65).
The Bulldogs continue a stretch of three-straight road games on Wednesday (Dec. 10) when they make the short drive to Lincoln to take on Nebraska Wesleyan (1-6, 0-3 GPAC). Tipoff is slated for 6 p.m. Concordia has won 14-consecutive meetings with the Prairie Wolves.
Janovich nets GPAC player of the week award
SEWARD, Neb. – For the second-straight time, a Concordia University women’s basketball player has taken weekly honors from the GPAC. On Tuesday Bulldog freshman guard Mary Janovich was named the GPAC/Hauff Mid-America Sports Women’s Basketball Player of the Week. A week earlier, senior point guard Bailey Morris received the same honor.
Janovich, who hails from Gretna, Neb., averaged 14.5 points, 4.5 rebounds and 3.0 steals last week as Concordia claimed wins over No. 21 Doane, 62-54, and Dordt, 80-58. Ranked sixth among all GPAC players with an average of 2.5 steals per game, Janovich led a defensive effort that forced both the Tigers and Defenders into 33 turnovers apiece and shooting percentages south of 40. She went 10-for-18 (.556) from the field, 3-for-5 (.600) from the 3-point line and 6-for-7 (.857) from the free throw line.
The former first team all-state selection at Gretna High School is averaging 9.4 points and 3.6 rebounds while starting 10 of 11 games. Janovich is shooting 49.3 percent from the field and 81.8 percent from the free throw line.
Janovich and the third-ranked Bulldogs (10-1, 5-1 GPAC) carry a five-game winning streak into Wednesday’s 6 p.m. contest at Nebraska Wesleyan (1-6, 0-3 GPAC). Concordia will also play at York College (4-4) at 6:30 p.m. on Thursday before hosting Mount Marty (7-4, 2-4 GPAC) at 2 p.m. on Saturday.
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.
Reserves shine as Bulldogs continue mastery of York
YORK, Neb. – The third-ranked Concordia University women’s basketball team dominated from start to finish as it dipped outside of league action to hand host York College a 112-45 drubbing inside the Freeman Center on Thursday night. The Bulldogs jumped out to a 26-5 lead and cruised to their seventh-straight victory while improving to 12-0 versus York in head coach Drew Olson’s nine seasons.
Olson’s squad moved to 12-1 overall and 7-0 on the road. Nine of the team’s dozen wins have come by a margin of 10 points or more.
Two-consecutive blowout wins have seen Concordia shoot just under 50 percent in both outings. Now Olson hopes that continues against the titans of the GPAC.
“I hope it’s a sign of things to come,” Olson said. “When we get a 20-point lead it’s definitely more relaxed and there’s not any pressure to make the shot. I hope that seeing the ball go in will carry over to Saturday.”
Concordia spread the sugar around on the way to eclipsing 100 points for the second night in a row. All 13 Bulldogs who saw action registered in the scoring column with six reaching double figures. Seven players knocked down at least one trey on an evening when Concordia’s 48.7 percent shooting dwarfed York’s 21.2 percentage.
The Bulldogs led 52-27 at halftime and then began the second half with a 30-5 run that crushed any faint hopes the Panthers (4-6) had at the break. Included in that mammoth spurt were back-to-back triples from Laurel Krohn, who again provided solid minutes off the bench after posting 11 points at Nebraska Wesleyan on Wednesday. She put up 12 more points on Thursday and has gone 6-for-9 from 3-point range over her last two games.
“Laurel is very confident right now,” Olson said. “I hope she can keep it going. We plan on giving her more minutes. She’s earned it.
“I thought Alayna (Daberkow) was awesome. She’s been so good rebounding the ball.”
A total of 66 points came from the Concordia bench. Daberkow, another top reserve, came up just short of her second career double-double, finishing with 11 points and nine rebounds. Senior Ashley Kuntz chipped in 13 points and five rebounds, while the usual suspects, All-Americans Bailey Morris and Tracy Peitz, added 14 and 13 points, respectively.
York, a member of the Midlands Collegiate Athletic Conference, never settled in offensively. The Panthers committed 33 turnovers and got little production outside of leading scorer Cory Minjarez (17 points).
Concordia entered the night ranked second among all NAIA Division II teams with a plus-10.2 turnover margin. The Bulldogs were plus-17 on Thursday while totaling 16 steals – four from Morris.
The 112 points were the most for Concordia since a 121-72 trouncing of Johnson & Wales (Colo.) on Nov. 9, 2012. The Bulldogs have reached the 100-point plateau a total of 14 times during Olson’s tenure.
The Bulldogs get back to conference action on Saturday when they host Mount Marty (7-5, 2-4 GPAC) inside Walz Arena at 2 p.m. Fans are encouraged to wear ‘ugly’ Christmas sweaters as part of Saturday’s holiday-themed game. It will be Concordia’s final home game prior to the Christmas break.
Women’s basketball carries seven-game win streak into Saturday home tilt
SEWARD, Neb. – The third-ranked Concordia women’s basketball team enters the weekend coming off back-to-back 100-point performances in blowout wins over Nebraska Wesleyan and York. The Bulldogs will put a seven-game winning streak on the line when they host Mount Marty (7-5, 2-4 GPAC) at 2 p.m. on Saturday. With a win, Concordia can earn a regular-season sweep of the Lancers, whom the Bulldogs defeated 63-59 in Yankton, S.D., on Nov. 12.
Fans are encouraged to dress accordingly for the Christmas-themed afternoon that includes a men’s basketball game that tips off at 4 p.m. A live webcast of the contest will be available via the Concordia Sports Network.
Home cooking
Since the beginning of the 2011-12 season, Concordia has been nearly unbeatable at home, posting a home record of 47-7 (.870) during that stretch. In addition, the Bulldogs are 36-1 when playing unranked opponents inside Walz Arena since the start of the 2011-12 campaign. The only home loss to an unranked foe over that time period was a 94-89 defeat on Nov. 26, 2013, at the hands of Hastings, which ended up at No. 7 in the postseason poll. Since then, the Bulldogs have won 12-consecutive home contests against non-top 25 squads.
Morris keeps elite company
Senior Bailey Morris, the 2013-14 GPAC player of the year, continues to state her case as arguably the top player in the history of Concordia women’s basketball. She is the only player in program annals to eclipse 1,500 points, 350 rebounds, 350 assists and 300 steals (see school ranks below). The native of Clay Center, Neb., has averaged 14.1 points, 3.5 rebounds, 3.4 assists and 2.8 steals over 113 career games.
Morris all-time program ranks
Points – 1,598 (8th)
Steals – 315 (4th)
Assists – 382 (7th)
Peitz nears 1,000 points
Averaging 15.0 points over her last three games, senior Tracy Peitz has put herself within striking distance of becoming the 23rd player in program history to reach 1,000 career points. She enters the weekend with 982 points over 113 career games. This season the Hartington, Neb., native sports averages of 10.2 points, 4.2 rebounds and 2.4 steals.
Bench press
With wins by margins of 41 and 67 to begin this week, head coach Drew Olson’s bench has received plenty of action. Ten different reserves combined for 48 points in the 103-62 win at Nebraska Wesleyan. One night later, eight Bulldog backups collaborated on 66 points as part of a 112-45 victory at York College. Redshirt freshman Laurel Krohn appears to have earned additional playing time with her marksmanship this week. In 22 minutes of action over the past two games, Krohn has piled up 23 points on the strength of 6-for-9 shooting from beyond the arc.
Seniors chase 100 wins
The 2014-15 Concordia senior class, led by All-Americans Bailey Morris and Tracy Peitz in addition to Kelsey Hizer and Jericca Pearson, owns a record of 96-19 (.835) since beginning their careers in 2011-12. The best four-year run in the history of the program occurred from 2001-05 when Concordia went a combined 123-21 (.854) and made two national tournament semifinal appearances.
Heating up
Carried throughout the early going by its stifling defense, Concordia has heated things up on the offensive end this week. The Bulldogs, who entered the week ranked 52nd nationally in field goal percentage offense (.410), have posted percentages of 49.3 and 48.7 while making a combined 28 treys in this week’s pair of routs. The outbursts have pushed Concordia all the way up to No. 11 among NAIA Division II teams with an average of 82.8 points per game.
Lancers looking to snap three-game skid
Mount Marty began this season by winning seven of its first nine games before dropping each of their last three contests. Those losses have come against No. 1 Morningside (72-58), No. 21 Doane (79-73) and Northwestern (69-61). The Lancers are led by sharpshooting junior guard Alex Kneeland, who ranks seventh nationally with 35 3-point field goals. As a team, Mount Marty averages 9.8 made 3-pointers per contest (No. 3 among NAIA Division II teams). Head coach Tom Schlimgen’s squad averages 78.4 points and allows 68.9 per game.
Third-ranked Bulldogs scorch Mount Marty, complete week of domination
SEWARD, Neb. – A tight contest early on turned into another blowout victory for the third-ranked Concordia University women’s basketball team. The Bulldogs devastated the Lancers with a near-perfect second half on the way to a 92-61 victory inside Walz Arena on Saturday afternoon.
Ninth-year head coach Drew Olson’s squad won for the eighth-straight time, moving to 13-1 overall and 7-1 in conference action. In the process, the Bulldogs completed a 3-0 week with wins by margins of 41, 67 and 31.
“I was really proud of how hard our kids played,” Olson said. “Our defensive effort was phenomenal. Mount Marty had about eight points in the first 10 minutes of the second half. That was the key for us to really build our lead. The flurry at the end of the first half really helped to extend the lead.”
Following a familiar theme, Concordia struggled to knock down jumpers early on. But point guard Bailey Morris heated things up with 18 of her 23 points in the first half and redshirt freshman Laurel Krohn stayed red hot from 3-point range. Krohn connected on a pair of first-half triples, making her eight for her last 11 from beyond the arc. She later added a layup on a nifty give-and-go collaboration with senior Tracy Peitz.
The Bulldogs also outworked the Lancers on the boards as evidenced by a 53-39 rebounding advantage. Sophomore Alayna Daberkow served as the ringleader, pulling down 10 rebounds. Freshman guard Mary Janovich snared a career best nine boards.
A chaotic final minute of the first half saw Concordia build a 43-32 halftime advantage after a hotly-contested first 19 minutes. The Bulldogs enjoyed a 28-point lead on the strength of a 35-7 run that started late in the first half and spilled into the second half. Nine-straight points in the middle of the spurt came from treys splashed in by Brenleigh Daum, Morris and Janovich. The rout was on.
The bench again provided big production with 11 points from Daum, eight apiece from Jericca Pearson (seven rebounds) and Krohn and five from both Daberkow and Rachel Royuk.
“Our bench knows we need to come in, play good defense and hit shots,” Krohn said. “I think we understand our role. Mostly it starts with defense. If we play good defense we’re able to score.”
And score is exactly what Concordia did over the closing 21 minutes, a period that saw the Bulldogs total 57 points. After shooting 37.2 percent in the first half, the Bulldogs warmed up to 50 percent in the second half to finish at 43.2 percent for the game. The Lancers were held to 34.0 percent shooting and were flustered into 27 turnovers.
“We’ve had a good week,” Olson said. “Our bench kids are starting to get a lot more confident, understanding their roles and understanding what the good shots are. They saw it go in the last couple games and that just builds your confidence.”
Mount Marty (7-6, 2-6 GPAC), which has lost four-straight games (three to ranked opponents), got a good outing from Raquel Sutera, who posted a double-double (18 points and 10 rebounds).
Peitz (10 points, six rebounds, four assists) joined Morris and Daum as double figure scorers. Morris added six steals and a block.
Concordia improved to 48-7 at home since the start of the 2011-12 season. The Bulldogs are 37-1 when playing unranked foes inside Walz Arena over the past four seasons.
The Bulldogs have nearly a week off before returning to action on Friday, Dec. 19 when they trek to Mitchell, S.D., to take on Dakota Wesleyan (9-4, 4-2 GPAC). Tipoff is slated for 4 p.m. Concordia swept last season’s pair of regular-season meetings with the Tigers.
No. 3 Concordia rallies for rout at Dakota Wesleyan
MITCHELL, S.D. – Similar to last season when the Bulldogs found themselves down 17 in Mitchell, the Concordia University women’s basketball team again dug itself into a hole at Dakota Wesleyan. The third-ranked Bulldogs recovered in plenty of time to pull away from the host Tigers, 100-70, on Friday evening. Concordia used a 47-33 rebound advantage to win for the ninth-straight time.
Ninth-year head coach Drew Olson’s squad remained undefeated on the road (8-0) while moving to 14-1 overall and 8-1 in conference play by blowing away Dakota Wesleyan (9-5, 4-3 GPAC) in the second half.
“The second half was a great display of what we’re capable of,” Olson said. “Our shooting was awesome, but I was more impressed with our defense. We played smart and followed the scouting report. We got every loose ball against a team that’s bigger and more physical than us.”
Senior point guard Bailey Morris missed her first 10 shots from the field before splashing home a trey (2:49 mark of the first half) that ignited a personal 8-0 run and took the air out of Dakota Wesleyan. Morris’ outburst slashed Concordia’s deficit from 10 all the way down to two (34-32) late in the first half. Morris then ended the half with a driving layup to put the Bulldogs within one. Morris and company were just getting warmed up.
That momentum carried over into the second half when senior Tracy Peitz became the 23rd player in program history to eclipse 1,000 career points and sophomore Becky Mueller lit it up from long range. A 26-7 run, which included back-to-back Mueller triples, staked Concordia to a 69-48 advantage. The run culminated with a Morris three from ridiculous range and yet another Mueller bomb.
“When she gets going, she’s the best in the league and no one can stop her,” Olson said of Morris.
The run was also fueled by Concordia’s nasty defense, which tightened the clamps after halftime. The Bulldogs operated at near peak efficiency in a textbook second half in which it outgunned the Tigers by a count of 64-33. After the break, Concordia went 10-for-25 from distance and 51.2 percent from the field overall while holding Dakota Wesleyan to 35.5 percent shooting.
The Bulldogs’ star senior floor general finished with a game high 29 points on 10-for-24 shooting. Mueller knocked down 5 of 9 attempts from beyond the arc and racked up 19 points. Peitz added nine points and eight rebounds as 12 different Bulldogs registered in the scoring column.
Inside, senior Jericca Pearson and sophomore Alayna Daberkow both recorded six points and seven rebounds. Freshman guard Mary Janovich topped the Bulldogs with nine boards.
“I thought Alayna and Jericca battled so hard inside,” Olson said. “And Mary led us again with nine rebounds. It was a great effort against some really good post players.”
Morris moved up another peg on the program’s all-time scoring list, passing Shelly Poppe (1,630 points) for seventh place. Morris (1,650 points) now takes aim at former teammate and current assistant coach Kristen Conahan, who’s sixth with 1,656 points.
Dakota Wesleyan was led by the 23 points of Ashley Bray, who fueled the Tigers’ 10-point first half lead. Katie Johnson chipped in 12 points.
Blowout wins have been the norm of late for Concordia, which has won each of its last five games by margins of at least 22 points. Eleven of its 14 wins have been by double digits. Suddenly, the Bulldog offensive attack is catching up to its already stellar pressure defense.
“We’ve got a lot of capable shooters who are starting to understand where the shots are coming from,” Olson said. “They’re more prepared to take them now and really feeding off each other.”
The Bulldogs now break for Christmas before returning to action on Dec. 30 when they host No. 9 Friends University (12-2). Concordia already owns four wins over ranked opponents, including two against top 10 opponents. The Falcons and Bulldogs have not met since Nov. 17, 2000, when Concordia won by a 58-49 score.
Women’s basketball hosts No. 9 Friends in Tuesday top 10 clash
SEWARD, Neb. – For the seventh time this season, the third-ranked Concordia University women’s basketball team will take on a ranked opponent when it welcomes No. 9 Friends University to Seward for a 4 p.m. tipoff on Tuesday. The Bulldogs are 6-1 this season when playing inside Walz Arena and sport a 48-7 (.873) home record since the beginning of the 2011-12 season.
Admission will not be charged on Tuesday afternoon in appreciation of all Seward community members and Bulldog fans who support the Concordia University athletics department. A live webcast of the contest will be available via the Concordia Sports Network.
Getting offensive
Thanks to an offensive explosion in recent weeks, ninth-year head coach Drew Olson’s squad has won each of its last five games by margins of 22 points or more as part of an active nine-game winning streak. Over the past four contests, Concordia has averaged 101.8 points per game while reaching the century mark three times. Over that stretch, the Bulldogs have made at least 11 treys in each game while going a combined 53-for-140 (.379) from beyond the 3-point arc. Concordia has moved up to No. 6 among all NAIA Division II teams with an average of 84.5 points per game (No. 1 in the GPAC).
Morris eyes Conahan
Senior All-American point guard Bailey Morris jumped up another rung on the program’s all-time scoring list by totaling a game high 29 points in the 100-70 win at Dakota Wesleyan on Dec. 19. After passing Shelly Poppe (1,630 points), Morris now ranks seventh with 1,650 points in 115 career games. That figure puts the native of Clay Center, Neb., just six points away from former teammate and current assistant coach Kristen Conahan (1,656 points) for sixth on the chart. Morris also ranks fourth in Bulldog history in steals (323) and seventh in assists (389). She’s the only player in program annals to amass 1,600+ points, 400+ rebounds, 375+ assists and 300+ steals for a career.
Peitz joins 1,000-point club
Senior Tracy Peitz, a 2013-14 third team All-American and GPAC defensive player of the year, became the 23rd member of the program’s 1,000-point club by recording nine points as part of the win at Dakota Wesleyan. The native of Hartington, Neb., now with 1,001 career points, needs 10 more rebounds to become the 10th ever Concordia women’s basketball player to eclipse 1,000 points and 500 rebounds. She is coming off a career best junior season in which she averaged 13.8 points, 6.1 rebounds, 2.6 steals and 2.4 assists per game.
Senior class zeroes in on 100 wins
Very few classes in any sport in the history of Concordia athletics can claim the level of success authored by the 2014-15 Bulldog women’s basketball seniors. With a four-year record of 98-19, the current seniors, led by Bailey Morris and Tracy Peitz, need just two more wins to become only the second class in program history to reach that lofty win total. Seniors Sarah Harrison and Kari Saving (top two scorers in school history) led a class that went a combined 123-21 (.854) and made two national tournament semifinal appearances from 2001-05. The current group of six seniors has won two GPAC regular-season titles, a GPAC tournament title and has advanced as far as the semifinals of the national tournament.
Giant slayer
Concordia ran the gauntlet over its first 10 games, facing six ranked opponents and another that had been receiving votes in the national poll at the time of the game. The Bulldogs have won five of six contests against top 25 foes, capturing victories over No. 5 Hastings (68-65), No. 6 Saint Xavier (81-64), No. 7 Jamestown (90-72), No. 17 Mayville State (89-79) and No. 21 Doane (62-54). Three-straight wins over top 20 opponents to begin the season allowed Concordia to move from No. 9 in the preseason poll to No. 3, where it has remained in back-to-back rankings. Olson’s program has an active streak of 42-conseuctive top 25 rankings.
Best of the best
A member of the league routinely regarded as the top women’s basketball conference in NAIA Division II, the Bulldogs have paced the league over the past four seasons with a record of 58-11 (.841) in GPAC regular-season play. Top-ranked Morningside carries a conference mark of 56-11 (.836) during that same time frame. Concordia’s conference records since 2011-12 are 18-2, 16-4, 16-4 and 8-1.
Friends sports 2-0 record vs. GPAC opponents
Friends University, an institution located Wichita, Kan., and affiliated with the NAIA’s Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference, will play a GPAC opponent for the third time this season when the action tips off on Tuesday. The Falcons (12-2) own wins over No. 5 Hastings (61-53) on Nov. 28 and Doane (74-60) on Nov. 29. Fifth-year head coach RaeAnne Boothe relies upon senior guard Kayla Mollere (team leader in scoring, rebounding, steals and blocks) and a stingy defense that, among all NAIA Division II teams, ranks first in field goal percentage defense (.312) and seventh in scoring defense (53.6). The ninth-ranked Falcons, who sit atop the KCAC, have reached the national tournament in each of the last three seasons.
Third-ranked Concordia steamrolls No. 9 Friends, 94-67
SEWARD, Neb. – The third-ranked Concordia University women’s basketball team wasted little time knocking off the rust accumulated over a 10-day stretch without a game in its latest impressive outing. The Bulldogs quickly built a double-digit advantage and cruised to a 94-67 win over Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference leader and ninth-ranked Friends University inside Walz Arena on Tuesday afternoon.
By claiming its sixth win over a top 25 foe – fourth versus a top 10 team – head coach Drew Olson’s squad ran its winning streak to 10 and improved to 15-1 overall.
“I was really pleased with our effort,” Olson said. “We played really hard. For having 10 days off you would think we would be a little bit rusty, but we had good rhythm together.”
Senior All-American point guard Bailey Morris provided the sizzle on both ends of the floor once again. She torched the visiting Falcons with 25 points (10-for-10 free throw shooting) while serving as a pest on the defensive end. Jericca Pearson then enjoyed a monster second half on her way to tying a career best with 18 points. Morris and Pearson were two of three double figure scorers for a Bulldog team with 11 individuals registering in the scoring column.
With Morris attacking Friends relentlessly, Concordia held a lead of 10 points or greater for every bit of the final 30:52 of game time. The Bulldogs forced 33 Falcon turnovers in ballooning the lead to as many as 37 points in the second half.
Clearly the Christmas break did little to slow a Concordia team that had won its previous five games by an average margin of 38.2 points.
“It shows the kind of players we have,” Morris said. “We had six or seven days off (practice), but I know everybody was in the gym, not taking days off and getting shots up and staying sharp. It’s a credit to the hard work of my teammates and coaches and not wanting to let down even though we weren’t together (during break).”
Five Bulldogs notched between six and nine points. Senior Kelsey Hizer splashed nine of her 11 points in the first half, knocking down a trio of triples that helped Concordia take a 44-27 lead to the halftime break. Fellow senior Tracy Peitz added nine points, five steals and three assists while Morris’ line included seven rebounds, six assists and five steals.
Friends (12-3), which went 25-8 and reached the national tournament last season, entered play 2-0 against GPAC foes having already beaten then No. 5 Hastings (61-53) and Doane (74-60). The Falcons played on Tuesday without leading scorer Kayla Mollere, who was sidelined by injury. In addition, Concordia held Friends standout Kayla Justice to 0-for-7 shooting and no points in 28 minutes of action.
The short-handed Falcons had no answer for Morris and company, who hoisted 15 more shots from the field and seven more free throw attempts in another dominant outing.
“We shot well. When Bailey comes to play, she’s the best player in the country,” Olson said. “She looked it today and really looked to score. Once she gets going, it opens up the game for everybody else. We shot really well in the first half.”
With her 29th career game of 20 or more points, Morris (1,675 career points) moved past former teammate and current assistant coach Kristen Conahan (1,656 points) for sixth on the program’s all-time scoring chart. In team history, Morris also ranks fourth in steals (328) and sixth in assists (394).
“It’s definitely an honor,” Morris said of passing Conahan. “I played with Connie for three years and to know that I’ve reached that level that she was at is a good feeling. Everyone knows that if she wouldn’t have gotten injured last year I probably wouldn’t be having this conversation because she’d probably have the (scoring) record right now. It’s just an honor.”
The Bulldogs return to conference play on Saturday (Jan. 3) when they host Dordt (7-8, 0-7 GPAC) at 1 p.m. Concordia will vie for a season sweep after having defeated the Defenders, 80-58, in Sioux Center, Iowa, on Dec. 6. Olson’s program has won 37 of its last 38 home games versus unranked opponents.
Women’s basketball eyes 11th-straight win in Saturday’s home GPAC tilt
SEWARD, Neb. – Riding a 10-game winning streak, the third-ranked Concordia University women’s basketball team returns to action on Saturday when it hosts Dordt (8-8, 0-7 GPAC) at 1 p.m. The Defenders have won two-consecutive nonconference contests but are seeking their first GPAC victory. The Bulldogs, 7-1 at home this season, defeated Dordt, 80-58, in a matchup in Sioux Center, Iowa, on Dec. 6. Head coach Drew Olson’s squad has won each of the last five meetings with the Defenders.
A live webcast of the contest will be available via the Concordia Sports Network.
Not even close
Included in Concordia’s impressive 15-1 start has been a run of blowout victories over the past six games. During that stretch, the Bulldogs have won contests by margins of 22, 41, 67, 31, 30 and 27 points while averaging 96.8 points per game. The scoring surge has pushed Concordia to No. 5 nationally in both scoring margin (23.3) and points per outing (85.1). The Bulldogs lead the GPAC in scoring and are averaging nearly six points more per game than runner up Morningside (79.2). On the strength of its 10-game winning streak, Concordia is one of eight teams in NAIA Division II with either one or no losses.
NAIA Division II teams with one or no losses
Morningside – 17-0
Davenport (Mich.) – 13-0
Concordia – 15-1
Marian (Ind.) – 14-1
Southern Oregon – 12-1
Tennessee Wesleyan – 12-1
Point Park (Pa.) – 11-1
Webber International (Fla.) – 9-1
Morris continues climb up all-time lists
Senior point guard Bailey Morris continues to state her case as one of the top players in the history of Concordia women’s basketball. By notching her 29th career game of 20 or more points in Tuesday’s 94-67 win over No. 9 Friends University, Morris leapfrogged former teammate and current assistant coach Kristen Conahan for sixth place on the program’s all-time scoring list with 1,675 career points. The native of Clay Center, Neb., also ranks fourth in steals (328) and sixth in assists (394). Her five steals moved her above Concordia Athletics Hall of Famer Kari Saving on the all-time thefts chart.
This season Morris ranks first among all NAIA Division II players with 70 steals for an average of 4.38 per game. She also checks in at No. 14 in assists per game (4.9) and 32nd in scoring (17.9).
GPAC ranks
A statistically dominant team across the board, Concordia tops the GPAC in scoring, scoring margin, field goal percentage defense (.360), steals per game (17.0) and turnover margin (10.6). An ultra-aggressive team, the Bulldogs have also been whistled for more fouls than any other GPAC team (average of 21.4 fouls per game). Four Bulldogs rank in the top 16 of the conference in steals – Morris (1st, 4.38), Tracy Peitz (7th, 2.38), Mary Janovich (12th, 1.93) and Kelsey Hizer (16th, 1.69).
Senior class zeroes in on 100 wins
Very few classes in any sport in the history of Concordia athletics can claim the level of success authored by the 2014-15 Bulldog women’s basketball seniors. With a four-year record of 99-19, the current seniors, led by Morris and Peitz, are just one win away from becoming only the second class in program history to reach the century mark. Seniors Sarah Harrison and Kari Saving (top two scorers in school history) led a class that went a combined 123-21 (.854) and made two national tournament semifinal appearances from 2001-05. The current group of six seniors has won two GPAC regular-season titles, a GPAC tournament title and has advanced as far as the semifinals of the national tournament (2012).
Giant slayer
Concordia padded its already sterling resume earlier this week with the victory over No. 9 Friends University. The Bulldogs have won six of seven contests against top 25 foes, capturing victories over No. 5 Hastings (68-65), No. 6 Saint Xavier (81-64), No. 7 Jamestown (90-72), No. 9 Friends (94-67), No. 17 Mayville State (89-79) and No. 21 Doane (62-54). In sum, Concordia’s six victories over top 25 teams have come by an average margin of 13.8 points. Three-straight wins over top 20 opponents to begin the season allowed Concordia to move from No. 9 in the preseason poll to No. 3, where it has remained in back-to-back rankings. Olson’s program has an active streak of 42-conseuctive top 25 rankings.
Dordt wins back-to-back
Seventh-year head coach Craig Stiemsma’s Defenders enter Saturday’s game coming off nonconference wins over Martin Luther College (77-70) and Buena Vista University (73-67). Prior to the back-to-back wins, Dordt had struggled with four-straight losses – all by margins of 22 points or greater. The Defenders currently hold a nine-game GPAC losing streak that dates back to the end of last season. Junior guard Abby Chapman paces the team in scoring (14.9), assists (1.94) and steals (1.44). Junior center Mycah Hulst ranks second among GPAC players with an average of 10.0 rebounds per game. As a team, Dordt ranks 10th in the GPAC in scoring offense (69.8) and ninth in scoring defense (71.1).
Bulldogs frustrate Dordt into 45 turnovers, earn 11th-straight win
SEWARD, Neb. – In a contest that turned into a foul fest inside Walz Arena, the third-ranked Concordia University women’s basketball team ran away in the second half from a pesky Dordt squad for a 103-74 conference win on Saturday afternoon. The Bulldogs turned the Defenders over 45 times with its annoyingly persistent press to extend its win streak to 11.
Ninth-year head coach Drew Olson’s squad now sits at 16-1 overall and 9-1 in league play halfway through its GPAC slate. The Bulldogs overcame some sloppy play early to claim their sixth-straight win in matchups with Dordt. The victory also pushed the senior class to 100 career wins. It has gone 100-19 over the past four seasons.
“It was a grind,” Olson said. “In the first half we did not play well. Dordt did a great job of fighting. We started the game out by fouling them and not moving our feet and playing poor defensively. We were able to iron that out in the second half.”
A strange statistical game saw Dordt (8-9, 0-8 GPAC) go a perfect 5-for-5 from the field before missing for the first time at the 11:09 mark of the first half. The Defenders shot 60.5 percent (23-for-38) from the field, but it wasn’t near enough to overcome a massive 53-10 Concordia advantage in points off turnovers. Seven different Bulldogs had two or more steals, led by freshman Mary Janovich’s seven thefts.
Janovich hardly missed a beat after sitting out most of Tuesday’s win over No. 9 Friends University due to feeling under the weather. Her defensive tenacity has been a welcome addition to this year’s Bulldogs.
“I’ve been sick for a while so I came out ready to go and ready to be back at it,” Janovich said. “Coach was a little frustrated in the beginning so we came out second half ready to play.”
The Defenders, who remain winless in conference play, actually pulled even at 54-54 when Emily Neuman dropped in a bucket in the paint with 14:49 left in the game. Senior point guard Bailey Morris responded with four of her 20 points and Tracy Peitz came alive in the second half, pouring in 16 of her 20 points over the final 20 minutes.
A 16-3 run provided a 70-57 Concordia lead with 10:01 remaining. The Bulldogs, spurred by their smothering defense, ended the game on 22-3 splurge, marking the seventh-straight contest Janovich and company have won by 22 points or more.
“It’s great. Hopefully we can keep it up,” Janovich said.
Janovich added 15 points and four rebounds to go along with her seven steals. Morris, 9-for-19 from the field, dished out three assists, including one in the paint on a pretty feed to Peitz. Freshmen Brenleigh Daum (10 points, six steals) and Laurel Krohn (10 points) made for five Concordia double figure scorers.
Krohn nailed two of her three 3-point field goals in the final seven minutes to help the Bulldogs pull away for a season sweep of Dordt. Concordia went just 6-for-27 from beyond the arc as a team, but it got off 48 more shots than the visitors.
Dordt got 26 points and 12 rebounds from Cassidy Vredevoogd, who went 9-for-11 from the field and 8-for-12 from the free throw line. The Defenders took advantage of 28 fouls on Concordia by making 24 of 34 (.706) free throws.
The Bulldogs continue a stretch of four-straight home games when they host Midland (7-9, 2-5 GPAC) at 6 p.m. on Wednesday. Concordia has won each of the last 12 meetings with the Warriors. Last season the Bulldogs defeated Midland three times by a combined total of 11 points. The Warriors will have momentum coming off Saturday’s 72-50 win over No. 9 Friends.
FEATURE: Star-studded senior class reaches 100 career wins
By Jake Knabel, Director of Athletic Communications
There they were together as freshmen on the grandest of stages. The likes of Kelsey Hizer, Bailey Morris, Jericca Pearson and Tracy Peitz were just rookies, but head coach Drew Olson had the confidence to throw them all on the floor at the same time as second-ranked Concordia attempted to knock off College of the Ozarks in the semifinals of the 2012 national tournament.
It turned out that the group perfectly complimented other stars like Kristen Conahan, Amber Kistler and Katie Rich to form one of the best teams in the history of the program. The 2011-12 recruiting class has served as a major artery ever since arriving in the fall of 2011, none of its members having previously met.
Fast forward to 2015 and one will find a closely-bonded bunch of seniors that’s nearly as accomplished as any class ever at Concordia, regardless of sport. On Saturday the seniors notched their 100th victory by toppling Dordt, 103-74, pushing their four-year record to 100-19. It’s yet another bullet point on a growing list of accomplishments.
“I could see our talent and potential individually and as a group,” said Morris, the 2013-14 GPAC player of the year. “Then when I realized how hard everyone was willing to work to get better, I knew we were going to be a scary group for the next three years. I don’t think I’ll be able to comprehend what we’ve accomplished until basketball is over and I get a chance to look back on our careers. I have a feeling it’ll be pretty overwhelming when I do realize how great of a run we had.”
Olson compares the current collection of four-year players to the one that enjoyed the program’s best ever four-year record from 2001-05 when the Bulldogs went 123-21 and made two trips to the national semifinals. Morris and company could rival those accomplishments by the time they’re through.
No doubt Olson will be sad to see them go.
“It's more than just their success on the court,” Olson said. “I really enjoy being around them. I love all their personalities and seeing them change through the four years. They all have their unique qualities but they have great commonalities of competitiveness, toughness, a good sense of humor and positive energy and enthusiasm each day.”
An understanding of this senior class’s special nature requires a look beyond the three-straight national tournament appearances, three combined GPAC titles (two regular season and one tournament championship) and 42-straight national rankings. There’s a genuine admiration for one another, and it’s not just lip service.
It’s quite common for members of the senior class, which includes Ashley Kuntz and Rachel Royuk, to hang out with one another beyond their basketball commitments.
“They all feel like sisters to me,” Hizer said. “We have been playing together and growing together these past four years and I feel like I have known them my whole life. We know exactly what each other is going to do on the court and we have a bond with each other that I wouldn't trade for anything else. We are serious when it comes to games, but also we know how to have fun.”
Olson’s starting lineup includes Hizer, Morris and Peitz with Pearson serving as one of the team’s top performers off the bench. Morris brings plenty of pizazz and flair and is knocking on the door in her bid to become the program’s all-time leading scorer. Peitz possesses a vast skillset and was last season’s GPAC defensive player of the year. Hizer does all of the little things. Pearson gets tough points and boards in the pant. And Kuntz and Royuk provide solid minutes in reserve.
Collectively, the senior class has amassed 4,107 points, 1,790 rebounds, 862 assists and 863 steals over its 119 games together – key word being ‘together.’
“Our class is amazing,” Peitz said. “We get along and share a great friendship outside of basketball. Because of this, I think it brings us closer together on the court and creates lifelong memories I will always cherish. It is never a dull moment.”
Hizer, Morris and Peitz all mentioned Olson as a big factor in their decisions to come to Concordia. Five of the six seniors hail from Nebraska, while Hizer arrived via Colorado’s Parker Lutheran High School, where she was coached by Mark Duitsman, a teammate of Olson’s at Concordia.
“He had a big influence on me to go play college basketball,” Hizer said of her high school coach. “I loved the school when I went and toured it and meeting all the girls on the team, I knew it was the right fit for me. Getting the opportunity to play the sport that I love and continuing to use the talents God has given me is a big reason why playing basketball appealed to me.”
It’s clear Hizer knows she made the right choice after mulling whether she wanted to play college basketball. She and her fellow classmates now set the example for how to play winning basketball within an environment that is all about the team.
“I’m not really sure if I can even describe it,” Morris said. “Because we’ve all been playing so much since our freshman years, we’ve developed a closeness and created memories that we’ll never be able to share with anyone else. As teammates, we’ve gone through the same highs and the same lows and have become better friends because of them. That closeness has carried over to our lives outside the gym. We have a blast when we hang out together.”
The group will likely get to hang out together as teammates one last time when the 2015 NAIA Division II Women’s Basketball Championships commence on March 11 at the Tyson Events Center in Sioux City, Iowa. The senior class has experienced a combined 26 games at the national tournament.
They will know exactly what to expect – and they expect to win. First-round exits the last two years have left bad tastes in their mouths. Based on a dominant first 17 games of this season, the Bulldogs have eyes on a deep March run.
Said Peitz, “We all have a chip on our shoulders so to finish the year out better.”
A thrilling March run would build upon an already impressive level of accomplishment put forth by few other groups of classmates in the annals of Concordia University athletics.
Tenacious D rocks Midland
SEWARD, Neb. – Even when their 3-point shooting eludes them, the third-ranked Bulldogs find other ways to dominate. On Wednesday the Concordia University women’s basketball team forced 35 more turnovers en route to a 79-59 win over visiting Midland inside Walz Arena.
Ninth-year head coach Drew Olson’s squad won for the 12th-straight time (eighth-consecutive win by 20 or more points) and moved to 17-1 overall and 10-1 in league play. The Bulldogs have now triumphed in each of their last 13 meetings with the Warriors (7-10, 2-6 GPAC).
Concordia forced 22 first half turnovers and then turned the pressure up even more in the second half when Midland went just 7-for-26 (.269) from the field.
“I thought we played really hard,” Olson said. “In the second half we played with great focus on the defensive end. We didn’t force as many turnovers but we weren’t giving them the easy baskets that kept them in the game in the first half. Even though we didn’t go on our usual 3-point barrage, I thought we competed well defensively.”
The Bulldogs rode a strong night from senior Tracy Peitz, who put up 19 points and three steals on her birthday. Peitz and company were so tenacious defensively that Midland often struggled just to get the ball over the timeline. On a night when Concordia went 5-for-20 from beyond the arc, it made up for it by flustering Warrior star duo Jamilah Johnson and Sammi Licari into a combined 14 turnovers.
Make no mistake, these Bulldogs can score, but defense has become their calling card.
“We struggled a little bit to get going but in the second half we finally focused in,” sophomore Becky Mueller said. “We really worked together as a team and rotated well in our press. It was probably one of the best defensive efforts we’ve had all year.”
Tied at 28 late in the first half, Peitz drove for a bucket in the lane that initiated a 12-2 run that culminated with Mueller sizing up three of her 13 points from downtown. Concordia led 42-34 at the half and maintained an advantage of five or more points the rest of the evening.
Midland, a team that has suffered six losses by five points or fewer, failed to make things interesting down the stretch. The Bulldogs pushed their lead up to 24 (77-53) with 4:32 left via an 18-5 run that ended with Peitz sinking a pair of free throws. Seven different Bulldogs scored during the run that left no doubt.
Senior Bailey Morris (15) and freshman Mary Janovich (13) joined Mueller and Peitz as double-figure scorers. Morris added eight steals and four assists and Janovich chipped in five rebounds and four steals.
Olson commended both Janovich and senior Kelsey Hizer for their work defensively in holding down Johnson and Licari. The Warriors, who got 11 points from Licari, shot 42.2 percent for the game.
Morris concluded the night with 1,710 points for her career, making her the sixth player in program history to surpass 1,700 points. Morris has Lynda Beck (1,720 points) in her sights for fifth-place on the school’s all-time list.
The Bulldogs complete a stretch of four-straight home games when they welcome Northwestern (10-6, 4-4 GPAC) to Walz Arena on Saturday for a 2 p.m. tipoff. The Red Raiders won two of three meetings last season with the home team triumphing in each instance. Last season then No. 7 Concordia defeated No. 3 Northwestern, 89-78, in Seward on Feb. 15 behind a program single-game record 45 points from Morris.
Women’s basketball welcomes perennial GPAC heavyweight Northwestern on Saturday
SEWARD, Neb. – An impressive run of dominance continued on Wednesday night when the third-ranked Concordia University women’s basketball team forced 35 turnovers to pull away from Midland for a 79-59 win. The Bulldogs (17-1, 10-1 GPAC) carry a 12-game winning streak into Saturday’s tilt with Northwestern (10-6, 4-4 GPAC). Tipoff is slated for 2 p.m. from Walz Arena, a venue in which Concordia has triumphed three of the last four times the Red Raiders have visited.
A live webcast of the contest will be available via the Concordia Sports Network.
Gone streaking
Concordia’s current 12-game winning streak is the third longest during head coach Drew Olson’s nine-year tenure. Olson’s 2011-12 team, which finished 34-3 and won GPAC regular-season and tournament titles, won 21-consecutive games before falling to College of the Ozarks (Mo.) in the national semifinals. The 2012-13 Bulldogs began the season 15-0 before dropping a double overtime decision at Dordt. The program record for win streak is held by the 2002-03 Concordia Athletic Hall of Fame team that won its first 33 games of the campaign.
During the Bulldogs’ active 12-game victory streak, they have won each of their last eight games by 20 points or more. Concordia’s average margin of victory over the past 12 games is 29.9 points. The Bulldogs have averaged 88.7 points during the run.
Longest win streaks last four years
2014-15: 12
2013-14: 8
2012-13: 15
2011-12: 21
Beat the best to be the best
Not only has Concordia knocked off six nationally ranked teams (four ranked in the top 10), it has defeated three that are currently ranked atop their respective conferences. As part of a challenging nonconference slate, the Bulldogs have toppled league leaders in Saint Xavier (Ill.) (Chicagoland), Friends (Kan.) (Kansas Collegiate) and Jamestown (N.D.) (North Star). Olson’s squad possesses wins over teams ranked fifth, sixth, seventh, ninth, 17th and 21st.
‘The Bailey Morris Game’
Senior All-American point guard Bailey Morris has reached the 20-point mark 30 times during her distinguished career, but no game stands out more than her program record 45-point performance the last time Concordia hosted Northwestern. Morris went 12-for-26 from the field and 17-for-18 from the free throw line on Feb. 15, 2014, to lift the Bulldogs to an 89-78 victory over the then third-ranked Red Raiders. Morris, the sixth player in program history with more than 1,700 career points, is 90 points shy of Sarah Harrison’s program record of 1,800 career points. Morris, who hails from Clay Center, Neb., is the only player in program history with 1,700+ points, 400+ rebounds, 400+ assists and 325+ steals.
Tenacious D
While Concordia has reached the 100-point mark five times this season, defense has been its calling card. Over the past two games the Bulldogs have swiped 60 steals in powering a combined advantage of 89-25 in points off turnovers. Morris has served as a catalyst with her NAIA Division II-leading theft total of 82. She has combined with reigning GPAC defensive player of the year Tracy Peitz, Kelsey Hizer and Mary Janovich to give the Bulldogs one of the nation’s nastiest pressure defenses. Concordia ranks second nationally in both steals per game (18.4) and turnover margin (plus-12.1). Its opponents have committed an average of 30.4 turnovers per contest.
Accomplished senior class eclipses 100 wins
This year’s senior class, led by Morris and Peitz, has produced 101 wins since arriving in 2011. Over four seasons, the seniors own a record of 101-19 (.842), have won two GPAC regular-season titles and a conference tournament championship, have reached the national tournament in each of their first three seasons and own one national semifinal appearance. Over their careers, the six seniors have combined for 4,152 points, 1,804 rebounds, 879 steals and 873 assists.
Northwestern trending up
One of four teams to share the GPAC regular-season title last season, head coach Chris Yaw’s squad got off to an 0-3 start in conference play but has rebounded of late. The Red Raiders enter the weekend with three-straight victories, including one over NAIA Division I 17th-ranked Montana State University-Northern. In its last five outings, Northwestern’s only loss came at the hands of NCAA Division I Drake University. While Yaw's team no longer possesses standouts like Alli Engebretson, Samantha Kleinsasser and Mackenzie Small, the Red Raiders’ Karen Ettleman leads the conference with 21.9 points per game. As a team, Northwestern ranks fourth in the conference in scoring offense (76.4) and eighth in scoring defense (70.4).
Win streak grows to 13 with 90-80 victory over Northwestern
SEWARD, Neb. – Minus a starter, the third-ranked Concordia University women’s basketball team managed to keep its win streak intact by toppling a hot Northwestern team. Senior Bailey Morris recorded her first career double-double to help fuel a 90-80 win over the Red Raiders inside Walz Arena on Saturday afternoon.
Ninth-year head coach Drew Olson’s squad boosted its season records to 18-1 overall and 11-1 in conference action with its 13th-consecutive victory. The Bulldogs have won four of the last five meetings with Northwestern (10-7, 4-5 GPAC) that have taken place in Seward. But unlike recent blowout wins, Concordia had to earn it late in the second half.
“We had the lead but it wasn’t like we were really in control of the game,” Olson said. “But I was really proud of our kids in the second half. They continued to battle. We just really found ways to get stops in the half court.”
While Morris went 8-for-23 from the field, her lightning quick dribble drive broke down the Red Raider defense. Morris totaled 24 points and 11 assists, helping put three teammates in double figures in scoring – Mary Janovich (16), Shelby Quinn (14) and Jericca Pearson (10).
Making her fourth start of the season, Quinn provided a spark during both of Concordia’s big scoring runs. She went on a personal 5-0 run midway through the first half that included a whirling layup and corner triple. Quinn’s energy helped spur a 13-2 run that turned a 20-14 deficit into a 27-22 lead.
After Norhwestern made a second half push, the more balanced Bulldogs went on an 11-2 spurt and regained control and a 70-60 advantage, thanks in part to the career best scoring total from Quinn, a sophomore guard from Bellevue, Neb. During the run, Quinn went 6-for-6 from the foul line and finished 9-for-10 on free throws. She made both of her shot attempts from the field.
“Coach talked to me about it halftime about driving it,” Quinn said of her approach. “They were kind of hugging on me. He said to make sure you’re aggressive and go after them and either go for your own shot or look to get your teammates open.”
Down by as many as 10 points in the first half, Northwestern rallied back to tie the score at 56-56 with 13:42 left in the game. The Red Raiders stayed within striking distance on the strength of another big offensive performance from GPAC leading scorer Karen Ettleman, who led all players with 33 points on Saturday. But the Bulldogs soon found the answer that put away Northwestern.
Even without All-American Tracy Peitz, who is expected back next time out, Olson showed off a deep bench in using all nine of his reserves. Those fresh legs helped the Bulldogs overcome their 38.6 percent shooting. Concordia also went 32-for-42 from the foul line (.762). Peitz’s absence appeared to make the Bulldog press less effective, as Concordia generated 23 turnovers (entered the night forcing a 30.4 per game).
“Northwestern’s a tough team. They’re playing really well,” Olson said. “They had a lot of fight to them and that fight made us fight a little bit harder. We really needed a game like this where it was a little bit closer.”
Morris, who added five steals (33-straight games with a steal), moved into fifth-place on the program’s all-time scoring list with her 1,734 points. She surpassed Lynda Beck (1,720) and sits just two points behind Stephanie Schilke (1,736) for fourth.
Morris and company have cruised past 15 of opponents by 10 points or more this season. Each of the last nine victories have come by double figures.
The Bulldogs now enjoy a midweek bye before going on the road next Saturday (Jan. 17) when they take on Briar Cliff (14-5, 7-3 GPAC) in Sioux City, Iowa. Tipoff is set for 2 p.m. Concordia, which has not played a road contest since defeating Dakota Wesleyan, 100-70, on Dec. 19, won the by a score of 69-59 in this season’s first meeting with the Chargers.
Bulldogs cool off hot Chargers with dominant second half
SIOUX CITY, Iowa – A 14-2 run to begin the second half stomped out host Briar Cliff’s momentum and helped carry the third-ranked Concordia University basketball team to a 76-60 win in Sioux City, Iowa, on Saturday afternoon. The Bulldogs trailed by as many as eight points in the first half before taking command with a dominant second half that saw them outscore the Chargers, 44-24.
Ninth-year head coach Drew Olson’s squad won for the 14th-straight time while improving to 19-1 overall and 12-1 in conference action. Concordia remained unbeaten on the road (9-0) while picking up its seventh victory over a ranked opponent.
Like several recent contests, the opposition hung tight for a half before seeing the Bulldogs run away in the second half.
“I think we’re doing a good job of adjusting and our players are figuring out what they need to do differently,” Olson said. “We have good depth and we just kept pounding away and wearing them down. Eventually we went on a big run.”
The Chargers (15-6, 7-4 GPAC) went into the halftime locker room up four and on the high of a 6-0 spurt. But the second half was all Bulldogs. Olson switched to a 2-3 zone to help protect three starters in foul trouble and Concordia responded. The Bulldogs shot 51.7 percent in the second half compared to 27.0 percent shooting by Briar Cliff.
Sophomore Becky Mueller, who tallied a game high 18 points, helped Concordia exercise control by scoring four early points out of the halftime break. She then nailed a trey and then a bucket in the paint on back-to-back possessions to make it 63-49 with 6:12 left. For good measure, she added another late triple that crushed any faint hope the Chargers still held.
“She came up pretty big,” Olson said of Mueller. “She’s been shooting the ball well in practice and our team did a good job of getting her open looks. She came through with some big threes. I thought she played really well defensively, too.”
Mueller and company forced 26 Briar Cliff turnovers and held the Chargers to 31.3 percent shooting overall. Even while playing a second half zone, the stifling Bulldogs managed 13 steals – three from senior Bailey Morris and two apiece from Mueller and freshman Mary Janovich.
A slow offensive start by Concordia helped Briar Cliff build a 21-13 lead, powered by an 11-0 Charger run. The Bulldogs responded with a 7-0 run capped by Rachel Royuk’s triple. They eventually regained the lead late in the half with a Morris shot from distance. Concordia trailed just 36-32 at half despite shooting only 29.7 percent over the first 20 minutes.
Morris joined Mueller as the only two Bulldogs in double figures in scoring. Morris posted a line of 14 points, eight rebounds, four assists and three steals in 31 minutes. Senior Tracy Peitz chipped in eight points and seven rebounds. Janovich added nine points.
For the Chargers, who had won 10 of their previous 11 games, Kaylee Blake led the way with 14 points on 5-for-9 shooting. Slone Masters turned in nine points and 13 rebounds as Briar Cliff held a 50-40 advantage on the boards.
The Bulldogs can tie for the second longest winning streak during Olson’s tenure by toppling No. 17 Hastings (13-6, 7-4 GPAC) on Wednesday. Tipoff is set for 6 p.m. from Walz Arena, where Concordia owns a record of 52-7 since the beginning of the 2011-12 season. In this season’s first meeting with the Broncos, the Bulldogs won, 68-65, over then No. 5 Hastings inside Lynn Farrell Arena on Nov. 25.
Morris watch: With 14 points on Saturday, Morris pushed her career total to 1,748, moving her past Stephanie Schilke (1,736) for fourth on the program’s all-time scoring list. In Morris’ sights are Whitney Stichka (1,765), Kari Saving (1,773) and Sarah Harrison (1,800).
Women’s basketball aims for eighth win over top 25 foe in Wednesday home contest
SEWARD, Neb. – The third-ranked Concordia University women’s basketball team carries a 14-game winning streak and seven wins over top 25 opponents into Wednesday night’s affair with No. 17 Hastings (13-6, 7-4 GPAC). Tipoff is slated for 6 p.m. from Walz Arena, where the Bulldogs are 52-7 (.881) since the start of the 2011-12 season. A win would give Concordia (19-1, 12-1 GPAC) a season sweep of the rival Broncos.
A live webcast of the contest will be available via the Concordia Sports Network.
Run of dominance continues
In last week’s only contest, the Bulldogs outscored No. 25 Briar Cliff, 44-24, in the second half to run away with a 76-60 win in Sioux City, Iowa, on Jan. 17. Concordia remained undefeated (9-0) on the road and won by a margin of 10 or more points for the 10th-consecutive game. Over the first 20 games, only four have been decided by fewer than 10 points.
The Bulldogs’ 19-1 overall record ranks as the best 20-game start in Olson’s nine seasons and the second best in school history. The 2002-03 Concordia Athletics Hall of Fame team won its first 33 games and finished with a program record win total (36-2). Olson led the 2011-12 and 2012-13 teams to records of 18-2 after 20 games. The 2011-12 squad ended up 34-3 for the second best final record in school annals.
Bulldogs make home in top 10
Tuesday’s release of the national rankings marked the 43rd time over the past 44 NAIA Division II polls that Concordia has been ranked inside the top 10. The Bulldogs own an active streak of 45-consecutive national rankings dating back to the 2011-12 preseason poll. The current senior class has played as a ranked team in every single game over the past four seasons. Olson’s program rose to the No. 1 ranking for the first four polls of the 2012-13 season. Concordia’s highest final national ranking during Olson’s tenure was third following the 2012-13 campaign.
Morris puts career scoring record in danger
With 14 points in the win at Briar Cliff, senior All-American point guard Bailey Morris passed Stephanie Schilke (1,736) for fourth on the program’s all-time scoring list. Morris’ 1,748 career points are 52 shy of Sarah Harrison’s school record 1,800 points over her career from 2001-05. A native of Clay Center, Neb., Morris already owns the program record for points in a single game thanks to her 45-point effort in last year’s 89-78 win over Northwestern. The 2013-14 GPAC player of the year is averaging 18.0 points per contest, putting her on track to eclipse Harrison’s total at the Concordia Invitational Tournament, Jan. 30-31.
Concordia all-time scoring leaders
1. Sarah Harrison (2001-05) – 1,800
2. Kari Saving (2001-05) – 1,773
3. Whitney Stichka (2004-09) – 1,765
4. Bailey Morris (2011-15) – 1,748
Peitz cracks top 20 in scoring
Eight points in Saturday’s victory over Briar Cliff bumped Tracy Peitz to 1,057 for her career, pushing her past Rachel Witzel (1,050) for 20th on the program’s all-time scoring list. Peitz became the 23rd Concordia women’s basketball player to reach 1,000 points when she surpassed that figure in the Dec. 19 win at Dakota Wesleyan. The native of Hartington, Neb., also ranks sixth in program history in steals with 270.
National leaders
One of four teams nationally with one or no losses, Concordia ranks highly among NAIA Division II teams in several key statistical categories, including:
- Second in steals per game (18.0)
- Second in scoring margin (22.4)
- Second in turnover margin (12.1)
- Fourth in scoring offense (85.5)
- Seventh in 3-point field goals (161)
- 11th in 3-point field goals made per game (8.1)
- 11th in assists per game (17.0)
- 19th in assist/turnover ratio (.955)
Hastings’ nine-game win streak snapped
From Nov. 29 through Jan. 14, Hastings won nine-straight games – five versus conference opponents – before a 60-46 loss at No. 1 Morningside on Jan. 17. The win streak allowed the Broncos to go from unranked to No. 17 in the national poll. One of four teams to share the GPAC regular-season crown last season, Hastings garnered a No. 5 ranking in the preseason. Head coach Carrie Hofstetter’s squad has suffered five of its six losses against ranked teams (all to squads ranked in the top 15). Star guard Jamie Van Kirk paces the Broncos with 19.3 points per game (second in the conference).
Morris, Peitz combine for 46 in 15th-straight win
SEWARD, Neb. – Despite an extended first half field goal drought, the third-ranked Concordia University women’s basketball team continued its winning ways. After trailing at the break, the Bulldogs used another big second half to claim an 82-75 victory over No. 17 Hastings inside Walz Arena on Wednesday night.
The win gave ninth-year head coach Drew Olson’s squad its eighth of the season over a ranked opponent. The Bulldogs, winners of 15 in a row, moved to 20-1 overall and 13-1 in conference action in the process of earning a regular-season sweep of the visiting Broncos (13-7, 7-5 GPAC).
Hastings couldn’t find an answer for All-Americans Bailey Morris and Tracy Peitz, who combined for 46 points and 18-for-23 shooting from the field. They were the catalysts for an offensive attack that blistered the nets by making 20 of 24 second half shot attempts.
“Our second half was great,” Olson said. “We had really good spacing and we were attacking the basket. I thought we had some silly turnovers at the beginning against man-to-man after playing against zone teams the past couple games.”
When Concordia needed big buckets, Peitz rammed into the paint with her devastating drives and delivered. She put up 12 second half points (18 for the game), including some crucial buckets after Morris went to the bench with four fouls. With the Bulldogs down 59-55 midway through the second half, Peitz went to work in scoring 10 of Concordia’s next 11 points.
“We knew Bailey was out because of foul trouble and she’s a very aggressive offensive player,” Peitz said. “I guess someone had to take over and I was feeling good at the time.”
Once Morris returned to the court late in the contest, the offense flowed at its highest precision all night. Morris racked up a game high 28 points of her own, but it was her passing that helped Concordia seal up win No. 20. She assisted on three crucial buckets in the final four minutes as the Bulldogs built a lead as large as nine.
The Broncos got back within 77-73 with 1:09 left following a deep Jamie Van Kirk trey and Abby Jackson score in the paint. But the Bulldogs ran in five of the game’s seven points to send Hastings to its second defeat in a row.
“Tracy’s been here before where something seems to click that we need her to take over,” Olson said. “She really did that tonight. But I thought everyone stepped up and helped us get stops. I thought Mary did a nice job handling the ball. A lot of people stepped up and made plays.”
With its star senior duo leading the way, Concordia shot a season best 63.5 percent from the field. Sophomore Becky Mueller got into the act by connecting on 6 of 9 shots for 13 points. Morris’ line included eight assists, five rebounds and a pair of steals.
Defensively, Concordia held Hastings to 43.6 percent shooting. Defensive stops paved the way for a Bulldog team that strangles its opponents in the second half. Olson again commended senior Kelsey Hizer, who helped keep Van Kirk (19 points) from tearing Concordia apart. Olson’s says the Bulldog defense is markedly better with Hizer in the game.
Hastings led by as many as 10 points in the first half and took a 37-31 advantage to the locker room. The Broncos built a lead by holding Concordia without a field goal for a stretch of 6:21 of game time early in the game.
The Bulldogs have the weekend off before returning to action on Wednesday, Jan. 28 when they travel to Crete to take on Doane (12-10, 8-4 GPAC). The Bulldogs recovered from a 12-0 deficit to win the first meeting with the then 21st-ranked Tigers, 62-54, on Dec. 3. Concordia has won each of the last seven meetings with Doane.
Morris watch
Bailey Morris began the day ranked fourth in program history with 1,748 career points. By the end of the night she moved up to second, blowing past both Whitney Stichka (1,765) and Kari Saving (1,773) as she continues to hunt Concordia’s career scoring record. At 1,776 points, Morris needs 25 to pass Sarah Harrison (1,800) at the top of the heap.
In addition, Morris added two steals on Wednesday to pull into a tie for third-place in program history in that category. The native of Clay Center, Neb., has 350 career thefts.
Concordia career scoring leaders
1. Sarah Harrison – 1,800
2. Bailey Morris – 1,776
3. Kari Saving – 1,773
4. Whitney Stichka – 1,765
5. Stephanie Schilke – 1,736
Morris garners GPAC weekly honor, nears scoring record
SEWARD, Neb. – For the seventh time in her career, senior All-American guard Bailey Morris has been named the GPAC/Hauff Mid-America Sports Women’s Basketball Player of the Week, as announced by the league on Tuesday. The native of Clay Center, Neb., received the same honor once as a sophomore, four times as a junior and now twice as a senior.
Her selection marks the third time this season a Concordia player has collected the honor. In addition to Morris’ two player of the week awards, freshman Mary Janovich earned the distinction on Dec. 9.
In last week’s only contest for the third-ranked Bulldogs, Morris totaled 28 points on 10-for-12 shooting from the field to power an 82-75 win over No. 17 Hastings on Jan. 21. She also added eight assists, five rebounds and a pair of steals in 32 minutes of action.
With her 32nd career game of 20 or more points, Morris pushed her career scoring total to 1,776, moving her past both Whitney Stichka (1,765) and Kari Saving (1,773) for second on the program’s all-time list. Morris needs 25 points to eclipse Sarah Harrison (1,800) for the most in the history of Concordia women’s basketball. Morris also ranks third in school annals in steals (350) and sixth in assists (425).
Among GPAC players, Morris ranks first in both assists (5.19) and steals per game (4.38) and third in scoring (18.4). Only one player in NAIA Division II has totaled more than Morris’ 92 steals. She also ranks in the top 10 nationally in assists.
Morris will make her push for the scoring record this week as the Bulldogs (20-1, 13-1 GPAC), winners of 15 straight, play at Doane on Wednesday before shifting focus to the two-day Concordia Invitational Tournament in Ann Arbor, Mich., on Friday and Saturday.
WHERE MORRIS RANKS (program all-time lists)
Scoring
1. Sarah Harrison (2001-05) – 1,800
2. Bailey Morris (2011-15) – 1,776
3. Kari Saving (2001-05) – 1,773
4. Whitney Stichka (2004-09) – 1,765
5. Lynda Beck (1988-92) – 1,720
Steals
1. Penny Jacobsen (1982-86) – 409
2. Andrea Janssen (1886-90) – 378
3. Bailey Morris (2011-15) – 350
3. Amy Scheil (1985-89) – 350
5. Kristen Conahan (2010-14) – 291
Assists
1. Andrea Janssen (1986-90) – 672
2. Trish Kindle (1990-94) – 577
3. Amy Weisbrook (1995-99) – 511
4. Elizabeth Rhoden (2000-04) – 492
5. Penny Jacobsen (1982-86) – 426
6. Bailey Morris (2011-15) – 425
2014-15 GPAC women’s basketball players of the week
Jan. 27 – Bailey Morris, Concordia
Jan. 20 – Hannah Dostal, Doane
Jan. 13 – Karen Ettleman, Northwestern
Jan. 6 – Jamie Van Kirk, Hastings
Dec. 23 – Jamie Van Kirk, Hastings
Dec. 16 – Kaylee Blake, Briar Cliff
Dec. 9 – Mary Janovich, Concordia
Dec. 2 – Bailey Morris, Concordia
Nov. 25 – Ashlynn Muhl, Morningside
Nov. 19 – Lexi Ackerman, Morningside
Morris breaks program career scoring record in win at Doane
CRETE, Neb. – Fittingly, in the game in which its senior All-American became the program’s most prolific scorer, the third-ranked Concordia women’s basketball team leaned upon its star. The Bulldogs hit host Doane with a steady dose of Bailey Morris, who fueled an 86-77 win in Crete. Morris torched the Tigers (12-12, 8-6 GPAC) for 30 points to pass Sarah Harrison (1,800 points) for the title of Concordia women’s basketball all-time leading scorer.
Ninth-year head coach Drew Olson’s squad won for the 16th-straight time, marking the second longest winning streak during Olson’s tenure. Concordia moved to 21-1 overall and 14-1 in conference play.
Morris entered the night needing 25 points to edge in front of Harrison. The former Sandy Creek prep star got point Nos. 25 and 26 on a driving layup with 7:36 left in the game for the record breaker.
It’s an achievement Morris says was made possible by a strong supporting cast within one of the NAIA’s most successful programs.
“It’s a pretty crazy feeling,” Morris said. “Concordia has always had a great women’s basketball program so knowing that I’m the all-time leading scorer is pretty surreal. Accomplishments like this one are individually given, but not individually earned. My teammates and coaches deserve so much credit.”
Morris’ record-busting score gave the Bulldogs a 65-61 advantage at the time, but a Doane team that received a national ranking earlier in the season wouldn’t go away just yet. Concordia did not take the lead for good until Becky Mueller splashed in a triple with 4:05 left, breaking a 67-all tie. The crucial long-distance shot initiated an 8-2 run that gave the Bulldogs control in the final minutes.
Off the bench, Concordia senior Jericca Pearson came through with a career high 19 points on 6-for-10 shooting from the field and 7-for-8 shooting from the free throw line. Pearson and company attacked the basket often, leading to 35 attempts (26 makes) from the charity stripe. The combo of Morris and Pearson made 5 of 5 free throw shots over the last 31 seconds to sew up the victory.
“It was a great GPAC win on the road,” Olson said. “It’s a good one to get out of the way. Our focus probably wasn’t all there. We weren’t all in sync. We hadn’t played in a week and CIT is coming up. That may have had something to do with it, but we did enough to win.”
Like she’s done so often throughout her career, Morris ensured the win with her dominant play on the court. She added five assists and five steals a day after being named the GPAC player of the week for the seventh time in her career.
Noted for her work ethic and a drive to be great, Morris has developed into one of the nation’s most exciting players. She ends the night with 1,806 points over 122 career games.
“I’m really proud of her,” Olson said. “It’s an individual accomplishment but I also think it’s pretty cool for the team. If we didn’t have a good team it wouldn’t mean as much. We’ve had some great players around her to complement and support her.
“She deserves it. She’s phenomenal. It’s a product of all her hard work. She was very good in high school. She’s become a great college player.”
Morris and Pearson were Concordia’s only double figure scorers. Mary Janovich chipped in nine points and four assists while Tracy Peitz netted eight points and three steals, including a critical one late in the game. Kelsey Hizer contributed four steals as part of a defensive effort that yielded 29 Doane turnovers.
The Bulldogs will rise early on Thursday and fly out of Omaha as they journey to the 64th annual Concordia University Invitational Tournament hosted by Concordia University, Ann Arbor. CUNE will play the very first game of the event on Friday when they take on Concordia University, Chicago at 1 p.m. EST. Historically, the Bulldogs have dominated the tournament with a CIT-leading 24 titles, including one last season at Concordia University, Wisconsin.
Bulldogs begin CIT title defense by throttling Cougars
ANN ARBOR, Mich. – Up against an improved Concordia-Chicago squad in the opening game of the 2015 Concordia Invitational Tournament, the third-ranked Bulldog women’s basketball team rolled to a 102-66 victory inside Cardinal Fieldhouse on Friday afternoon. The Cougars never figured out Tracy Peitz, who starred on both ends of the floor in moving CUNE a step closer to back-to-back CIT titles.
In the process, the Bulldogs extended their win streak to 17, marking the second longest under ninth-year head coach Drew Olson, who has led the Bulldogs to five CIT trophies in his first eight seasons. CUNE moved to 22-1 overall and 11-0 away from home.
“I thought we played hard, but it was pretty sloppy (59 combined turnovers) for most of the game,” Olson said. “Our turnovers were a little too high. I don’t know if it was from playing Wednesday and then having a long trip or the excitement of CIT. We weren’t sharp, but hopefully we’ll be better tomorrow.”
Not only did CUC have few answers for Peitz (20 points, 9-for-12 from the field), it struggled versus the Bulldogs’ nasty, in-your-face defensive pressure. The Bulldogs forced another 35 turnovers while holding the Cougars to 33.9 percent shooting in making for an anticlimactic CIT opener.
All 15 Bulldogs saw action with 14 of them registering in the scoring column. Peitz led a group of five double-figure scorers that included Bailey Morris (13), Becky Mueller (12), Mary Janovich (11) and Laurel Krohn (10). Jericca Pearson came off the bench and posted nine points, 10 rebounds and four steals. Concordia’s deep bench outscored the Cougar reserves by a margin of 42-18.
Janovich was part of the pesky performance that resulted in 23 steals. Janovich, Morris, Pearson and Peitz all turned in three or more thefts. Said Janovich, “Everybody on this team likes defense.”
In her first appearance on at the energized CIT, Janovich sank 5 of 6 shots despite some nerves early on.
“To be honest, I was pretty scared in the beginning,” said the Gretna, Neb., native. “I just got rid of the nerves and came out and played.”
Janovich helped CUNE reach the 100-point mark for the sixth time this season by converting a turnover into two points and then drilling a 3-pointer on the next possession to make it 95-63 with 2:33 left. The Bulldogs hit the century mark when sophomore Alayna Daberkow made a pair of free throws in the final minute in putting the finishing touches on the team’s 17th win by 10 points or more.
Sophomore Becky Mueller boosted the Bulldogs to their first double-digit lead at the 10:29 mark of the first half with a feathery trey. Powered by Morgan Jahnke (game high 22 points), CUC got back within six in the first half, but CUNE grew the lead to 15 by halftime and held an advantage of 12 or more the remainder of the game.
While Morris went 5-for-18 from the field two days after becoming the program’s all-time leading scorer, she dazzled the crowd by rising high for a block and then later whipping a pass behind the back to Peitz for two on a run out. She totaled seven assists and six rebounds.
The CIT trophy has called Seward home after 23 of the past 28 annual tournaments. The Bulldogs will shoot for their 25th all-time CIT title when they take the court at 5 p.m. EST on Saturday. CUNE will face the winner between Concordia-Wisconsin (14-4) and host Concordia-Ann Arbor (3-19). The Bulldogs defeated both teams last season on the way to claiming the CIT trophy in Mequon, Wis.
“Hopefully there’s a big crowd and hopefully there’s a lot of energy,” Olson said. “From today’s mistakes I think we learned, regardless of the situation, we have to play relaxed and play our game. I think (Saturday’s game) is great for us as we continue to play in bigger games.”
Bulldogs pluck Falcons on way to 25th CIT title
ANN ARBOR, Mich. – For the 24th time over the past 29 seasons, the Bulldog women’s basketball team has captured the Concordia Invitational Tournament title. On Saturday evening third-ranked CUNE bludgeoned Concordia University-Wisconsin (NCAA Division III), 89-37, inside Cardinal Fieldhouse in Ann Arbor, Mich.
The program’s 25th all-time CIT championship victory moved ninth-year head coach Drew Olson’s squad to 23-1 overall and pushed its winning streak to 18. The Bulldogs remain unbeaten away from home (12-0).
“I thought today we played much better. I thought our focus was a little bit better,” Olson said. “Defensively we were great, scrambling around making them play different than what they want to. They were never able to get into their half-court offense. Offensively, I was really proud with how we improved our spacing and ball movement.”
That Bulldog pressure defense grounded the Falcon attack. CUW (15-5) managed to shoot just 22.0 percent while committing 28 turnovers a day after Concordia-Chicago gave it up 35 times in CUNE’s Friday victory. In a sequence that summed up the night for the Falcons, freshman Mary Janovich poked the ball loose, only to turn it over, then steal the ball back and drop it off to senior Bailey Morris for two.
“We went on a huge run in our press,” Morris said. “That’s a huge emphasis for us every game – getting stops. I think our press really got to them. Then when we dropped back into half court we played great defense. Every single person who got onto the floor stepped up big time on defense.”
That crazy few seconds was part of a 17-2 second half-opening Bulldog splurge that left CUW in the dust. CUNE stood out as the clear aggressor in a battle between two teams that sit near the top of their respective conferences. Not only did the Bulldogs play smothering defense, they owned the boards, 51-33.
After a slow start, Morris heated up and led the way with a game high 18 points on the way to becoming the Bulldogs’ first back-to-back CIT MVP honoree since Whitney Stichka in 2008-09. The native of Clay Center, Neb., dropped three dimes and burned CUW with five thefts.
A Janovich layup on CUNE’s very first possession initiated a 14-3 run to open the game. Sophomore Becky Mueller threw in a pair of high-arcing treys during the spurt that set the tone for a dominant championship performance. Mueller went for 12 of her 14 points in the opening 20 minutes, helping make up for limited minutes from Tracy Peitz, who picked up her third foul at the 11:48 mark of the first half.
Peitz came back to the floor in the second half and made all three of her field goal attempts for seven points, earning all-tournament recognition along with Morris. Janovich, a nuisance to the CUW backcourt all game, joined Morris and Mueller (seven rebounds, two blocks) in double figures with 10 points to go along with her five rebounds and three steals.
“It’s hard for teams to guard us because we have so many different weapons,” Morris said. “I just think that’s what makes us really special.”
Olson’s six CIT titles rank as the second most all-time among Bulldog women’s basketball coaches. Carl Everts guided his teams to seven CIT trophies between 1983 and 1992.
Having completed a stretch of three games in four days, the Bulldogs return to Walz Arena for their final two regular-season home games. Up next is a date with Nebraska Wesleyan (2-17, 0-14 GPAC) for a 6 p.m. tipoff on Wednesday. Concordia has won each of the last 15 meetings with the Prairie Wolves, who are winless in conference play.
CIT All-Tournament Team
MVP – Bailey Morris, CUNE
Morgan Jahnke, CUC
Michelle Murnen, CUAA
Brianna Wagner, CUW
Tracy Peitz, CUNE
No. 3 Concordia pummels Prairie Wolves for 16th-straight time
SEWARD, Neb. – In a mismatch from the opening tip, the third-ranked Concordia University women’s basketball team opened the game with a 12-2 run on the way to its 19th win of the season by a margin of 10 points or more. Wednesday’s tilt resulted in a 73-42 Bulldog romp of visiting Nebraska Wesleyan, which remains winless in conference play.
The 19th-consecutive victory ran ninth-year head coach Drew Olson’s squad to 24-1 overall and 15-1 in GPAC games. Concordia has won each of the last 16 meetings with the rival Prairie Wolves.
“It’s been really fun,” freshman Jade Gottier said of the team’s run. “I really enjoy this team. Everybody is really unselfish and wants the best for everybody.”
Fresh off the program’s 25th Concordia Invitational Tournament title, the Bulldogs ‘tripled’ Nebraska Wesleyan to death in the early going. Each of Concordia’s first seven scores were either 3-point field goals or three-point plays that allowed for a comfortable margin just a few minutes into the game. The offense came from all directions with only freshman Mary Janovich (11 points) reaching double figures for the victors.
Even more impressive was the way in which the Bulldogs completely manhandled the Prairie Wolf offensive attack. Concordia suffocated Nebraska Wesleyan, holding the visitors without a field goal for more than 11 minutes during the first half. Over the first 20 minutes, the Prairie Wolves managed only 10 points while being swindled into 25 turnovers. They ended up with 36 turnovers for the game.
After extended field goal drought by both teams in the first half, Bailey Morris opened up the lid with consecutive triples and then a dish to Tracy Peitz on the break. The Bulldogs concluded the half on a 27-3 run that put the game out of reach.
The anticlimactic second half gave Concordia’s deep bench more opportunities for extended minutes. Morris and Peitz played just a combined nine minutes after halftime. The reserves totaled 39 points in helping grow an already insurmountable advantage. On the other hand, the Wesleyan bench contributed only five points.
“We prepare ourselves every day at practice,” Gottier said. “We’re always ready on the bench to go in at any moment. We just play the best we can while we’re in. We try to use our time we get.”
All 15 Bulldog players saw at least 11 minutes of action, including Gottier who posted a line of four points, four assists, three rebounds and three steals. Laurel Krohn topped all reserves with eight points. Morris, named CIT MVP over the weekend, posted all nine of her points in the first half.
Everyone played a role on Wednesday night, but the locker room dancing was left to the freshmen – as requested by the upperclassmen. It’s all part of enjoying the journey.
“I came in as the best dancer. Nobody really had a chance,” Gottier joked. “We’re all pretty awkward, so it was fun. We have fun together. It’s a good group.”
The Prairie Wolves (2-18, 0-15 GPAC) got a double-double from Amanda Diaz (10 points, 11 rebounds) and a game high 12 points from Felicia TeKolste.
The Bulldogs will honor their six seniors on Saturday when they play host for the final time during the 2014-15 regular season. Dakota Wesleyan (14-12, 7-9 GPAC) will serve as the opponent with tipoff slated for 2 p.m. from Walz Arena. The Concordia senior class, which has compiled a four-year record of 108-19, will aim for a season sweep of the Tigers, who have lost three-consecutive meetings with the Bulldogs.
Women’s basketball to honor loaded senior class on Saturday
SEWARD, Neb. – The Concordia University women’s basketball senior class, led by All-Americans Bailey Morris and Tracy Peitz, will play a regular-season game for the final time inside Walz Arena on Saturday when the Bulldogs host Dakota Wesleyan (14-12, 7-9 GPAC). Tipoff is slated for 2 p.m. in Seward.
Ninth-year head coach Drew Olson’s squad has won 19-straight games and each of the last three meetings with the Tigers. The Bulldogs (24-1, 15-1 GPAC) own a home record of 54-7 (.885) since the beginning of the 2011-12 season. Dakota Wesleyan is 6-7 in true road games.
A live webcast of the contest will be available via the Concordia Sports Network. Saturday is also Fan Appreciation Day in partnership with Wild Chiropractic and Acupuncture of Seward. Temporary tattoos and ice cream will be available between the women’s and men’s games at Walz.
Accomplished senior class
Concordia’s senior class owns a four-year record of 108-19 (.788), two GPAC regular-season titles, a GPAC tournament championship and a national semifinal appearance. The seniors are on track for a fourth-straight national tournament appearance, which would make them the second class in program history to do so. The group of six has produced a collective 4,469 points, 1,932 rebounds, 947 assists and 942 steals.
Morris tops the charts
With 30 points in last week’s 86-77 win at Doane, senior Bailey Morris became the program’s all-time leading scorer, surpassing former record holder Sarah Harrison (1,800). Currently averaging 18.3 points, Morris has run her career total to 1,846 points with five regular-season games, the conference tournament and the national tournament left on the slate. She also ranks in the top five in school history in both steals (third, 368) and assists (fifth, 443). Among GPAC players, the Clay Center, Neb., native ranks No. 1 in both steals per game (4.40) and assists per game (5.08) and third in scoring.
Bench mob
Over the past three outings, the Concordia bench has seen extensive action as the Bulldogs have won by margins of 36, 52 and 31 points. Of the team’s 264 points during that stretch, the reserves have chipped in 121 points. In the 73-42 dismantling of Nebraska Wesleyan, all 15 Bulldogs played between 12 and 16 minutes with all but one registering in the scoring column.
Chasing history
In the more than 50-year history of Concordia women’s basketball, only one Bulldog team has produced a better record than 24-1 after a season’s first 25 games. The 2002-03 GPAC champion and national semifinalist team won its first 33 games and finished 36-2 overall for a school record win total. The two losses were the fewest in a season for any Concordia women’s basketball team. The Bulldogs’ active win streak of 19 ranks as the third longest in program history behind the streaks posted by the 2011-12 (21) and 2002-03 (33) teams.
Best 25-game starts
2002-03: 25-0
2014-15: 24-1
2011-12: 23-2
2007-08: 22-3
2004-05: 22-3
2001-02: 22-3
2012-13: 21-4
2003-04: 21-4
2013-14: 20-5
Cruise control
Only two teams in NAIA Division II women’s basketball own a larger scoring margin than Concordia’s figure of plus-23.3 per game. Nineteen of the Bulldogs’ 24 victories have come by at least 10 points and 12 have been by 20 or more points. In cruising to its 25th CIT title last week, Drew Olson’s squad trounced both CU-Chicago, 102-66, and CU-Wisconsin, 89-37. The 102 points against the Cougars marked the sixth time that Concordia has reached the century mark this season.
Scouting Dakota Wesleyan
Head coach Jason Christensen’s team enters the weekend with consecutive wins after defeating both Doane (80-64) and Dordt (64-54) at The Corn Palace. An efficient offensive team, the Tigers rank third nationally in free throw percentage (.755), eighth in assists per game (17.1), 13th in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.0) and 21st in 3-point field goal percentage (.341). Senior guard Celeste Beck powers the attack with a team high 12.3 points per game and 69 triples (ninth among all NAIA Division II players). In the first meeting with Concordia, Dakota Wesleyan got outscored 64-33 in a dominant second half performance by the Bulldogs in Mitchell, S.D. Bailey Morris tallied 17 of her 29 points over the last 20 minutes.
Morris named to Capital One Academic All-District team
View All-District women’s basketball teams
SEWARD, Neb. – Named a first team All-American and GPAC player of the year last season, Bailey Morris has received yet another accolade. The senior point guard has been placed on the 2014-15 Capital One Academic All-District® 3 Women’s Basketball College Division second team, as announced by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) on Thursday.
CoSIDA: “The Capital One Academic All-District® Women’s Basketball Teams have been released to recognize the nation’s top student-athletes for their combined performances athletically and in the classroom. Capital One has been the entitlement rights holder to CoSIDA’s Academic All-America teams programs since 2011.”
Other Concordia All-District selections in 2014-15 include Brendan Buchanan (soccer), Chandler Folkerts (basketball), Rachel Mussell (soccer) and Melissa Stine (soccer). Morris, a sports management major, has received the all-district honor for the first time in her career.
A native of Clay Center, Neb., Morris broke the Bulldog women’s basketball career scoring record last week by tallying 30 points in an 86-77 win at Doane. Morris, who has 1,846 career points, is averaging 18.3 points, 5.08 assists and 4.40 steals per game as a senior. She also ranks third in program history in steals (368) and fifth in assists (443).
Led by Morris, Concordia is ranked third in NAIA Division II and sports records of 24-1 overall and 15-1 in conference play. Morris and the Bulldogs possess an active 19-game winning streak.
District 3 of the College Division covers institutions in the states of Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, North Dakota, Nebraska, South Dakota and Wisconsin.
Academic All-District® honorees advance to the Capital One Academic All-America® Team ballot, where first-, second- and third-team All-America honorees will be selected and then released on Feb. 18.
Bulldogs overcome shooting struggles for 20th-straight win
SEWARD, Neb. – Despite shooting only 29.6 percent from the field, the third-ranked Concordia University women’s basketball team found another way to win. Freshman Mary Janovich provided the crucial 3-pointers and a big defensive play to help send the Bulldogs to the winner’s circle for the 20th-straight time. Concordia prevailed over upset-minded Dakota Wesleyan, 76-71, inside Walz Arena on Saturday afternoon.
On a day in which the program celebrated senior day, ninth-year head coach Drew Olson’s squad moved to 25-1 overall and 16-1 in conference action. The senior class owns a four-year record of 109-18, including 55-7 at home.
Having won 19 games by 10 or more points, Concordia found itself in an unfamiliar situation facing a deficit in the final minute on Saturday.
“I knew this was going to be a close contest. I’m just really proud of our group for sticking with it and making the plays at the end of the game,” Olson said. “Bailey (Morris) came up big when we needed it.”
The Bulldogs fell behind, 71-70, when Erica Herrold scored in the paint with :33 left on the clock. Playing her final regular-season home game of her career, Morris put Concordia back on top with a driving layup. The Bulldogs then iced it with Janovich’s sprawling steal and a pair of Shelby Quinn free throws. For good measure, Janovich flipped up a bunny just before the buzzer sounded.
The latest matchup with Dakota Wesleyan (14-13, 7-10 GPAC) played out much differently than the meeting back on Dec. 19 in Mitchell when Concordia dominated the second half in a 100-70 victory. Over Saturday’s first 20 minutes, the Bulldogs made only 10 of 41 (.244) shots from the field. The frustrating opening half included several missed layups.
On the other side, Dakota Wesleyan nearly pulled off the upset by shooting 50.9 percent from the floor. Katie Johnson (14 points) and Herrold (12 points) shot a combined 11-for-14.
“They shot a whole lot better than we did,” Olson said. “Some of that’s on us for not understanding who the shooters are and making the adjustments throughout the game. Like I said, I’m just really proud of our group and proud of our seniors.”
Once again the key proved to be the Bulldogs’ ability to harass the opposition with their pressure defense. Concordia forced 34 turnovers while committing only 11, paving the way for a 35-11 advantage in points off turnovers. Janovich also provided a big lift with 15 points (6-for-8 shooting) on an afternoon when many Bulldog standouts struggled with their jump shots.
Janovich drilled three critical second half threes in addition to the steal with Concordia clinging to a 72-71 lead in the final seconds.
“She was fantastic,” Olson said. “She hit a couple big threes. She was phenomenal.”
For the first time this season, Olson used a an all senior starting lineup of Kelsey Hizer, Ashley Kuntz, Morris, Jericca Pearson and Rachel Royuk. Morris turned in a game high 19 points (5-for-19 shooting) while adding five rebounds and four steals. Tracy Peitz came off the bench to record 10 points, six rebounds and five assists. Sophomore Becky Muller chipped in a dozen points.
Both Morris and Peitz were recognized prior to tipoff for their career achievements. Last week Morris became the program's all-time leading scorer by piling up 30 points in a win at Doane. Peitz reached 1,000 career points in the first meeting with Dakota Wesleyan.
The Bulldogs will now play each of their final four regular-season games away from Walz. The run of road games begins with Midland (10-16, 4-12 GPAC) at 6 p.m. on Wednesday. Concordia has won 13-straight meetings with the Warriors, who are 3-8 at home. The Bulldogs, 12-0 in road/neutral games, can equal the second longest winning streak (21) in program history with a victory on Wednesday.
All 15 Bulldogs score in drubbing at Midland
FREMONT, Neb. – After a close call in a weekend home win, the third-ranked Concordia University women’s basketball team got back to its dominant ways by thumping host Midland, 105-66, in Fremont, Neb., on Wednesday night. The Bulldogs won their 14th-straight meeting with the Warriors while remaining undefeated away from Walz Arena (13-0).
In the process, ninth-year head coach Drew Olson’s squad tied the second-longest winning streak in program history, equaling the 21-consecutive victories posted by Olson’s 2011-12 team. Concordia is 26-1 overall and 17-1 in conference action. A two-horse race for the GPAC regular-season title will come down to the Bulldogs and No. 1 Morningside (17-0 GPAC).
On Wednesday Concordia pulverized the Warriors by forcing 29 turnovers after having coerced 70 combined turnovers in its previous two contests. Like many opponents, Midland had no answers for a Bulldog press led by senior Kelsey Hizer.
“I thought defensively we were as good as we’ve been in terms of knowing exactly what we were doing and what they were doing,” Olson said. “Our effort and our rotation was really good.”
Fueled by Becky Mueller’s hot start, Concordia quickly grabbed a double-digit advantage. Mueller knocked down treys on back-to-back possessions to give the Bulldogs a 21-10 lead less than nine minutes after tipoff. Just one minute later the advantage grew to 28-12 after a six-point possession that began with Mary Janovich’s theft. On Janovich’s proceeding layup, she was pushed in the back, drawing an intentional foul.
Mueller wasn’t done. She sniped two more triples in the first half and another in the second half in helping lead the blowout victory. Mueller poured in a game high 21 points for a Bulldog squad that got at least three points from all 15 players who suited up. They combined to give Concordia its seventh 100-point contest of the campaign.
“Becky was a big reason we were able to get the lead from six to about 14,” Olson said. “Then she went on another run to help us get it up to 20. I pulled her out early after she missed a few shots. When she went back in she just had that look in her eye like she was going to go out and dominate.”
All-time leading scorer Bailey Morris did not even register on the scoreboard until the 6:00 mark of the first half. Her nine points over the opening half’s final six minutes helped push the lead to as many as 28 points before the break. Morris ended up with 16 points and five steals while adding another crowd-pleasing no-look assist (one of five assists).
Late in the contest Jade Gottier (seven points in seven minutes) and Devin Edwards joined the party by splashing home a trey apiece. As a team, Concordia made 11 of 34 attempts from 3-point range. It shot 45.8 percent overall compared to 37.7 percent by Midland.
The Warriors (10-17, 4-13 GPAC), who have lost eight of 11, were topped by Taylor Shepard’s 14 points.
Even in a lopsided win, Olson saw areas in need of improvement with two conference road showdowns yet to come.
“We can get a little better offensively,” Olson said. “There were times where we were stagnant and our spacing wasn’t good. Plus we had some foul issues.”
The Bulldogs will hit the road again on Saturday when they play at Northwestern (16-9, 10-7 GPAC) at 2 p.m. Concordia has not won in Orange City, Iowa, since a 67-63 victory over the Red Raiders on Feb. 5, 2005. Despite playing without Tracy Peitz in this season’s first meeting, Concordia topped Northwestern, 90-80, in Seward on Jan. 10. The Red Raiders have won five of their last six games.
Igniting the spark: Bailey’s rise to GPAC’s top player
By Jake Knabel, Director of Athletic Communications
The most prolific scorer in the history of Concordia women’s basketball never tallied more than 19 points in a single game during her high school career. A secondary scoring option for much of her early hoops career, Bailey Morris grew up rooting for local Hastings College before starring at Silver Lake and Sandy Creek high schools.
Surrounded by other future collegiate players, Morris played the role of distributor for high school teams that produced a combined four-year record of 89-10 and a state runner-up finish. Upon her arrival at Concordia, Morris was asked by head coach Drew Olson to score. Yeah, no problem, coach. Morris answered the call in emphatic fashion.
She came up with her first career 20-point game in her sophomore season at Concordia – and she never stopped scoring.
Says Morris, “That was the first time I ever had 20 and I remember being really excited.”
Now at 1,881 career points in a Bulldog uniform, Morris has flown by the program’s career scoring record formerly held by Sarah Harrison (1,800). As her current head coach will attest, Morris’ success on the collegiate level trumps her level of accomplishment as a prep. Last February Morris announced her arrival upon the national scene with her Concordia single-game scoring record of 45 points in a win over Northwestern.
Wrote Olson in a senior day tribute to his star point guard: “She made herself into the best player in the country with extreme work ethic, great creativity, a love of learning the game by watching film and a competitiveness that is extremely rare. I am so impressed with her ability to take on different challenges and lead this program in different ways throughout her career.”
On the basketball court, Morris has done just about everything. The 2013-14 GPAC player of the year delights crowds with her characteristic theatrical flair. In the team’s 62-54 win over Doane on Dec. 3, the jet-quick guard dropped a no-look, behind-the-back dime on the break before later crossing a Tiger player over so badly she plummeted to the court.
Even when she’s not torching the nets, Morris is the most compelling and most competitive player on the floor. The seven-time GPAC player of the week plays much bigger than her 5-foot-4 inch frame. She’s even surprised her opposition with seven blocked shots this season. Basically, she’ll do whatever it takes to win.
While her talent as a high school player was obvious, Morris emerged as somewhat of a diamond in the rough considering the lukewarm recruiting interest she received coming out of Sandy Creek.
“I actually wasn’t recruited a whole lot,” Morris said. “I was looking at Fort Hays (State University) at the time, but I wasn’t good enough to play at that level yet, especially as a point guard. I looked at Wayne State a little bit. Cloud County is a JUCO down in Kansas and they wanted me really bad, but I wasn’t interested in going to a JUCO. I had come to a camp at Concordia and I had talked to Coach Olson before and I shot him an email. We talked and the rest is history I guess.”
Morris hadn’t exactly dreamed of playing at Concordia. As a child she idolized Carrie Hofstetter, a former star player at Hastings College and now the Bronco head coach. With Hofstetter an assistant at Fort Hays when it came time for Morris to choose a college, Hastings essentially ignored Morris.
That opened the door for Olson and Concordia, already a powerhouse program, but one Morris was wired to dislike because of its intense rivalry with Hastings.
“Looking back, I’m like, ‘wow, I hated Concordia. I can’t believe I ended up here,’” Morris joked.
Concordia has proven to be the right place for the explosion of Morris’ game. But before the thought of becoming a Bulldog ever crossed her mind, the Clay Center, Neb., native developed her gym rat-like habits at an early age. She started playing basketball in the second grade and credits her father Greg, Hofstetter and former high school coach Russ Ninemire as her biggest basketball influences prior to her career in Seward.
Basketball is more than just a game for Morris. It’s a big part of who she is. As a youngster she tagged along with Hofstetter to the gym and learned from her father, who formerly assisted at Sandy Creek High School.
“The love I have for the game of basketball has always been there,” Morris said. “A lot of that comes from the people I’ve played with and the people who have gotten me where I’m at. I wouldn’t be able to enjoy the game if those people weren’t in my life. It’s just always been there.”
That passion for the game has helped Morris become the spark that ignites one of the nation’s best women’s basketball teams. ‘Spark’ is also what fuels Concordia’s dynamic point guard. Instead of reaching for a Snickers, Morris gets a boost from her favorite energy drink mix. She isn’t her without her Spark.
“It’s funny because I’ve been called a spark since my sophomore year in high school. Like, ‘she provides a spark off the bench,’” Morris explains. “It’s just kind of stuck with me. Me and my family laugh about it because I’ve been called it for so long.”
A dynamic player to the max, few adjectives can adequately sum up Morris’ greatness or where exactly it came from. Her family tree provides some insight. Her mother Angie played collegiate volleyball and her dad was a kicker at the University of Nebraska-Omaha. She also has an uncle who enjoyed a solid career on the hardwood at Hastings.
Still, few saw Morris’ small stature and modest high school senior season scoring average of 13 points per game as signs of future stardom. Even at the NAIA Division II level, Morris often finds herself as the shortest player on the court. She herself would have had trouble forecasting her eventual success and rise to the top of the program’s scoring list. She entered Concordia thinking she may even see time on the junior varsity as a freshman.
But Olson quickly saw past Morris’ lack of height. She had already figured out how to overcome it.
“I’ve always been pretty small,” Morris said. “When I was younger it was nice because I could just weave in and out of people. I kind of realized my vertical jump my sophomore year of high school. I was like, ‘wow, I can jump pretty high.’ So that helped and also watching other female players who aren’t very big playing college and just seeing how they protect the ball through traffic and how they have to do things a little bit differently to get a pass where they want it to go or to get a shot off. I can’t play like someone who’s 5-8, 5-9. I have to deal with what I’ve got so you have to learn different ways to do things.”
So brilliant has her time at Concordia been, Morris is even having thoughts of extending her career beyond college – should she be given a chance to play overseas. She knows it won’t be easy trying to make it when faced with a ramped up level of competition, but says “if I didn’t even give it a shot I’d regret it in the end.”
The end has not yet come for Morris and the 2014-15 Bulldogs. What’s left? A shot for Morris to reach 2,000 career points and to enjoy an extended stay in Sioux City at the national tournament. What Morris wants most for her team is something she can’t quite bring herself to say.
“If I give you the answer I want to give you, Coach probably won’t be too happy with me,” Morris joked prior to the start of this week’s action. “I’m going to say we’re going to Midland tomorrow night and getting some work done. I’m really excited to see us fulfill our potential because that’s the ultimate goal for this team. I know we have a lot of it.”
Sure the one-game-at-a-time line is cliché for Concordia’s ‘spark,’ but who’s to argue with the approach of someone whose teams have gone 198-28 over the past eight years? Just tell her what she needs to do to help the team win. You say you want points? How does 1,881 (and counting) of them work for you?
Morris powers first win at Northwestern in 10 years
ORANGE CITY, Iowa – For the first time in more than 10 years, the third-ranked Concordia University women’s basketball team came out of Orange City, Iowa, with a victory. The Bulldogs ended the decade-long drought by getting another dominant performance from senior guard Bailey Morris, the catalyst of the 83-57 win at Northwestern on Saturday.
With the regular-season sweep of the Red Raiders (16-10, 10-8 GPAC), ninth-year head coach Drew Olson’s squad bumped its winning streak to 22 (second longest in program history) while improving to 27-1 overall and 18-1 in conference play. Concordia will have a shot for at least a share of the conference regular-season title when it meets first-place Morningside (28-0, 18-0 GPAC) in one week in Sioux City, Iowa.
On Saturday Concordia kept its unblemished mark (13-0) away from home intact with Olson’s first win at Northwestern as either coach or player.
“I went crazy (afterwards) but I don’t think our players understood why at first,” Olson said. “But overall they know it’s a big win for us and our program.”
Northwestern cut a 12-point first half deficit down to five early in the second half. That’s when Morris heated up. She took over the contest with 23 of her 29 points in the second half almost exactly a year since hanging a program single-season record 45 points on the Red Raiders in Seward. Morris drained 11 of 23 shots from the field and pulled down seven rebounds.
“Bailey realized she could shoot it. They just kept backing off of her,” Olson said. “They were so worried about her getting into the lane with her quickness. She started making shots and it gave her more confidence. She was fantastic. Her second half was awesome.”
A 22-7 run turned a five-point lead into a 20-point advantage (62-42) with 9:06 left. Morris notched 12 points during the spurt and assisted on two other buckets, including one by Becky Mueller on the break. Concordia shot 50 percent (19-for-38) and outscored the host Red Raiders 50-32 over the game’s final 20 minutes.
On the defensive end, the Bulldogs hounded Northwestern, holding it to 32.7 percent shooting for the game. The Red Raiders got only 25 combined points by players not named Karen Ettleman (17 points) or Paige O’Neal (15 points). Head coach Chris Yaw’s team made only two of its 12 attempts from 3-point range.
Senior Kelsey Hizer received praise from Olson for her work on Ettleman in transition. Hizer is arguably the top defensive player for one of the nation’s most terrifying presses.
“Our defense, especially in the second half, was probably the best it’s been in the half court,” Olson said. “I thought Kelsey did a great job on Ettleman in transition. She usually gets a ton of points by getting out and running. Then in the half court we were talking and switching and keeping things in front of us and our posts did a good job clogging the lane.”
Morris was joined by Tracy Peitz (14 points, nine rebounds) and Becky Mueller (10 points) as Bulldogs to reach double figures in scoring. Jericca Pearson chipped in six points and four rebounds off the bench.
Prior to Saturday, Concordia’s most recent win at Northwestern had come on Feb. 5, 2005, when the Bulldogs authored a 67-63 victory in Orange City. The Red Raiders had won nine-straight home meetings with Concordia.
Just two games remain on the regular-season slate for the Bulldogs. Olson’s squad will travel to Grace University for a 7 p.m. contest on Wednesday before gearing up for the showdown with No. 1 Morningside next Saturday. In this season’s first meeting with Grace, Concordia won, 102-31, in Seward on Nov. 18.
Morris nets eighth career GPAC player of the week award
SEWARD, Neb. – For the third time this season, and for the eighth time in her career, senior All-American Bailey Morris has been named the GPAC/Hauff Mid-America Sports Women’s Basketball Player of the Week, as announced by the league on Tuesday. The native of Clay Center, Neb., received the same honor once as a sophomore and four times as a junior.
In addition to Morris’ three conference player of the week awards this season, freshman Mary Janovich garnered the same distinction on Dec. 9.
Already the program’s all-time leading scorer, Morris padded her career total with 45 points over last week’s pair of road wins. The Concordia star point guard racked up 29 points while making seven 3-point field goals on Feb. 14 to end a drought of 10 years since the Bulldogs last defeated Northwestern on the road. In 55 minutes of action last week, Morris dished out nine dimes and committed only three turnovers.
With seven steals for the week, Morris moved up to No. 2 in program history with 379 career thefts. The record of 409 steals is held by Andrea Janssen, who played from 1986-90. Morris also ranks fifth on the school career assists list with 454 dimes.
Last season’s GPAC player of the year, Morris tops the conference in both assists (4.93) and steals (4.32) per game while ranking third in scoring (18.6) points per contest. At her current scoring rate, Morris will need five more games to crack 2,000 career points.
Morris and the Bulldogs (27-1, 18-1 GPAC) carry a 22-game win streak (second longest in program history) into this week’s action. Concordia will play at Grace University at 7 p.m. on Wednesday before shifting focus to Saturday’s showdown at No. 1 Morningside (28-0, 18-0 GPAC). Head coach Drew Olson’s squad can claim at least a share of its third GPAC regular-season title in four seasons by knocking off the Mustangs.
2014-15 GPAC women’s basketball players of the week
Feb. 17 – Bailey Morris, Concordia
Feb. 10 – Karen Ettleman, Northwestern
Feb. 3 – Paige O’Neal, Northwestern
Jan. 27 – Bailey Morris, Concordia
Jan. 20 – Hannah Dostal, Doane
Jan. 13 – Karen Ettleman, Northwestern
Jan. 6 – Jamie Van Kirk, Hastings
Dec. 23 – Jamie Van Kirk, Hastings
Dec. 16 – Kaylee Blake, Briar Cliff
Dec. 9 – Mary Janovich, Concordia
Dec. 2 – Bailey Morris, Concordia
Nov. 25 – Ashlynn Muhl, Morningside
Nov. 19 – Lexi Ackerman, Morningside
Gottier goes for career high 19 in 23rd-straight win
OMAHA, Neb. – While resting its starters as well as top reserve Jericca Pearson in preparation for Saturday’s highly-anticipated matchup with No. 1 Morningside, the third-ranked Concordia University women’s basketball team walloped host Grace University, 92-32, in Omaha on Wednesday night. Freshman Jade Gottier came off the bench and eclipsed a career high point total during the first half as part of a game-high 19-point performance.
Ninth-year head coach Drew Olson’s squad pushed its winning streak to 23 and moved to 28-1 overall. The Bulldogs remain undefeated away from home (15-0). The Royals fell to 3-25.
“I thought they were focused and very prepared,” Olson said of his group of nine that suited up for Wednesday’s road contest. “It would have been human to be too relaxed. I thought we had the right mindset and played sharp, especially in the first half. We built up a big lead early.”
Three other Bulldogs joined Gottier in double figures in the scoring column and Concordia’s youthful lineup held Grace to just 22.2 percent (12-for-54) shooting from the field. The Royals also committed 32 turnovers compared to just 11 giveaways by the Bulldogs.
Also off the bench, sophomore Alayna Daberkow came up just short of a double-double with 13 points and nine rebounds. Meanwhile, Devin Edwards equaled a career best with 12 points while pilfering six steals to tie Gottier for a team high. Freshman Brenleigh Daum nailed all three of her 3-point field goals in the first half on the way to 11 points.
On an evening when several of Concordia’s core players watched from the bench, Olson doled out 20 or more minutes to six players who all averaged fewer than 12 minutes per game entering the week. They answered the call by leading the Bulldogs to their 16th win of the season by 20-plus points. None took better advantage than Gottier, a native of Albion, Neb.
“I thought Jade played well. She was really aggressive,” Olson said. “She did a nice job of making the extra pass. There were plays where she passed up a shot of her own for an even more wide open shot.”
Senior Rachel Royuk saw 23 minutes of action and fired off 13 shots. She ended up with a career high nine points. Sophomore guard Shelby Quinn also put up nine points for the Bulldogs. Quinn started alongside Edwards, Laurel Krohn, Ashley Kuntz and Jenna Lehmann.
Concordia jumped out to a 17-2 lead with four 3-pointers in the game’s opening seven minutes. The Bulldogs held an advantage of at least 13 points the remainder of the game. Concordia finished the game at 12-for-33 (.364) from 3-point range.
Karen Orozco recorded 12 points and 11 rebounds as the only Royal to reach double figures in scoring. Grace is a member of the National Christian College Athletic Association.
The Bulldogs close the regular season on Saturday with the showdown looming against unbeaten Morningside (29-0, 19-0 GPAC) in what will almost certainly be dubbed the NAIA Division II women’s basketball game of the week. With a win, Concordia would lock up a share of its third GPAC regular-season title in four seasons and fourth in the 15-year history of the GPAC. Tipoff from Sioux City, Iowa, is slated for 2 p.m.
Gottier goes for career high 19 in 23rd-straight win
OMAHA, Neb. – While resting its starters as well as top reserve Jericca Pearson in preparation for Saturday’s highly-anticipated matchup with No. 1 Morningside, the third-ranked Concordia University women’s basketball team walloped host Grace University, 92-32, in Omaha on Wednesday night. Freshman Jade Gottier came off the bench and eclipsed a career high point total during the first half as part of a game-high 19-point performance.
Ninth-year head coach Drew Olson’s squad pushed its winning streak to 23 and moved to 28-1 overall. The Bulldogs remain undefeated away from home (15-0). The Royals fell to 3-25.
“I thought they were focused and very prepared,” Olson said of his group of nine that suited up for Wednesday’s road contest. “It would have been human to be too relaxed. I thought we had the right mindset and played sharp, especially in the first half. We built up a big lead early.”
Three other Bulldogs joined Gottier in double figures in the scoring column and Concordia’s youthful lineup held Grace to just 22.2 percent (12-for-54) shooting from the field. The Royals also committed 32 turnovers compared to just 11 giveaways by the Bulldogs.
Also off the bench, sophomore Alayna Daberkow came up just short of a double-double with 13 points and nine rebounds. Meanwhile, Devin Edwards equaled a career best with 12 points while pilfering six steals to tie Gottier for a team high. Freshman Brenleigh Daum nailed all three of her 3-point field goals in the first half on the way to 11 points.
On an evening when several of Concordia’s core players watched from the bench, Olson doled out 20 or more minutes to six players who all averaged fewer than 12 minutes per game entering the week. They answered the call by leading the Bulldogs to their 16th win of the season by 20-plus points. None took better advantage than Gottier, a native of Albion, Neb.
“I thought Jade played well. She was really aggressive,” Olson said. “She did a nice job of making the extra pass. There were plays where she passed up a shot of her own for an even more wide open shot.”
Senior Rachel Royuk saw 23 minutes of action and fired off 13 shots. She ended up with a career high nine points. Sophomore guard Shelby Quinn also put up nine points for the Bulldogs. Quinn started alongside Edwards, Laurel Krohn, Ashley Kuntz and Jenna Lehmann.
Concordia jumped out to a 17-2 lead with four 3-pointers in the game’s opening seven minutes. The Bulldogs held an advantage of at least 13 points the remainder of the game. Concordia finished the game at 12-for-33 (.364) from 3-point range.
Karen Orozco recorded 12 points and 11 rebounds as the only Royal to reach double figures in scoring. Grace is a member of the National Christian College Athletic Association.
The Bulldogs close the regular season on Saturday with the showdown looming against unbeaten Morningside (29-0, 19-0 GPAC) in what will almost certainly be dubbed the NAIA Division II women’s basketball game of the week. With a win, Concordia would lock up a share of its third GPAC regular-season title in four seasons and fourth in the 15-year history of the GPAC. Tipoff from Sioux City, Iowa, is slated for 2 p.m.
Women’s basketball hosts No. 9 Friends in Tuesday top 10 clash
SEWARD, Neb. – For the seventh time this season, the third-ranked Concordia University women’s basketball team will take on a ranked opponent when it welcomes No. 9 Friends University to Seward for a 4 p.m. tipoff on Tuesday. The Bulldogs are 6-1 this season when playing inside Walz Arena and sport a 48-7 (.873) home record since the beginning of the 2011-12 season.
Admission will not be charged on Tuesday afternoon in appreciation of all Seward community members and Bulldog fans who support the Concordia University athletics department. A live webcast of the contest will be available via the Concordia Sports Network.
Getting offensive
Thanks to an offensive explosion in recent weeks, ninth-year head coach Drew Olson’s squad has won each of its last five games by margins of 22 points or more as part of an active nine-game winning streak. Over the past four contests, Concordia has averaged 101.8 points per game while reaching the century mark three times. Over that stretch, the Bulldogs have made at least 11 treys in each game while going a combined 53-for-140 (.379) from beyond the 3-point arc. Concordia has moved up to No. 6 among all NAIA Division II teams with an average of 84.5 points per game (No. 1 in the GPAC).
Morris eyes Conahan
Senior All-American point guard Bailey Morris jumped up another rung on the program’s all-time scoring list by totaling a game high 29 points in the 100-70 win at Dakota Wesleyan on Dec. 19. After passing Shelly Poppe (1,630 points), Morris now ranks seventh with 1,650 points in 115 career games. That figure puts the native of Clay Center, Neb., just six points away from former teammate and current assistant coach Kristen Conahan (1,656 points) for sixth on the chart. Morris also ranks fourth in Bulldog history in steals (323) and seventh in assists (389). She’s the only player in program annals to amass 1,600+ points, 400+ rebounds, 375+ assists and 300+ steals for a career.
Peitz joins 1,000-point club
Senior Tracy Peitz, a 2013-14 third team All-American and GPAC defensive player of the year, became the 23rd member of the program’s 1,000-point club by recording nine points as part of the win at Dakota Wesleyan. The native of Hartington, Neb., now with 1,001 career points, needs 10 more rebounds to become the 10th ever Concordia women’s basketball player to eclipse 1,000 points and 500 rebounds. She is coming off a career best junior season in which she averaged 13.8 points, 6.1 rebounds, 2.6 steals and 2.4 assists per game.
Senior class zeroes in on 100 wins
Very few classes in any sport in the history of Concordia athletics can claim the level of success authored by the 2014-15 Bulldog women’s basketball seniors. With a four-year record of 98-19, the current seniors, led by Bailey Morris and Tracy Peitz, need just two more wins to become only the second class in program history to reach that lofty win total. Seniors Sarah Harrison and Kari Saving (top two scorers in school history) led a class that went a combined 123-21 (.854) and made two national tournament semifinal appearances from 2001-05. The current group of six seniors has won two GPAC regular-season titles, a GPAC tournament title and has advanced as far as the semifinals of the national tournament.
Giant slayer
Concordia ran the gauntlet over its first 10 games, facing six ranked opponents and another that had been receiving votes in the national poll at the time of the game. The Bulldogs have won five of six contests against top 25 foes, capturing victories over No. 5 Hastings (68-65), No. 6 Saint Xavier (81-64), No. 7 Jamestown (90-72), No. 17 Mayville State (89-79) and No. 21 Doane (62-54). Three-straight wins over top 20 opponents to begin the season allowed Concordia to move from No. 9 in the preseason poll to No. 3, where it has remained in back-to-back rankings. Olson’s program has an active streak of 42-conseuctive top 25 rankings.
Best of the best
A member of the league routinely regarded as the top women’s basketball conference in NAIA Division II, the Bulldogs have paced the league over the past four seasons with a record of 58-11 (.841) in GPAC regular-season play. Top-ranked Morningside carries a conference mark of 56-11 (.836) during that same time frame. Concordia’s conference records since 2011-12 are 18-2, 16-4, 16-4 and 8-1.
Friends sports 2-0 record vs. GPAC opponents
Friends University, an institution located Wichita, Kan., and affiliated with the NAIA’s Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference, will play a GPAC opponent for the third time this season when the action tips off on Tuesday. The Falcons (12-2) own wins over No. 5 Hastings (61-53) on Nov. 28 and Doane (74-60) on Nov. 29. Fifth-year head coach RaeAnne Boothe relies upon senior guard Kayla Mollere (team leader in scoring, rebounding, steals and blocks) and a stingy defense that, among all NAIA Division II teams, ranks first in field goal percentage defense (.312) and seventh in scoring defense (53.6). The ninth-ranked Falcons, who sit atop the KCAC, have reached the national tournament in each of the last three seasons.
Third-ranked Concordia steamrolls No. 9 Friends, 94-67
SEWARD, Neb. – The third-ranked Concordia University women’s basketball team wasted little time knocking off the rust accumulated over a 10-day stretch without a game in its latest impressive outing. The Bulldogs quickly built a double-digit advantage and cruised to a 94-67 win over Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference leader and ninth-ranked Friends University inside Walz Arena on Tuesday afternoon.
By claiming its sixth win over a top 25 foe – fourth versus a top 10 team – head coach Drew Olson’s squad ran its winning streak to 10 and improved to 15-1 overall.
“I was really pleased with our effort,” Olson said. “We played really hard. For having 10 days off you would think we would be a little bit rusty, but we had good rhythm together.”
Senior All-American point guard Bailey Morris provided the sizzle on both ends of the floor once again. She torched the visiting Falcons with 25 points (10-for-10 free throw shooting) while serving as a pest on the defensive end. Jericca Pearson then enjoyed a monster second half on her way to tying a career best with 18 points. Morris and Pearson were two of three double figure scorers for a Bulldog team with 11 individuals registering in the scoring column.
With Morris attacking Friends relentlessly, Concordia held a lead of 10 points or greater for every bit of the final 30:52 of game time. The Bulldogs forced 33 Falcon turnovers in ballooning the lead to as many as 37 points in the second half.
Clearly the Christmas break did little to slow a Concordia team that had won its previous five games by an average margin of 38.2 points.
“It shows the kind of players we have,” Morris said. “We had six or seven days off (practice), but I know everybody was in the gym, not taking days off and getting shots up and staying sharp. It’s a credit to the hard work of my teammates and coaches and not wanting to let down even though we weren’t together (during break).”
Five Bulldogs notched between six and nine points. Senior Kelsey Hizer splashed nine of her 11 points in the first half, knocking down a trio of triples that helped Concordia take a 44-27 lead to the halftime break. Fellow senior Tracy Peitz added nine points, five steals and three assists while Morris’ line included seven rebounds, six assists and five steals.
Friends (12-3), which went 25-8 and reached the national tournament last season, entered play 2-0 against GPAC foes having already beaten then No. 5 Hastings (61-53) and Doane (74-60). The Falcons played on Tuesday without leading scorer Kayla Mollere, who was sidelined by injury. In addition, Concordia held Friends standout Kayla Justice to 0-for-7 shooting and no points in 28 minutes of action.
The short-handed Falcons had no answer for Morris and company, who hoisted 15 more shots from the field and seven more free throw attempts in another dominant outing.
“We shot well. When Bailey comes to play, she’s the best player in the country,” Olson said. “She looked it today and really looked to score. Once she gets going, it opens up the game for everybody else. We shot really well in the first half.”
With her 29th career game of 20 or more points, Morris (1,675 career points) moved past former teammate and current assistant coach Kristen Conahan (1,656 points) for sixth on the program’s all-time scoring chart. In team history, Morris also ranks fourth in steals (328) and sixth in assists (394).
“It’s definitely an honor,” Morris said of passing Conahan. “I played with Connie for three years and to know that I’ve reached that level that she was at is a good feeling. Everyone knows that if she wouldn’t have gotten injured last year I probably wouldn’t be having this conversation because she’d probably have the (scoring) record right now. It’s just an honor.”
The Bulldogs return to conference play on Saturday (Jan. 3) when they host Dordt (7-8, 0-7 GPAC) at 1 p.m. Concordia will vie for a season sweep after having defeated the Defenders, 80-58, in Sioux Center, Iowa, on Dec. 6. Olson’s program has won 37 of its last 38 home games versus unranked opponents.
Women’s basketball eyes 11th-straight win in Saturday’s home GPAC tilt
SEWARD, Neb. – Riding a 10-game winning streak, the third-ranked Concordia University women’s basketball team returns to action on Saturday when it hosts Dordt (8-8, 0-7 GPAC) at 1 p.m. The Defenders have won two-consecutive nonconference contests but are seeking their first GPAC victory. The Bulldogs, 7-1 at home this season, defeated Dordt, 80-58, in a matchup in Sioux Center, Iowa, on Dec. 6. Head coach Drew Olson’s squad has won each of the last five meetings with the Defenders.
A live webcast of the contest will be available via the Concordia Sports Network.
Not even close
Included in Concordia’s impressive 15-1 start has been a run of blowout victories over the past six games. During that stretch, the Bulldogs have won contests by margins of 22, 41, 67, 31, 30 and 27 points while averaging 96.8 points per game. The scoring surge has pushed Concordia to No. 5 nationally in both scoring margin (23.3) and points per outing (85.1). The Bulldogs lead the GPAC in scoring and are averaging nearly six points more per game than runner up Morningside (79.2). On the strength of its 10-game winning streak, Concordia is one of eight teams in NAIA Division II with either one or no losses.
NAIA Division II teams with one or no losses
Morningside – 17-0
Davenport (Mich.) – 13-0
Concordia – 15-1
Marian (Ind.) – 14-1
Southern Oregon – 12-1
Tennessee Wesleyan – 12-1
Point Park (Pa.) – 11-1
Webber International (Fla.) – 9-1
Morris continues climb up all-time lists
Senior point guard Bailey Morris continues to state her case as one of the top players in the history of Concordia women’s basketball. By notching her 29th career game of 20 or more points in Tuesday’s 94-67 win over No. 9 Friends University, Morris leapfrogged former teammate and current assistant coach Kristen Conahan for sixth place on the program’s all-time scoring list with 1,675 career points. The native of Clay Center, Neb., also ranks fourth in steals (328) and sixth in assists (394). Her five steals moved her above Concordia Athletics Hall of Famer Kari Saving on the all-time thefts chart.
This season Morris ranks first among all NAIA Division II players with 70 steals for an average of 4.38 per game. She also checks in at No. 14 in assists per game (4.9) and 32nd in scoring (17.9).
GPAC ranks
A statistically dominant team across the board, Concordia tops the GPAC in scoring, scoring margin, field goal percentage defense (.360), steals per game (17.0) and turnover margin (10.6). An ultra-aggressive team, the Bulldogs have also been whistled for more fouls than any other GPAC team (average of 21.4 fouls per game). Four Bulldogs rank in the top 16 of the conference in steals – Morris (1st, 4.38), Tracy Peitz (7th, 2.38), Mary Janovich (12th, 1.93) and Kelsey Hizer (16th, 1.69).
Senior class zeroes in on 100 wins
Very few classes in any sport in the history of Concordia athletics can claim the level of success authored by the 2014-15 Bulldog women’s basketball seniors. With a four-year record of 99-19, the current seniors, led by Morris and Peitz, are just one win away from becoming only the second class in program history to reach the century mark. Seniors Sarah Harrison and Kari Saving (top two scorers in school history) led a class that went a combined 123-21 (.854) and made two national tournament semifinal appearances from 2001-05. The current group of six seniors has won two GPAC regular-season titles, a GPAC tournament title and has advanced as far as the semifinals of the national tournament (2012).
Giant slayer
Concordia padded its already sterling resume earlier this week with the victory over No. 9 Friends University. The Bulldogs have won six of seven contests against top 25 foes, capturing victories over No. 5 Hastings (68-65), No. 6 Saint Xavier (81-64), No. 7 Jamestown (90-72), No. 9 Friends (94-67), No. 17 Mayville State (89-79) and No. 21 Doane (62-54). In sum, Concordia’s six victories over top 25 teams have come by an average margin of 13.8 points. Three-straight wins over top 20 opponents to begin the season allowed Concordia to move from No. 9 in the preseason poll to No. 3, where it has remained in back-to-back rankings. Olson’s program has an active streak of 42-conseuctive top 25 rankings.
Dordt wins back-to-back
Seventh-year head coach Craig Stiemsma’s Defenders enter Saturday’s game coming off nonconference wins over Martin Luther College (77-70) and Buena Vista University (73-67). Prior to the back-to-back wins, Dordt had struggled with four-straight losses – all by margins of 22 points or greater. The Defenders currently hold a nine-game GPAC losing streak that dates back to the end of last season. Junior guard Abby Chapman paces the team in scoring (14.9), assists (1.94) and steals (1.44). Junior center Mycah Hulst ranks second among GPAC players with an average of 10.0 rebounds per game. As a team, Dordt ranks 10th in the GPAC in scoring offense (69.8) and ninth in scoring defense (71.1).
Bulldogs frustrate Dordt into 45 turnovers, earn 11th-straight win
SEWARD, Neb. – In a contest that turned into a foul fest inside Walz Arena, the third-ranked Concordia University women’s basketball team ran away in the second half from a pesky Dordt squad for a 103-74 conference win on Saturday afternoon. The Bulldogs turned the Defenders over 45 times with its annoyingly persistent press to extend its win streak to 11.
Ninth-year head coach Drew Olson’s squad now sits at 16-1 overall and 9-1 in league play halfway through its GPAC slate. The Bulldogs overcame some sloppy play early to claim their sixth-straight win in matchups with Dordt. The victory also pushed the senior class to 100 career wins. It has gone 100-19 over the past four seasons.
“It was a grind,” Olson said. “In the first half we did not play well. Dordt did a great job of fighting. We started the game out by fouling them and not moving our feet and playing poor defensively. We were able to iron that out in the second half.”
A strange statistical game saw Dordt (8-9, 0-8 GPAC) go a perfect 5-for-5 from the field before missing for the first time at the 11:09 mark of the first half. The Defenders shot 60.5 percent (23-for-38) from the field, but it wasn’t near enough to overcome a massive 53-10 Concordia advantage in points off turnovers. Seven different Bulldogs had two or more steals, led by freshman Mary Janovich’s seven thefts.
Janovich hardly missed a beat after sitting out most of Tuesday’s win over No. 9 Friends University due to feeling under the weather. Her defensive tenacity has been a welcome addition to this year’s Bulldogs.
“I’ve been sick for a while so I came out ready to go and ready to be back at it,” Janovich said. “Coach was a little frustrated in the beginning so we came out second half ready to play.”
The Defenders, who remain winless in conference play, actually pulled even at 54-54 when Emily Neuman dropped in a bucket in the paint with 14:49 left in the game. Senior point guard Bailey Morris responded with four of her 20 points and Tracy Peitz came alive in the second half, pouring in 16 of her 20 points over the final 20 minutes.
A 16-3 run provided a 70-57 Concordia lead with 10:01 remaining. The Bulldogs, spurred by their smothering defense, ended the game on 22-3 splurge, marking the seventh-straight contest Janovich and company have won by 22 points or more.
“It’s great. Hopefully we can keep it up,” Janovich said.
Janovich added 15 points and four rebounds to go along with her seven steals. Morris, 9-for-19 from the field, dished out three assists, including one in the paint on a pretty feed to Peitz. Freshmen Brenleigh Daum (10 points, six steals) and Laurel Krohn (10 points) made for five Concordia double figure scorers.
Krohn nailed two of her three 3-point field goals in the final seven minutes to help the Bulldogs pull away for a season sweep of Dordt. Concordia went just 6-for-27 from beyond the arc as a team, but it got off 48 more shots than the visitors.
Dordt got 26 points and 12 rebounds from Cassidy Vredevoogd, who went 9-for-11 from the field and 8-for-12 from the free throw line. The Defenders took advantage of 28 fouls on Concordia by making 24 of 34 (.706) free throws.
The Bulldogs continue a stretch of four-straight home games when they host Midland (7-9, 2-5 GPAC) at 6 p.m. on Wednesday. Concordia has won each of the last 12 meetings with the Warriors. Last season the Bulldogs defeated Midland three times by a combined total of 11 points. The Warriors will have momentum coming off Saturday’s 72-50 win over No. 9 Friends.
Morris named to Capital One Academic All-District team
View All-District women’s basketball teams
SEWARD, Neb. – Named a first team All-American and GPAC player of the year last season, Bailey Morris has received yet another accolade. The senior point guard has been placed on the 2014-15 Capital One Academic All-District® 3 Women’s Basketball College Division second team, as announced by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) on Thursday.
CoSIDA: “The Capital One Academic All-District® Women’s Basketball Teams have been released to recognize the nation’s top student-athletes for their combined performances athletically and in the classroom. Capital One has been the entitlement rights holder to CoSIDA’s Academic All-America teams programs since 2011.”
Other Concordia All-District selections in 2014-15 include Brendan Buchanan (soccer), Chandler Folkerts (basketball), Rachel Mussell (soccer) and Melissa Stine (soccer). Morris, a sports management major, has received the all-district honor for the first time in her career.
A native of Clay Center, Neb., Morris broke the Bulldog women’s basketball career scoring record last week by tallying 30 points in an 86-77 win at Doane. Morris, who has 1,846 career points, is averaging 18.3 points, 5.08 assists and 4.40 steals per game as a senior. She also ranks third in program history in steals (368) and fifth in assists (443).
Led by Morris, Concordia is ranked third in NAIA Division II and sports records of 24-1 overall and 15-1 in conference play. Morris and the Bulldogs possess an active 19-game winning streak.
District 3 of the College Division covers institutions in the states of Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, North Dakota, Nebraska, South Dakota and Wisconsin.
Academic All-District® honorees advance to the Capital One Academic All-America® Team ballot, where first-, second- and third-team All-America honorees will be selected and then released on Feb. 18.
Morris named to Capital One Academic All-District team
View All-District women’s basketball teams
SEWARD, Neb. – Named a first team All-American and GPAC player of the year last season, Bailey Morris has received yet another accolade. The senior point guard has been placed on the 2014-15 Capital One Academic All-District® 3 Women’s Basketball College Division second team, as announced by the College Sports Information Directors of America (CoSIDA) on Thursday.
CoSIDA: “The Capital One Academic All-District® Women’s Basketball Teams have been released to recognize the nation’s top student-athletes for their combined performances athletically and in the classroom. Capital One has been the entitlement rights holder to CoSIDA’s Academic All-America teams programs since 2011.”
Other Concordia All-District selections in 2014-15 include Brendan Buchanan (soccer), Chandler Folkerts (basketball), Rachel Mussell (soccer) and Melissa Stine (soccer). Morris, a sports management major, has received the all-district honor for the first time in her career.
A native of Clay Center, Neb., Morris broke the Bulldog women’s basketball career scoring record last week by tallying 30 points in an 86-77 win at Doane. Morris, who has 1,846 career points, is averaging 18.3 points, 5.08 assists and 4.40 steals per game as a senior. She also ranks third in program history in steals (368) and fifth in assists (443).
Led by Morris, Concordia is ranked third in NAIA Division II and sports records of 24-1 overall and 15-1 in conference play. Morris and the Bulldogs possess an active 19-game winning streak.
District 3 of the College Division covers institutions in the states of Iowa, Kansas, Minnesota, Missouri, Montana, North Dakota, Nebraska, South Dakota and Wisconsin.
Academic All-District® honorees advance to the Capital One Academic All-America® Team ballot, where first-, second- and third-team All-America honorees will be selected and then released on Feb. 18.
Gottier goes for career high 19 in 23rd-straight win
OMAHA, Neb. – While resting its starters as well as top reserve Jericca Pearson in preparation for Saturday’s highly-anticipated matchup with No. 1 Morningside, the third-ranked Concordia University women’s basketball team walloped host Grace University, 92-32, in Omaha on Wednesday night. Freshman Jade Gottier came off the bench and eclipsed a career high point total during the first half as part of a game-high 19-point performance.
Ninth-year head coach Drew Olson’s squad pushed its winning streak to 23 and moved to 28-1 overall. The Bulldogs remain undefeated away from home (15-0). The Royals fell to 3-25.
“I thought they were focused and very prepared,” Olson said of his group of nine that suited up for Wednesday’s road contest. “It would have been human to be too relaxed. I thought we had the right mindset and played sharp, especially in the first half. We built up a big lead early.”
Three other Bulldogs joined Gottier in double figures in the scoring column and Concordia’s youthful lineup held Grace to just 22.2 percent (12-for-54) shooting from the field. The Royals also committed 32 turnovers compared to just 11 giveaways by the Bulldogs.
Also off the bench, sophomore Alayna Daberkow came up just short of a double-double with 13 points and nine rebounds. Meanwhile, Devin Edwards equaled a career best with 12 points while pilfering six steals to tie Gottier for a team high. Freshman Brenleigh Daum nailed all three of her 3-point field goals in the first half on the way to 11 points.
On an evening when several of Concordia’s core players watched from the bench, Olson doled out 20 or more minutes to six players who all averaged fewer than 12 minutes per game entering the week. They answered the call by leading the Bulldogs to their 16th win of the season by 20-plus points. None took better advantage than Gottier, a native of Albion, Neb.
“I thought Jade played well. She was really aggressive,” Olson said. “She did a nice job of making the extra pass. There were plays where she passed up a shot of her own for an even more wide open shot.”
Senior Rachel Royuk saw 23 minutes of action and fired off 13 shots. She ended up with a career high nine points. Sophomore guard Shelby Quinn also put up nine points for the Bulldogs. Quinn started alongside Edwards, Laurel Krohn, Ashley Kuntz and Jenna Lehmann.
Concordia jumped out to a 17-2 lead with four 3-pointers in the game’s opening seven minutes. The Bulldogs held an advantage of at least 13 points the remainder of the game. Concordia finished the game at 12-for-33 (.364) from 3-point range.
Karen Orozco recorded 12 points and 11 rebounds as the only Royal to reach double figures in scoring. Grace is a member of the National Christian College Athletic Association.
The Bulldogs close the regular season on Saturday with the showdown looming against unbeaten Morningside (29-0, 19-0 GPAC) in what will almost certainly be dubbed the NAIA Division II women’s basketball game of the week. With a win, Concordia would lock up a share of its third GPAC regular-season title in four seasons and fourth in the 15-year history of the GPAC. Tipoff from Sioux City, Iowa, is slated for 2 p.m.
With GPAC title at stake, No. 3 Concordia readies for trip to No. 1 Morningside
SEWARD, Neb. – The wait is almost over. The heavyweight matchup that has been highly anticipated ever since the third-ranked Concordia women’s basketball team suffered its only loss this season looms near. The Bulldogs (28-1, 18-1 GPAC) will get their chance to avenge that defeat when they travel to Sioux City, Iowa, to take on top-ranked and unbeaten Morningside in NAIA Division II women’s basketball’s most significant game of the week. Tipoff is slated for 2 p.m. on Saturday from the Rosen Verdoorn Sports Center.
The Mustangs (29-0, 19-0 GPAC) have already clinched at least a share of the GPAC title, but head coach Drew Olson’s squad can pull even atop the league standings by handing Morningside its first loss. Sporting a 23-game win streak of its own, Concordia is hunting its third GPAC regular-season title in four years and fourth in the 15-year history of the GPAC.
“It's going to be crazy,” said Bulldog senior guard Kelsey Hizer. “It’s two great teams competing against one another. This is why I love playing basketball. It is really exciting to play for another GPAC title. We are just going to go out there and play Concordia basketball and have some fun.”
Having coached Concordia to two GPAC regular-season titles, a conference tournament title and six national tournament appearances, Olson knows what big games are like. He expects a great atmosphere for Saturday’s colossal clash.
“I hope it’s going to be awesome. I hope it’s going to be a big crowd, big student section and just a great atmosphere to play in,” Olson said. “Hopefully it’s similar to the CIT experience we had earlier this year. It’s good for our kids to have experiences like this.”
The Bulldogs put themselves in position to play for a championship by taking care of business in recent weeks, even amidst the chatter that has centered upon the end-of-season battle between the league’s top two teams. Since running roughshod through the Concordia Invitational Tournament, All-American Bailey Morris and company have continued to steamroll their competition, with the lone exception being a close call in a Feb. 7 home win over Dakota Wesleyan.
Seniors like Hizer, one of the league’s fiercest defensive stoppers, have kept the team zeroed in on the next opponent with an impressive laser-like focus.
“We always take one game at a time,” Hizer said. “Whoever we play next is who we focus on and who we prepare for, and when that game is over we move on to the next one with the same focus.”
It’s time to focus on Morningside. Head coach Jamie Sale’s bunch got the upper hand, 78-70, in the first meeting with Concordia, which took place in Seward on Nov. 18. The Mustangs limited Morris to nine points and got 21 apiece from Lexi Ackerman, Taylor Bahensky and Ashlynn Muhl.
The team leader in scoring, rebounding and blocked shots, Muhl bullied No. 17 Briar Cliff on Wednesday night, notching eight offensive rebounds while going for a game high 17 points in Morningside’s 75-66 win. The 6-foot forward is a big reason why the Mustangs grab nearly 15 offensive rebounds per game.
Muhl and 6-foot-2 junior Jessica Tietz make for a difficult matchup for any team on the interior.
“It’s an interesting game because we play man-to-man and they play zone, so our matchups mean a little bit more as far as how we’re going to be able to defend Muhl and Tietz inside,” Olson said. “We also have to contain their perimeter players. Lexi Ackerman and Taylor Behensky had big games against us and Madison Braun and Allison Bachman are really good guards for them.
“For us the matchups are really big. On the other hand, they’re playing a zone so it’s not like they’re matched up against Bailey. We have to find ways to get Bailey more shot opportunities and get her open. Tracy Peitz has to be aggressive within the zone. It’s two different styles so it’s going to be entertaining to watch.”
Over the past four seasons, Concordia and Morningside own identical GPAC records of 68-11 (.861). The Mustangs have won the last two meetings with the Bulldogs on the heels of a five-game Concordia series win streak. In last season’s tussle in Sioux City, Morningside triumphed, 86-77.
BY THE NUMBERS
*National ranks in parentheses
Concordia (28-1, 18-1 GPAC)
Head coach: Drew Olson (219-76, 9 seasons)
Scoring leader: Bailey Morris (18.6 ppg)
Rebound leader: Jericca Pearson (4.7 rpg)
Assists leader: Bailey Morris (4.93 apg)
Steals leader: Bailey Morris (4.32 spg)
OFF PPG: 86.1 (4th)
DEF PPG: 61.3 (32nd)
Scoring margin: +24.8 (3rd)
Turnover margin: +12.2 (2nd)
Rebound margin: +0.2 (69th)
FG% OFF: .429 (25th)
FG% DEF: .370 (32nd)
3-PT FG%: .308 (63rd)
FT%: .709 (37th)
Morningside (29-0, 19-0 GPAC)
Head coach: Jamie Sale (458-123, 17 seasons)
Scoring leader: Ashlynn Muhl (12.4 ppg)
Rebound leader: Ashlynn Muhl (8.8 rpg)
Assists leader: Lexi Ackerman (3.69 apg)
Steals leader: Taylor Bahensky (2.69 spg)
OFF PPG: 77.2 (19th)
DEF PPG: 59.6 (20th)
Scoring margin: +17.6 (10th)
Turnover margin: +7.79 (4th)
Rebound margin: +4.3 (32nd)
FG% OFF: .438 (17th)
FG% DEF: .383 (61st)
3-PT FG%: .333 (28th)
FT%: .694 (55th)
Top-ranked Mustangs edge Bulldogs in NAIA game of the week
SIOUX CITY, Iowa – In a contest that lived up to its billing as the NAIA Division II Women’s Basketball Game of the Week, the third-ranked Concordia women’s basketball team saw its 23-game win streak snapped. A free throw in the final seconds provided the deciding point and Morningside survived for a 77-76 victory in Sioux City, Iowa, on Saturday afternoon.
With the game tied at 76, the Mustangs regained the lead when Taylor Bahensky made one of two free throws with :6.2 left on the clock. Morningside then celebrated after Bailey Morris’ driving layup in traffic misfired just before the buzzer.
“It was a great game between two really good teams,” ninth-year Concordia head coach Drew Olson said. “We’re disappointed that we lost, but I’m proud of how we played and how we competed. We got down in both halves and kept fighting and battling. We had several kids who played better today than they did in the first game against Morningside.
“We had the shot we wanted at the end. Bailey made the right read, she just kind of lost her balance on the way up.”
Olson’s squad will enter the postseason with an overall record of 28-2 and a league mark of 18-2. The Bulldogs settled for runner up to first-place Morningside (30-0, 20-0 GPAC) atop the league standings.
Concordia never led at any point on Saturday, but roared back down the stretch. Senior Kelsey Hizer twice pulled the Bulldogs even by knocking down a trey and then a layup off the dish from Morris. Her final bucket with 12.5 seconds left made it 76-76. Just over six seconds later, Bahensky was fouled by Jericca Pearson to set up the game’s last tally.
The Mustangs held an advantage as large as 10 points early in the second half. The lead settled at eight with less than three minutes left before Concordia staged an 8-0 run that included threes on back-to-back possessions from Hizer and Mary Janovich.
Bahensky equaled Jessica Tietz’s 17 points for a Morningside team high. With Concordia emphasizing containment of the Mustangs’ second-chance opportunities, star senior post Ashlynn Muhl was held to eight points and nine rebounds. Head coach Jamie Sale’s squad still managed to outrebound the Bulldogs, 40-33, and finished with a 38-28 advantage in points in the paint.
Morris dished out nine assists and grabbed seven rebounds while totaling a game high 24 points on 8-for-24 shooting in a much more aggressive performance than in the first meeting with the Mustangs – a 78-70 Morningside win in Seward. Hizer and senior Tracy Peitz booked 10 points apiece. Pearson chipped in nine points and four rebounds off the bench.
One of four teams to share last season’s GPAC regular-season title, Concordia had hoped to earn its third conference championship in four seasons. Instead, Morningside ran through the entire GPAC season unscathed.
“We knew we would have to play really well to win. I thought we did play pretty well, but we had some mental errors that we can clean up,” Olson said. “It’s a tough loss, but we know we have more season to go.”
The Bulldogs are now 7-2 versus ranked opponents. Saturday marked their first defeat on the road this season.
Postseason play begins on Wednesday when the second-seeded Bulldogs host No. 7 seed Mount Marty (19-11, 9-11 GPAC) at 7 p.m. in the quarterfinals of the GPAC tournament. Concordia swept the regular-season series from the Lancers, who are 12-5 away from home.
Women’s basketball hosts Mount Marty for ‘Dawg Strong’ Wednesday
SEWARD, Neb. – For the 14th-consecutive year, the Concordia University women’s basketball team will play host for its opening game of the GPAC tournament. The Bulldogs begin their postseason run on Wednesday when they welcome seventh-seeded Mount Marty (19-11, 9-11 GPAC) for a GPAC quarterfinal clash. Tipoff is slated for 7 p.m. from Walz Arena, where Concordia owns a record of 55-7 (.887) over the past four seasons.
The winner will advance to play either third-seeded Hastings (21-7, 15-5 GPAC) or sixth-seeded Doane (13-17, 9-11 GPAC) in the semifinals. A victory over Mount Marty would keep Concordia at home for a 3 p.m. tipoff on Saturday.
Wednesday’s game can be seen live via the Concordia Sports Network.
The Bulldogs have won each of the last eight meetings with the Lancers. In this season’s two matchups, Concordia held off Mount Marty for a 63-59 triumph in Yankton, S.D., in the conference opener on Nov. 12. Roughly a month later, the Bulldogs got 23 points from Bailey Morris and dominated the second half, cruising to a 92-61 victory inside Walz Arena.
Ninth-year head coach Drew Olson owns a GPAC tournament record of 9-7. He guided the program to its third GPAC tournament title in 2012. Concordia also cut the nets down in 2004 and 2005 and are 17-11 all-time in GPAC postseason play.
Meanwhile, Mount Marty’s last GPAC tournament win came on Feb. 23, 2010, when it rolled Dakota Wesleyan, 61-41, in the first round of the conference bracket. Last year’s Lancers missed the GPAC tournament after going 4-16 in conference regular-season action.
Morris and company are looking to get back in the win column after seeing their 23-game win streak snapped in last week’s 77-76 loss at No. 1 Morningside in the NAIA game of the week. An 11-game home win streak remains intact for a Bulldog team that last graced Walz Arena on Feb. 7.
After losing three-straight games to ranked opponents to begin the month of February, head coach Tom Schlimgen’s squad has rebounded by stringing three wins together, including a quality road victory over Dakota Wesleyan on Feb. 18. Junior guard Alex Kneeland tops the Lancers with an average of 16.1 points per game. Mount Marty leads the GPAC in both 3-point field goals per game (9.63) and 3-point field goal percentage (.342).
Fans are encouraged to wear ‘Dawg Strong’ T-shirts for Wednesday’s game. T-shirts can be purchased for $5 prior to and at halftime of the game.
Concordia (28-2, 18-2 GPAC)
OFF: 85.8 ppg
DEF: 61.8 ppg
Scoring leader: Bailey Morris – 18.8 ppg
Rebound leader: Jericca Pearson – 4.6 rpg
Assists leader: Bailey Morris – 5.07 apg
Steals leader: Bailey Morris – 4.28 spg
Blocks leader: Becky Mueller – 0.56
Mount Marty (19-11, 9-11 GPAC)
OFF: 76.2 ppg
DEF: 67.5 ppg
Scoring leader: Alex Kneeland – 16.1 ppg
Rebound leader: Raquel Sutera – 7.1 rpg
Assists leader: Cassidy Gebhart – 3.33 apg
Steals leader: Holly Hegge – 1.73 spg
Blocks leader: Holly Hegge – 0.67 bpg
Peitz and company survive and advance to GPAC semifinals
SEWARD, Neb. – For the seventh-straight season, the Concordia women’s basketball team has advanced beyond its opening contest of the GPAC tournament. On Wednesday night the third-ranked Bulldogs did just enough to squeak by visiting and seventh-seeded Mount Marty, 71-66, in one of four quarterfinal matchups.
Ninth-year head coach Drew Olson’s second-seeded squad overcome its offensive struggles for a wire-to-wire win over the seventh-seeded Lancers (19-12), who entered the game with a three-game winning streak. Concordia improved to 29-2 overall and 18-11 all-time in GPAC postseason play.
“Mount Marty played great,” Olson said. “They’re a tough team to play. They have a lot of great shooters that extend a defense. Defensively they did a nice job not letting us get into the lane, but part of that was on us not attacking like we should.
“In the end we found the ways to make the plays to win. That’s been our team all year.”
The Bulldogs found themselves down 51-43 with 10:54 remaining when Alex Kneeland knocked down one of Mount Marty’s 10 3-point field goals on the evening. After a Bailey Morris turnover on the ensuing possession, Olson called a timeout to settle down his team.
Concordia responded with the next six points to set up a nailbiting finish.
“We sat down and said we have plenty of time,” senior Tracy Peitz said. “Get the ball, get stops and make some plays. I think that timeout was a big game changer.”
Peitz and the Bulldogs finally grabbed the lead for good (58-55) when Morris splashed in a trey off the kick out from Peitz at the 4:14 mark. Though Morris went 6-for-17 from the field, she made a key jumper from the elbow after Mount Marty cut the lead to two late. She also made a nifty no-look pass on the break to Kelsey Hizer for a layup in the final minute.
Olson could breathe easier after Shelby Quinn nailed a pair of free throws that provided a 70-64 margin with under 20 seconds remaining.
On a night when Concordia shot 40.7 percent from the field and uncharacteristically low plus-one turnover margin, Peitz’s aggressive approach proved crucial. The native of Hartington, Neb., equaled Morris’ team high of 17 points while recording six rebounds, three assists and three steals.
“Tracy was dominant,” Olson said. “She had a great matchup and we were able to give her the ball in the post. She made really good decisions as far as when to attack and when to pass like when she kicked it out to Becky (Mueller) for a three. Tracy was really the key to the game.”
The Lancers leaned upon standout Raquel Sutera in their bid for the upset. Sutera dropped in three treys as part of a 14-point, 15-rebound performance. The conference leader in made 3-point field goals per game, Mount Marty gave Concordia fits by draining 10 of 23 shots (.423) from beyond the arc on Wednesday.
Morris posted her second career double-double by hauling in a career best 11 rebounds. She added four assists and two steals. Other double-figure scorers for Concordia were Mary Janovich (12) and Kelsey Hizer (11). Jericca Pearson came off the bench to nab seven rebounds and three steals.
Kneeland and April Winne added 13 points apiece for Mount Marty. The Lancers got hot from 3-point range, but went only 11-for-36 (.306) from inside the arc.
Concordia now aims to reach the GPAC title game after falling in the semifinals in each of the past two seasons. The Bulldogs draw No. 12 Hastings (22-7), a 70-53 winner over Doane on Wednesday, in Saturday’s semifinal. Tipoff is slated for 3 p.m. from Walz Arena, where Concordia is 56-7 over the past four seasons.
“It’s really exciting (to get to play at Walz again),” Peitz said. “I love the student section and our parents are really supportive. It’s exciting to play Hastings again. It’s always a good matchup between us and them.”
No. 3 Concordia to host No. 12 Hastings in GPAC semifinals
SEWARD, Neb. – A spot in the March 3 GPAC tournament championship game will be on the line Saturday when the third-ranked Concordia University women’s basketball team hosts No. 12 Hastings in a GPAC semifinal clash. The Bulldogs got all they could handle from seventh-seeded Mount Marty in a 71-66 Concordia win in Wednesday’s GPAC quarterfinal game. Tracy Peitz put up 17 points in a fine all-around performance and Bailey Morris made crucial plays down the stretch to thwart the Lancer upset bid.
Saturday’s game, set for a 3 p.m. tipoff, can be streamed live via the Concordia Sports Network. Frank Greene will provide the play-by-play. The winner will play either No. 1 Morningside (31-0) or No. 19 Briar Cliff (23-8) in the title game.
Hastings (22-7) enters the weekend with a nine-game win streak and is fresh off a 70-53 GPAC quarterfinal win over Doane on Wednesday. Star Jamie Van Kirk exploded for 33 points on 11-for-22 shooting from the field. Van Kirk is the conference’s second leading scorer with an average of 19.5 points per game. Van Kirk is one of several outside scoring threats for head coach Carrie Hofstetter’s squad, which ranks 17th among all NAIA Division II teams in 3-point field goal percentage (.343).
After Hastings swept the regular-season series from Concordia last season, the Bulldogs returned the favor in 2014-15. Concordia has defeated the Broncos by scores of 68-65 in Hastings and 82-75 in Seward. Morris served as the catalyst in both contests, piling up a combined 59 points (17-for-27 from the field, 6-for-8 from 3-point range), nine assists, eight rebounds and four steals. On the other end, Concordia has contained Van Kirk, who had a combined 33 points in the two regular-season meetings.
Wednesday’s win pushed Concordia’s all-time GPAC tournament record to 18-11 and marked the seventh-straight year in which the program has moved past its opening game of the conference bracket. The Bulldogs won GPAC tournament titles in 2004, 2005 and 2012. Hastings has won the conference tournament as recently as 2010 when it finished with an overall record of 31-4.
Concordia is aiming to reach win No. 30 for the fourth time in program history and for the second time under ninth-year head coach Drew Olson. Thirty-win seasons have been recorded by Bulldog women’s basketball teams in 2002-03 (36-2), 2011-12 (34-3) and 2004-05 (31-5).
Olson’s squad is 14-1 at home this season and owns a 56-7 (.889) home record over the past four seasons. Meanwhile, the Broncos are 10-4 in true road games. Hastings went 7-3 in GPAC regular-season road contests.
Concordia (29-2, 18-2 GPAC)
OFF: 85.3 ppg
DEF: 62.0 ppg
Scoring leader: Bailey Morris – 18.7 ppg
Rebound leader: Jericca Pearson – 4.7 rpg
Assists leader: Bailey Morris – 5.03 apg
Steals leader: Bailey Morris – 4.20 spg
Blocks leader: Becky Mueller – 0.54
Hastings (22-7, 15-5 GPAC)
OFF: 73.6 ppg
DEF: 65.0 ppg
Scoring leader: Jamie Van Kirk – 19.5 ppg
Rebound leader: Rachel Jelden – 6.1 rpg
Assists leader: Abby Jackson – 2.86 apg
Steals leader: Jamie Van Kirk – 1.66 spg
Blocks leader: Sierra Williamson – 1.03 bpg
Hizer picks up the slack; ‘Dogs paddle to GPAC title game
SEWARD, Neb. – The third-ranked Concordia University women’s basketball team is headed to the GPAC tournament title game for the second time in four years. Despite making only two of their first 13 shots from the field, the Bulldogs knocked off rival Hastings, 67-60, in Saturday’s GPAC semifinal that paired teams ranked inside the nation’s top 15.
With the victory, ninth-year head coach Drew Olson’s 2014-15 squad (30-2) became the fourth team in program history to reach the 30-win mark.
“That was a great game. I’m really proud of our kids,” Olson said. “That was an emotional win for a lot of different reasons. I’m just so proud of our group and the preparation the last two days was the most focused that I’ve ever seen this team. It paid off.”
Concordia responded to a five-point second-half deficit with a 20-7 splurge that ignited a spirited Walz crowd. The run included a pair of triples from freshman Mary Janovich and a roof-blowing block from senior All-American Tracy Peitz. The lead moved to 57-49 after sophomore Becky Mueller fluttered in a trey at the 3:46 mark.
But the star of the day turned out to be senior guard Kelsey Hizer. Known for her tenacity as a defensive stopper, Hizer poured in a team high 15 points, including three critical tallies on her trey that turned a three-point lead into a six-point cushion (63-57) with 22 seconds left. Twelfth-ranked Hastings (22-8) answered with a Michaela Barry triple, but failed to score on its final two possessions.
In one of the best performances of her career, Hizer showcased her typical lockdown defense while seeing 35 minutes of action. She helped limit star Bronco Jamie Van Kirk to 14 points (3-for-9 shooting).
“Kelsey’s job on Jamie Van Kirk was fantastic,” Olson said. “Van Kirk is one of the best players in our league and Kelsey did a great job.”
Peitz also made two key drives to the bucket that resulted in her making 3 of 4 free throws late in the game. On a day when Concordia mustered only a 33.3 percent (19-for-57) effort from the field, its 24-for-29 (.828) performance from the free throw line proved crucial in earning its third win of the season over Hastings.
Peitz finished with 12 points (4-for-5 from the field), eight rebounds, two blocks and two steals in a stellar all-around performance. Becky Mueller (14 points) and Janovich (10 points) also reached double figures for the Bulldogs. In addition, Shelby Quinn made her sixth start of the season and played a career high 34 minutes, providing steady ball-handling and a calming presence.
The starters were counted on for the lion’s share of the workload, but Olson had plenty of compliments to go around.
“Hastings is No. 12 in the country for a reason. They’re very good,” Olson said. “I could see them making a run in the national tournament. They have some great players. That’s why I’m so proud of the way that our kids played.
“I thought it was our kids stepping up and making plays. Defensively we were there the entire game, but offensively it was how were we going to find ways to score. We did have some kids step up. Mary hit a couple threes. Then you had Kelsey’s three at the end and Becky hit one, too.”
Hastings’ Teeka Thompson led all players with 19 points. She did most of her damage in the first half (15 points) when she made all three of her shots from distance. She later fouled out with 4:13 left in the game. As a team, head coach Carrie Hofstetter’s team shot 34.5 percent (20-for-58) from the field and 83.3 percent (15-for-18) from the free throw line.
The chalky GPAC bracket has been trimmed to No. 1 Morningside and No. 3 Concordia for Tuesday’s GPAC title game set to take place at the Rosen Verdoorn Sports Center in Sioux City, Iowa. Tipoff is slated for 6 p.m. The undefeated Mustangs (32-0) are responsible for the Bulldogs’ only two losses this season. One week ago, Morningside edged Concordia, 77-76, in Sioux City.
GPAC powers brace for conference title collision
SEWARD, Neb. – Let’s try this again. For the third time this season, the third-ranked Concordia University women’s basketball team will test its mettle against top-ranked Morningside. The two GPAC powers are set to collide on Tuesday in the championship game of the conference tournament. Tipoff is slated for 6 p.m. from the Rosen Verdoorn Sports Center in Sioux City, Iowa.
Ninth-year head coach Drew Olson’s squad, the No. 2 seed in the bracket, reached the title game by fending off seventh-seeded Mount Marty, 71-66, in the quarterfinals and third-seeded Hastings, 67-60, in the semifinals. Now the Bulldogs hope the third time is the charm against undefeated Morningside (32-0).
“It’s going to be another great battle,” Olson said after Saturday’s semifinal win. “They got us both times. I felt like the last time we played them we weren’t as prepared. There was such a time difference between the first time we played them in November and the last time we played them. We just started off so slow and turned the ball over, making careless plays. I don’t think we were used to their style. I’m hopeful we won’t do it again since we just played them so recently.”
The matchup referenced by Olson occurred Feb. 21 in Sioux City in what was billed as the NAIA Division II Women’s Basketball Game of the Week. The Mustangs edged Concordia, 77-76, in a heart stopper. Bulldog senior Bailey Morris got one last crack before the buzzer, but her shot missed the mark and Morningside remained unbeaten.
Since then, head coach Jamie Sale’s bunch fought off eighth-seeded Dakota Wesleyan, 83-72, in the GPAC quarterfinals prior to a 77-62 win over fourth-seeded Briar Cliff in Saturday’s other semifinal contest. Morningside has now won a program record 39-straight home games – a streak that dates back to January 2013. Concordia is hoping for a repeat of the Dec. 1, 2012, meeting at Morningside where the Bulldogs captured an 80-76 win.
A deep and balanced team, the Mustangs have seven different players averaging more than 6.5 points per game. Leading scorer Taylor Bahensky (12.7 ppg) topped the squad with 17 points in the semifinal win over Briar Cliff. Bahensky also scored 17 in the most recent game with Concordia and is averaging 15.6 points over the last five contests. Bahensky is one of several outside threats that compliment 6-foot senior Ashlynn Muhl, who leads the GPAC with 14 double-doubles.
On the other side, Concordia enters the GPAC title game coming off what Olson called an “emotional win” over Hastings. Senior Kelsey Hizer shined, recording a team high 15 points while containing Bronco star Jamie Van Kirk on the opposite end. Fellow senior Tracy Peitz has been a rock in the first two games of the GPAC tournament, averaging 14.5 points and 7.0 rebounds while going 10-for-15 from the field. Morris notched her second career double-double with 17 points and 11 rebounds in the quarterfinals.
Concordia is aiming for its fourth GPAC tournament title. Since the formation of the GPAC in 2000, the Bulldogs own an all-time conference tournament record of 19-11 with titles coming in 2004, 2005 and 2012. Three members of the current senior class saw action in Concordia’s 73-66 GPAC tournament title victory over Morningside in 2012.
Both the Mustangs and Bulldogs have already clinched bids to the national tournament (March 11-17). Concordia will be making its 14th all-time trip to the national stage. Half of those appearances have come under the direction of Olson, whose career coaching record stands at 221-77.
The victory over Hastings marked the 30th of the season for Concordia. Only three other teams in program history have reached that lofty win total: 2002-03 (36-2), 2011-12 (34-3) and 2004-05 (31-5).
Bulldogs raise GPAC tournament title trophy, hand No. 1 Morningside its first loss
SIOUX CITY, Iowa – In a game with the intensity of a late-round national tournament affair, the third-ranked Concordia University women’s basketball team meant business in its GPAC tournament championship game clash with undefeated and top-ranked Morningside. In front of an electric crowd at the Rosen Verdoorn Sports Center, the Bulldogs celebrated their second GPAC tournament title in four seasons with an 80-72 victory on Tuesday night.
Concordia (31-2) avenged its only two losses of the season while snapping the Mustangs’ program record string of 39-consecutive home wins. Ninth-year head coach Drew Olson’s squad will enter the school’s 14th national tournament trip on a euphoric high.
“It was a great atmosphere. I’m really thankful for all of our fans that came out,” Olson said. “I thought our fans were even louder than theirs at times. That was great for our kids.
“I was really proud of our team. We learned from some of the mistakes we made here about a week-and-a-half ago. We cut down on a lot of the turnovers and silly mistakes. Once we got solid defensively in the second half things got a little easier for us.”
In game bigger than Mary Janovich’s young collegiate career has ever seen, the freshman from Gretna, Neb., performed like a seasoned vet. Janovich knocked down 4 of 6 from 3-point range on the evening and played a starring role in a 12-1 second-half run that put Concordia up 60-49 midway through the stanza.
“Mary was fantastic,” Olson said. “She just keeps getting better and better and more and more confident. The more aggressive she is the better she is.”
As one would expect from the nation’s top-ranked team, Morningside charged back, going on an 11-2 run to get back within two, 62-60, with 7:15 left. But even with Mustang star Ashlynn Muhl (13 points, 17 rebounds) controlling the paint, Concordia never relinquished the lead down the stretch.
Senior Kelsey Hizer, who also made a clutch triple in the semifinal win over No. 12 Hastings, splashed in a long ball with 2:25 left that initiated a 9-2 run that put the game out of reach. Hizer added two more points during the run and Bailey Morris grabbed a defensive board and raced to the other end for a layup that dashed any faint hopes Morningside had left.
Morris dribbled out the final seconds, hurled the ball into the air and bear-hugged the nearby Janovich. The team later celebrated on the court with a large traveling Bulldog student contingent and hoisted the program’s fourth all-time GPAC tournament trophy.
In 30 minutes of action, Morris tallied 15 points, eight assists and two steals. Senior Tracy Peitz (11 points, six assists, five rebounds and four steals) and sophomore Becky Mueller (11 points) joined Janovich and Morris as Bulldogs with double figures. Hizer chipped in eight points while Peitz earned praise from Olson for her stellar second half.
Janovich and company went 11-for-22 from 3-point range, helping overcome Morningside’s 45-28 advantage on the boards. The Mustangs managed to knock down only 4 of 17 from long distance. The GPAC regular-season champs got 15 points from Taylor Bahensky and 11 from Lexi Ackerman.
From the field, the Bulldogs shot 51.8 percent (29-for-56) compared to 44.3 percent (27-for-61) shooting by Morningside.
Head coach Jamie Sale’s squad won the two regular-season meetings with Concordia by scores of 78-70 in Seward and 77-76 in Sioux City. The Mustangs reached the championship game by defeating both Dakota Wesleyan and Briar Cliff.
For Concordia, the third time proved to be the charm against fellow GPAC powerhouse Morningside.
“Yeah, you don’t want to lose to them a third time, but I don’t think that was our team’s motivation as much as winning a conference championship,” Olson said. “That group of seniors deserves that for all their work and all they have done. I’m really proud of them.”
Concordia’s three other GPAC tournament titles came in 2004, 2005 and 2012. Olson has now won two GPAC regular-season titles and two conference tournament championships in nine seasons. He will be making his seventh trip to the national tournament at the helm of the Bulldogs.
With their current national ranking of No. 3, the Bulldogs are expected to garner one of four No. 1 seeds in the national tournament bracket. The complete bracket is scheduled to be released at 7 p.m. CT on Wednesday. Check back on cune.edu/athletics shortly after. The national tournament will be held March 11-17 at the Tyson Events Center in Sioux City, Iowa.
Women’s basketball grabs one of four No. 1 seeds, draws matchup with Bryan College
NAIA DII WBB Bracket | CUNE WBB press guide
SEWARD, Neb. – Experienced on the national stage, head coach Drew Olson’s program will make its 14th all-time appearance – fourth in a row – at the NAIA Division II Women’s Basketball National Championships. On Wednesday evening the third-ranked Bulldogs learned they had earned one of four No. 1 seeds and will take on eighth-seeded Bryan College (Tenn.) (21-8) at 1:45 p.m. on Thursday, March 12 in the first round of the bracket.
The entire tournament includes 31 games staged at the Tyson Events Center in Sioux City, Iowa, from March 11-17. The grand spectacle commences on Tuesday, March 17 with the national championship game at 7:05 p.m. CST.
Olson says the team’s approach leading up to the national tournament won’t differ from the way it has attacked the entire season. Plus, first-round exits the past two seasons guarantee Concordia won’t be looking past anyone.
“I like the way we have kept the same approach and mindset throughout the season,” Olson said. “We’re confident but we don’t take anyone lightly. Our last loss (77-76 at No.1 Morningside on Feb. 21) made us review the details. We’re not having the careless turnovers and we’re focused on defense. That’s who we’ve been all year.”
Olson and his staff will now spend some time familiarizing themselves with Bryan College, runner up in the Appalachian Athletic Conference. Head coach Jason Smith’s squad, located in Dayton, Tenn., features post Megan Billingsby, who averages team highs in scoring (15.2 ppg) and rebounding (9.0 rpg). The Lions rank sixth among all NAIA Division II teams in scoring defense (56.1).
The Bulldogs ride back into Sioux City on a high after capturing their second GPAC title in four seasons. Concordia went on the road for the conference championship and knocked top-ranked Morningside from the ranks of the unbeaten while ending the Mustangs’ program-record string of 39-consecutive home wins.
Despite the Bulldogs’ win at Morningside, the top-four teams in the national coaches’ poll remained in their positions. Concordia has held down the No. 3 spot for 11-straight polls and owns an active streak of 51-consecutive top 25 rankings.
Olson’s bunch will follow the lead of senior point guard Bailey Morris, who was named the GPAC player of the year for the second-straight season on Wednesday. Morris and fellow seniors Kelsey Hizer and Tracy Peitz have all played in each of the last three national tournaments. The Bulldogs possess plenty of experience on the Tyson Events Center court.
“It helps a little bit,” Olson said of the experience. “I think what helps most is that we have a chip on our shoulder from what happened last season. They don’t want the same thing where they come out flat. They have that mentality that they’re not going to let it happen again.”
Concordia’s deepest national tournament advancement under Olson came in 2012 when the Bulldogs won three games to reach the semifinals. That’s when College of the Ozarks (Mo.) clipped Concordia, 74-70. Three Bulldog teams have advanced to the national semifinals, but none have ever earned a spot in the title game.
NAIA Network (www.NAIANetwork.com), powered by Stretch Internet – the NAIA’s official video-streaming platform – will be home to all of the national championship action. Don't miss the live HD-quality video stream of the first 28 games running from March 11 - 17. For more information, click here. Both semifinal games and the championship final will be broadcast in high definition on ESPN3.com.
NOTES:
- In its first 13 appearances at the national championships, Concordia has posted a record of 18-13 with three trips to the national semifinals and four quarterfinal finishes. The Bulldogs are 8-5 overall in first-round games, including a 7-3 mark in the last 10 first-round contests. All of the program’s 14 national qualifying seasons have come since 1992 – the same year the NAIA split into two divisions for both men’s and women’s basketball.
- Concordia carries a record of 8-2 this season against teams that have qualified for the national tournament. The eight wins have come against Briar Cliff (two), Hastings (three), Jamestown (one), Morningside (one) and Saint Xavier (one). Both setbacks came at the hands of Morningside.
- Nine of the 15 players on the Bulldogs’ official national tournament roster have prior experience at the national tournament. These nine individuals have combined for 30 career games over appearances in 2012, 2013 and 2014. Three of Concordia’s seniors have each played in six national tournament games: Kelsey Hizer, Bailey Morris and Tracy Peitz. Jericca Pearson, who missed last season’s national tournament due to an ACL tear, has appeared in five career national tournament contests.
- Morris has tallied 61 points over her six career national tournament games with her career best at the Tyson Events Center being 17 points in the first-round loss to Cardinal Stritch in 2013. Among current Bulldogs, Peitz’s 23 points in last season’s national tournament defeat versus Olivet Nazarene stand out as a team high on the national stage. National tournament scoring averages for Concordia’s experienced seniors: Morris (10.2), Peitz (6.0), Pearson (4.6) and Hizer (3.7).
- In the program’s first 31 games at the national tournament, the Bulldogs have averaged 70.8 points per game while allowing an average of 65.2 points. The school record for most points in a single tournament game came in 2003 when Concordia defeated William Jewell (Mo.) 88-44 in the second round. The Bulldogs’ stingiest defensive effort occurred in 2005 when they held Western Baptist to just 28 points in a 70-28 first-round victory.
- Head coach Drew Olson has been at the controls for each of Concordia’s past seven national tournament appearances (including 2015). Olson also helped the Bulldog men to two national tournaments as a player and was part of three such trips to the grand stage as an assistant men’s coach at Bellevue University (Neb.). Former eleven-year assistant coach Amy Harms served on Olson’s staff for each of the first six national tournament appearances between 2008 and 2014 and played in national tournaments in 2002 and 2003 as a member of the Bulldogs. The 2003 squad owns the school record with 36 wins and advanced to the national semifinals. Current assistant Debi Smith is headed to the national tournament for the second year in a row.
- Olson became the fifth coach in program history to lead the Bulldogs to the national tournament when he made his first appearance as head coach in 2008. Now with seven national tournament appearances, Olson has four more than Todd Voss for the most among head coaches in school history. Here are the all-time records for Bulldog coaches at the national tournament:
- Todd Voss: 8-3 (three appearances; two Fab Fours; one quarterfinal finish)
- Drew Olson: 7-6 (seven appearances; one Fab Four; two quarterfinal finishes)
- Mark Lemke: 2-2 (two appearances; one quarterfinal finish)
- Micah Parker: 1-1 (one appearance)
- Carl Everts: 0-1 (one appearance)
- Concordia has made a living in the top 10 of the national rankings. With its No. 8 positioning in Wednesday’s new poll, the Bulldogs have now appeared in the top 10 in 49 of the last 50 polls. Concordia held down the top spot on four occasions during the 2012-13 season. The current senior class has played for a ranked Bulldog team every single game over the past four seasons. The senior class owns a four-year record of 114-20.
- Great Plains Athletic Conference members have won 11 of the last 14 NAIA Division II Women’s Basketball National Championships. Northwestern has five national titles during that stretch while Hastings and Morningside each have three. The GPAC had advanced at least two teams into the Fab Four six-straight years until the streak was snapped last season. Two or more GPAC teams have reached the semifinals in 12 of the past 14 years. In 2012, Concordia, Briar Cliff and Northwestern all appeared in the semifinals.
Women’s basketball to take national tournament floor on Thursday
NAIA DII WBB Bracket | CUNE WBB press guide
SEWARD, Neb. – The 32nd national tournament game in the history of Concordia women’s basketball will get underway at 1:45 p.m. CDT on Thursday when the No. 1-seeded Bulldogs (31-2) take on eighth-seeded Bryan College (Tenn.) (21-8). Concordia is set to make its fourth-straight national tournament appearance and 14th in program annals. Ninth-year head coach Drew Olson is headed to the national stage for the seventh time at the helm of the Bulldogs.
GAME INFO
No. 3 Concordia vs. Bryan College
Thursday, March 12 | 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
STATISTICAL BREAKDOWN
*National rank in parentheses
Concordia (31-2)
Head Coach: Drew Olson – 222-77 (9th season)
OFF PPG: 84.6 (4th)
DEF PPG: 62.2 (34th)
OFF FG%: .428 (25th)
DEF FG%: .374 (40th)
3PT FG%: .311 (55th)
3PT FG/GM: 8.2 (9th)
FT%: .708 (42nd)
REB +/-: -0.3 (71st)
TO +/-: +11.0 (2nd)
Scoring +/-: +22.4 (4th)
SPG: 16.8 (2nd)
BPG: 3.2 (40th)
AST/TO: .955 (23rd)
Scoring: Bailey Morris – 18.6 ppg
Rebounding: Jericca Pearson – 4.8 rpg
Assists: Bailey Morris – 5.13 apg
Steals: Bailey Morris – 4.13 spg
Blocks: Becky Mueller – 0.53 bpg
Bryan (21-8)
Head Coach: Jason Smith – 72-47 (4th season)
OFF PPG: 65.2 (86th)
DEF PPG: 56.1 (6th)
OFF FG%: .434 (19th)
DEF FG%: .355 (17th)
3PT FG%: .320 (43rd)
3PT FG/GM: 5.5 (78th)
FT%: .660 (95th)
REB +/-: +4.7 (29th)
TO +/-: +.660 (56th)
Scoring +/-: +9.1 (26th)
SPG: 9.6 (49th)
BPG: 1.6 (114th)
AST/TO: .894 (33rd)
Scoring: Megan Billingsby – 15.2 ppg
Rebounding: Megan Billingsby – 9.0 rpg
Assists: Keila Formont – 3.64 apg
Steals: Keila Formont – 1.89 spg
Blocks: Sydney Rau – 0.59 bpg
OUTLOOK
Concordia carries momentum into the national tournament after winning the GPAC postseason championship with a thrilling 80-72 title game victory at No. 1 Morningside. Two-time GPAC player of the year Bailey Morris and fellow seniors Kelsey Hizer and Tracy Peitz are each appearing on the national stage for the fourth-straight season. The talented senior class is flanked by the blossoming Mary Janovich, who was named GPAC freshman of the year, and second team all-conference sophomore Becky Mueller.
The Bulldogs present a difficult matchup with their ability to force turnovers (28.0 per game) and push the tempo. On the other hand, Bryan prefers a slower pace. The Lady Lions hoist an average of 56.3 shots per game compared to a figure of 68.8 for Concordia. Bryan has been an efficient team, ranking 17th among all NAIA Division II teams in field goal percentage defense (.355) and 19th in field goal percentage offense (.434). Head coach Jason Smith has led the Lions to 20-win seasons in two-straight campaigns. They are making their fifth all-time national tournament appearance and first since 2007. They are 1-4 in five national tournament games.
The Appalachian Athletic Conference runner up is powered by all-conference selections Megan Billingsby (first team), Keila Formont (second team) and Kristin Lane (second team). All three averaged nine points or more. Billingsby tops the team in both scoring (15.2) and rebounding (9.0).
Concordia owns a record of 8-5 in its first 13 opening-round national tournament contests. The last two seasons have ended with first-round defeats coming at the hands of Cardinal Stritch University in 2013 and Olivet Nazarene University in 2014. The 2011-12 team, which featured then freshmen Morris and Peitz, reached the national semifinals.
The winner of Thursday afternoon’s contest will advance to play either fourth-seeded College of Saint Mary (26-6) or fifth-seeded Huntington University (22-9) at 1:45 p.m. CDT on Friday. The Flames of Omaha, Neb., are set to join the GPAC starting with the 2015-16 athletics season.
NOTES
- In its first 13 appearances at the national championships, Concordia has posted a record of 18-13 with three trips to the national semifinals and four quarterfinal finishes. The Bulldogs are 8-5 overall in first-round games, including a 7-3 mark in the last 10 first-round contests. All of the program’s 14 national qualifying seasons have come since 1992 – the same year the NAIA split into two divisions for both men’s and women’s basketball.
- Concordia carries a record of 8-2 this season against teams that have qualified for the national tournament. The eight wins have come against Briar Cliff (two), Hastings (three), Jamestown (one), Morningside (one) and Saint Xavier (one). Both setbacks came at the hands of Morningside.
- Nine of the 15 players on the Bulldogs’ official national tournament roster have prior experience at the national tournament. These nine individuals have combined for 30 career games over appearances in 2012, 2013 and 2014. Three of Concordia’s seniors have each played in six national tournament games: Kelsey Hizer, Bailey Morris and Tracy Peitz. Jericca Pearson, who missed last season’s national tournament due to an ACL tear, has appeared in five career national tournament contests.
- Morris has tallied 61 points over her six career national tournament games with her career best at the Tyson Events Center being 17 points in the first-round loss to Cardinal Stritch in 2013. Among current Bulldogs, Peitz’s 23 points in last season’s national tournament defeat versus Olivet Nazarene stand out as a team high on the national stage. National tournament scoring averages for Concordia’s experienced seniors: Morris (10.2), Peitz (6.0), Pearson (4.6) and Hizer (3.7).
- In the program’s first 31 games at the national tournament, the Bulldogs have averaged 70.8 points per game while allowing an average of 65.2 points. The school record for most points in a single tournament game came in 2003 when Concordia defeated William Jewell (Mo.) 88-44 in the second round. The Bulldogs’ stingiest defensive effort occurred in 2005 when they held Western Baptist to just 28 points in a 70-28 first-round victory.
- Head coach Drew Olson has been at the controls for each of Concordia’s past seven national tournament appearances (including 2015). Olson also helped the Bulldog men to two national tournaments as a player and was part of three such trips to the grand stage as an assistant men’s coach at Bellevue University (Neb.). Former eleven-year assistant coach Amy Harms served on Olson’s staff for each of the first six national tournament appearances between 2008 and 2014 and played in national tournaments in 2002 and 2003 as a member of the Bulldogs. The 2003 squad owns the school record with 36 wins and advanced to the national semifinals. Current assistant Debi Smith is headed to the national tournament for the second year in a row.
- Olson became the fifth coach in program history to lead the Bulldogs to the national tournament when he made his first appearance as head coach in 2008. Now with seven national tournament appearances, Olson has four more than Todd Voss for the most among head coaches in school history. Here are the all-time records for Bulldog coaches at the national tournament:
- Todd Voss: 8-3 (three appearances; two Fab Fours; one quarterfinal finish)
- Drew Olson: 7-6 (seven appearances; one Fab Four; two quarterfinal finishes)
- Mark Lemke: 2-2 (two appearances; one quarterfinal finish)
- Micah Parker: 1-1 (one appearance)
- Carl Everts: 0-1 (one appearance)
- Concordia has made a living in the top 10 of the national rankings. With its No. 8 positioning in Wednesday’s new poll, the Bulldogs have now appeared in the top 10 in 49 of the last 50 polls. Concordia held down the top spot on four occasions during the 2012-13 season. The current senior class has played for a ranked Bulldog team every single game over the past four seasons. The senior class owns a four-year record of 114-20.
- Great Plains Athletic Conference members have won 11 of the last 14 NAIA Division II Women’s Basketball National Championships. Northwestern has five national titles during that stretch while Hastings and Morningside each have three. The GPAC had advanced at least two teams into the Fab Four six-straight years until the streak was snapped last season. Two or more GPAC teams have reached the semifinals in 12 of the past 14 years. In 2012, Concordia, Briar Cliff and Northwestern all appeared in the semifinals.
Dogs stifle Bryan, roll to second round of national tournament
SIOUX CITY, Iowa – Riding its unforgiving pressure defense, the third-ranked Concordia University women’s basketball team crushed the painful memories of the previous two national tournament appearances. The Bulldogs stifled Bryan College in a 76-35 first-round victory at the 2015 NAIA Division II Women’s Basketball National Championships in Sioux City, Iowa, on Thursday afternoon.
Head coach Drew Olson’s squad moved to 32-2 overall. Making its 14th all-time national tournament appearance, Concordia bumped its record to 19-13 in 32 games on the national stage in program history.
“We talked about the pace of the game,” Olson said of the team’s strategy entering the contest. “We’re a little more athletic and we have more depth. We wanted to get the game more up and down. I felt like we wore them down and were able to get easy baskets, especially in the second half. I wish we would have shot better, but I’m pretty pleased with how we played.”
After a sluggish offensive start, Concordia ramped it up with a 19-2 flurry that staked the Bulldogs to 26-5 lead with just over six minutes remaining in the half. A miserable first half for the Lady Lions saw them shoot 12.1 percent (4-for-33) from the field, score just 11 points and turn it over nine times.
It didn’t get any better for Bryan over the final 20 minutes. Bailey Morris capped a 9-0 run to begin the second half and Concordia emptied the bench early against the Appalachian Athletic Conference runner up.
In a contest in which no single Bulldog played more than 17 minutes, senior forward Jericca Pearson stood out in her sixth career game at the national tournament. She burned Bryan with a hellacious first-half block and finished with 10 points and eight rebounds. On the outside, Mary Janovich remained searing hot. She nailed all three attempts from long range and is now 17-for-27 from deep over the past eight games.
Though Concordia shot only 35.1 percent from the field, it got double figures in scoring from Janovich (13), Tracy Peitz (12), Brenleigh Daum (10) and Pearson (10). Morris, a two-time GPAC player of the year, chipped in eight points and five rebounds in her 17 minutes of action. All 15 Bulldogs saw time on the court with 11 registering in the scoring column.
Concordia entered the game with a combined 30 games of national tournament experience on its roster. On the other hand, Jason Smith’s Lions were making the program’s first-ever appearance in Sioux City.
Bryan, which shot 17.2 percent for the game, got 12 points and 11 rebounds from Kristin Lane. First team all-conference performer Megan Billingsby managed just three points while going 1-for-7 from the field.
“Offensively we didn’t really change anything up,” Peitz said. “I felt our defense really pressured the ball and they weren’t used to that kind of pressure. That got them out of rhythm a lot.”
With the win, Olson notched his eighth career national tournament win, tying Todd Voss for the most in Concordia women’s basketball history. Olson’s seven national tournament appearances are a record for Bulldog women’s basketball coaches.
The Bulldogs were happy to put behind first-round national tournament losses that ended the past two seasons abruptly.
“Moving on, now that we put the first round to rest we can just go out and play,” Olson said.
The Bulldogs have advanced to play familiar in-state foe and 14th-ranked College of Saint Mary (27-6). The Flames toppled No. 18 Huntington (Ind.), 63-54, in a matchup that occurred immediately prior to Concordia’s game. Star post player Deaundra Young had 27 points and 19 rebounds in the win for College of Saint Mary.
The Bulldogs and Flames last met on Nov. 5, 2013, when Concordia came away with a 96-89 road win in Omaha.
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.
Morris, Peitz boost Concordia to quarterfinals
SIOUX CITY, Iowa – The stars twinkled under the bright lights of the big stage for the third-ranked Concordia University women’s basketball team. Senior All-Americans Bailey Morris and Tracy Peitz combined for 55 points in leading a 92-82 second-round victory over No. 14 College of Saint Mary in Sioux City, Iowa, on Friday afternoon.
One day after opening the tournament with a 41-point victory margin over Bryan College (Tenn.), ninth-year head coach Drew Olson’s squad steamrolled its way to the quarterfinals for the second time in four years. The Bulldogs will enter Saturday’s 3 p.m. CDT matchup with No. 10 University of Jamestown (N.D.) sporting an overall record of 33-2.
“I was really proud of our effort,” Olson said. “That’s a really good team with a dominant post player – probably the best post player in the country. We did a nice job against her. Overall it was a very good performance.
“Tracy Peitz was phenomenal. She just caused so many matchup problems for them. Her performance was great and obviously Bailey stepped up in a big way.”
Morris and Peitz were catalysts on both ends. Already the program’s all-time leading scorer, Morris racked up 34 points to eclipse 2,000 in her historic career. The senior point guard grabbed the baton from Peitz, who notched nine of Concordia’s first 12 points to gain an early lead.
Morris picked up her second foul before even scoring a point. The two-time GPAC player of the year briefly went to the bench, then returned to the floor and torched the Flames by scoring 13-straight Concordia points during a run that gave her team a 26-14 lead. She showcased her versatility, filling it up from deep, from mid-range and with the dribble drive. Her 20 first-half points were already a national tournament career best.
“Bailey’s a killer. She has that killer instinct that she’s going to go score when the team needs her to,” Olson said. “She did a great job today.”
An 8-0 late first-half run gave College of Saint Mary short-lived hope. Concordia led 45-34 at the half and quickly drove the advantage to 17 after a 6-0 run to begin the second was capped by Jade Gottier’s trey. The advantage grew as large as 28 points during an impressive second-half frenzy that featured a 24-8 spurt.
A late Concordia lull provided CSM a chance to sneak back within eight, but it was simply too late. Even the unstoppable force inside of Deaundra Young (21 points and 15 rebounds) failed to prevent the Bulldog locomotive.
Concordia hurled in a program national tournament record 92 points by bumping up its shooting percentage from 35.1 on Thursday to 43.7 on Friday. In addition to dominant efforts from Morris and Peitz (21 points, six rebounds and four steals), senior Jericca Pearson added 10 points and eight rebounds while freshmen Mary Janovich and Brenleigh Daum chipped in eight and seven points, respectively.
Young’s 21 points topped a group of six double-figure scorers for the Flames, who are set to join the GPAC beginning with the 2015-16 athletics season. Young went 6-for-8 from the field and 9-for-10 from the free throw line. As a team, CSM shot 43.6 percent from the field and committed 20 turnovers to Concordia’s 10.
Morris’ 34 points are the most in a single game by any player at the 2015 national tournament. She also added eight rebounds, three assists and a pair of steals in 32 minutes of action. She now sits at 2,008 points over 133 career games.
“It’s a pretty cool feeling,” Morris said of reaching the milestone. “What makes it cooler is that my teammates helped me get there and of course, Coach helped me get there. I’m just excited about how our team’s playing in this tournament. There are some team goals that are a lot more important (than 2,000 points).”
With Friday’s win, Olson surpassed Todd Voss for the most national tournament coaching victories in Concordia women’s basketball history. Olson is 9-6 over seven national tournament appearances. As a program, the Bulldogs are 3-4 in their first seven national quarterfinal games.
The Bulldogs will take on Jamestown (26-6) for the second time this season. The Bulldogs cruised past the Jimmies, 90-72, in Jamestown on Nov. 1. Four of the Jimmies’ six losses have come at the hands of GPAC opponents.
“They’re a tough team, very well-coached, great discipline,” Morris said. “They have some really good players. We’ve gotten better since we played them and they’ve gotten better since they played us. It’s going to be a tough game tomorrow. That’s what you expect at the national tournament so we’ll be ready to go.”
Quarterfinal clash features Concordia-Jamestown rematch
SIOUX CITY, Iowa – The third-ranked Concordia University women’s basketball team will challenge No. 10 University of Jamestown (N.D.) for the second time this season when the two squads meet in the national quarterfinals on Saturday. The contest is slated to tip off at 3 p.m. CDT inside the Tyson Events Center in Sioux City, Iowa.
GAME INFO
No. 3 Concordia (33-2) vs. No. 10 Jamestown (26-6)
Saturday, March 14 | 3 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
The Jimmies, champions of the North Star Athletic Association, reached the quarterfinals with wins over both No. 22 St. Thomas (Fla.), 69-62, and No. 5 Cardinal Stritch (Wis.), 58-53. Junior forward Jessica Buck, who entered the tournament averaging 16.8 points, has totaled 31 points through two national tournament games.
Meanwhile, Concordia has rolled to the quarterfinals with victories over Bryan College (Tenn.), 76-35, and No. 14 College of Saint Mary, 92-82. The 92 points broke the program record for the highest scoring output in a single national tournament game. In the latest win, two-time GPAC player of the year Bailey Morris poured in 34 points, eclipsing 2,000 for her career. The 34 points are the most by an individual in a single game so far at the 2015 national championships.
In their second game of the season, the Bulldogs rolled up a 90-72 win at Jamestown on Nov. 1, 2014. Morris posted 22 points and Becky Mueller followed close behind with 21. Concordia held the Jimmies to 36.2 percent shooting and flustered them into 35 turnovers.
Morris and company know they will need another stellar effort to sending Jamestown packing.
“They’re a tough team, very well-coached, great discipline,” Morris said. “They have some really good players. We’ve gotten better since we played them and they’ve gotten better since they played us. It’s going to be a tough game tomorrow. That’s what you expect at the national tournament so we’ll be ready to go.”
Morris and fellow first-team all-GPAC performer Tracy Peitz dominated on Friday, but Olson believes his team can sharpen up some key areas for Saturday afternoon’s tilt.
“We lost shooters at times. When 44 (College of Saint Mary’s Deaundra Young) was out of the game we allowed them to attack the basket and get to the free throw line,” Olson said. “Our miscues let stay around and chip back into the game. We have to be a little bit sharper tomorrow.”
Jamestown has fallen victim to four GPAC squads this season: Briar Cliff, Concordia, Dakota Wesleyan and Morningside. Concordia’s only two losses came to Morningside during the regular season.
The Bulldogs are now 20-13 all-time at the national tournament. Olson improved to 9-6 in his seven appearances, breaking Todd Voss’ former program coaching record of eight national tournament wins.
Terrific trio propels Concordia to national semifinals
SIOUX CITY, Iowa – Tenth-ranked University of Jamestown (N.D.) could only hold down the powerfully-built Concordia University women’s basketball team for so long. The potent offensive trio of Mary Janovich, Bailey Morris and Tracy Peitz provided the fuel in leading the Bulldogs back to the national semifinals for the second time in four years with a 76-59 win over the Jimmies (26-7) on Saturday afternoon in Sioux City, Iowa.
Ninth-year head coach Drew Olson will make his second semifinal appearance at the helm of the Bulldogs (34-2). Concordia’s heralded senior class, led by Morris, has served as the ring leader for what is already one of the greatest seasons in program history.
“We knew we had a really good team because of the senior leadership with Bailey, Tracy, Kelsey (Hizer) and Jericca (Pearson),” Olson said. “Those four are just phenomenal. I knew we would have a great team, but I never projected we’d be 34-2. They’ve definitely exceeded expectations.”
Everything worked as planned after the opening whistle of the second half. Morris directed an offense that picked apart the Jamestown man-to-man defense. On the other end, Concordia mixed in a 2-3 zone and held the Jimmies to 27 points over the final 20 minutes. A 22-4 splurge that concluded with a Peitz layup at the 5:02 mark made the Bulldogs a runaway winner.
Janovich once again sizzled from beyond the arc, going 4-for-6 from deep (8-for-11 from 3-point range at the national tournament) while notching 19 points. Her shooting helped open up driving lanes for Peitz, who dropped in many of her 17 points off the dribble. Morris led the way with 20 points on the strength of her attacking style that led to her making 10 of 14 free throw attempts.
With impressive precision and flow, Concordia shot 57.7 percent (15-for-26) in the second half to help overcome a 50-29 disadvantage on the boards.
“They killed us on the boards,” Olson said. “That was one thing we were kind of worried about because we’re a little undersized. We were able to find ways to get stops. Jericca did a great job on the boards. We got stops and were able to knock down shots on the other end.”
Janovich, Concordia’s first-ever GPAC freshman of the year, drew plenty of praise from Morris following the game. The explosion of Janovich’s game has been a big reason why the Bulldogs stand on the doorstep of their first-ever national title game appearance.
“She’s a huge defensive player for us,” Morris said. “I love having her up in the press. She’s a lot of fun to play with. She bothers a lot of ball handlers. For her to be able to come in and do that as a freshman and play so well on this big of a stage is huge for us.”
With the Bulldogs’ prolific offensive trio clicking, Concordia built a lead as big as 21 points (68-47) in the second half. The Bulldogs have held an advantage of 21 points or more in each of their three national tournament games.
The multitude of weapons proved too much for head coach Greg Ulland’s North Star Athletic Association champions.
“I thought we did a fairly decent job on Morris, but then I look up and she’s got 20 at the end of the night,” Ulland said. “She’s so good and Peitz did her thing. She made a couple moves when it was kind of a vulnerable time. She made some plays and the other kids stepped up. Janovich had a nice night. She shot the ball really well. They’re a really, really good team.”
Morris, who played 36 minutes despite picking up three first-half fouls, added five rebounds, five assists and three steals. Pearson has quietly put together an impressive national tournament off the bench. She chipped in eight points and six rebounds in 25 minutes on Saturday.
On the other side, both Jessica Buck (12 points) and Bryn Woodside (10 points) found their way into double figures for a Jamestown squad that turned it over 24 times and shot 37.9 percent for the game.
A sluggish start found Concordia trailing 13-5 roughly five minutes after the opening tip. The Bulldogs then ran off 10-straight points – a run highlighted by Peitz’s driving reverse layup. Concordia led by as many as seven points (30-23) during the first half following consecutive treys by Laurel Krohn and Morris, who added two free throws during the spurt. The Bulldogs then scored just three points over the half’s final five minutes and trailed 32-31 at the break.
Concordia has improved to 21-13 all-time at the national tournament and now looks forward to Monday’s semifinal clash with fifth-seeded and 19th-ranked Briar Cliff (26-9). Tipoff is slated for 8 p.m. CDT from the Tyson Events Center. The Bulldogs swept a pair of regular-season meetings from the Chargers. The game can be seen live via ESPN3.com.
ESPN3 to showcase Concordia-Briar Cliff with title game berth on the line
SIOUX CITY, Iowa – The 2014-15 Concordia University women’s basketball team aims to do something never before accomplished in the history of the program – reach the national title game. As part of an all GPAC NAIA Division II Women’s Basketball National Championships semifinals, the third-ranked Bulldogs will take on No. 19 Briar Cliff at 8 p.m. CDT on Monday. ESPN3.com will carry the contest live online.
GAME INFO
No. 3 Concordia (34-2) vs. No. 19 Briar Cliff (26-9)
Monday, March 16 | 8 p.m. CDT
Sioux City, Iowa | Tyson Events Center
Live broadcast: ESPN3.com
Live stats: Dakstats
Tickets: available at arena ticket office or via tysoncenter.com
Concordia is making its fourth all-time national semifinal appearance and second under ninth-year head coach Drew Olson. Other semifinal trips came in 2003, 2005 and 2012. The Bulldogs are 21-13 in 34 national tournament games (all since 1992) following wins at the 2015 championships over Bryan College, 76-35, No. 14 College of Saint Mary, 92-82, and No. 10 University of Jamestown, 76-59.
Now Olson’s squad draws a Briar Cliff team that it beat twice during the regular season. The Bulldogs defeated the Chargers by scores of 69-59 in Seward on Nov. 22 and 76-60 in Sioux City on Jan. 17. Head coach Mike Power’s club enters the semifinals coming off tournament victories over No. 15 Menlo College, 80-61, previously unbeaten and second-ranked Davenport University, 55-53, and Tabor College, 62-53.
Behind junior guard Jessi Corrick (15.0 ppg at the national tournament), Briar Cliff appears to be playing its best basketball of the season.
“The worry is that they’re a really good team and they’re playing really well,” Olson said after Saturday’s win over Jamestown. “That zone that they play is tough to really crack. Offensively they run some really good stuff, so it’s going to be a tough game.
“They’re never going to beat themselves. They’re solid defensively. They take care of the ball. They run really good offense. They’re just a sound basketball team. I knew if they got into the national tournament they were going to do really well.”
The Bulldogs are on a roll themselves and are arguably the hottest team in the nation. Their 34 wins are tied with the 2011-12 squad for the second most for a Concordia women’s basketball team. Only the 2002-03 team (36-2) has ever won more times in a single season in program history.
Concordia has enjoyed a special journey by following the lead of senior All-Americans Bailey Morris (20.7 ppg at the national tournament) and Tracy Peitz (16.7 ppg at the national tournament) and rising star Mary Janovich (8-for-11 from 3-point range at the national tournament). Their efforts have helped the Bulldogs pile up second-half leads of 21 points or more in each of the tournament’s first three games.
Morris and company are looking forward to another GPAC grinder under the spotlight on Monday night
“It will be a fun game,” Morris said. “They’re a great GPAC school. Obviously we’ve seen them before. They’re a great team. Every team is great here at the national tournament. They’re going to be playing some of their best basketball and hopefully we can too.”
Like Concordia, Briar Cliff has earned its fourth national semifinal berth and seeks its first-ever championship game appearance. The Bulldogs have won four-consecutive meetings with the Chargers.
Peitz named repeat scholar-athlete
2014-15 Daktronics-NAIA Scholar-Athletes
For the second-straight year, senior Tracy Peitz has been named a Daktronics-NAIA Scholar-Athlete, as announced by the NAIA on Monday. The native of Hartington, Neb., is a biology major (pre-dentistry).
Peitz, a two-time first time all-GPAC selection, is averaging 11.8 points and 4.5 rebounds while shooting 60.2 percent from the field. Over three national tournament games over the past week, she is averaging 16.7 points per game.
In order to be nominated by an institution’s head coach or sports information director, a student-athlete must maintain a minimum grade point average of 3.5 on a 4.0 scale and must have achieved a junior academic status. A total of 255 Division II women’s basketball student-athletes across the nation were named scholar-athletes by the NAIA.
Concordia University ranks as the NAIA’s all-time leader in number of Daktronics-NAIA Scholar-Athletes with 1,066 and counting following a fall 2014 total of 44 Scholar-Athletes. During the 2013-14 academic year, Concordia garnered 101 Scholar-Athlete honorees (most in the NAIA) and 17 NAIA Scholar-Teams (tied for fourth nationally).
Concordia University, Nebraska, founded in 1894, is a fully accredited, coeducational university located in Seward, Neb., that currently serves over 2,200 students. Concordia offers more than 50 professional and liberal arts programs in an excellent academic and Christ-centered community that equips men and women for lives of learning, service and leadership in the church and world.
Title bound!
SIOUX CITY, Iowa – The 2014-15 Concordia University women’s basketball team has leapt a hurdle never before cleared in the history of the program. On Monday night the third-ranked Bulldogs blitzed No. 19 Briar Cliff down the stretch and pulled away for a 72-62 win in the national semifinals. The victory vaulted Concordia into the NAIA Division II women’s basketball national final for the first time ever.
The Bulldog women’s basketball program had struck out in its first three attempts at reaching the national title game, having made semifinal appearances in 2003, 2005 and 2012. Now ninth-year head coach Drew Olson’s program will play for the first national championship for any sport in Concordia University athletics history.
The Bulldogs will take on top-ranked Morningside (36-1) at 7:05 p.m. CDT in Tuesday’s title game. The Mustangs have won two of the three matchups this season.
“It’s pretty amazing,” Bulldog sophomore Becky Mueller said of being in the title game. “Last year we lost first round and it was really disappointing. This year we came in so confident as a team and we knew we deserved it. I’m just super excited for tomorrow.”
In an off-shooting game for senior All-American Bailey Morris, Concordia flashed the depth of its roster. During a game-defining 15-0 run in the final five minutes, Becky Mueller curled in a trey just ahead of the shot clock buzzer and Mary Janovich dropped in a mid-range jumper.
Morris wouldn’t stay cold all night. After going 2-for-16 to begin the game, Morris drilled a pair of triples from the left corner during the run. The second triple was a back breaker with 1:22 left that put the Bulldogs up 69-56. Like all season long, Morris and company again played big in crunch time.
“They’re a team that always finds ways to win,” Olson said. “Once I calmed down and allowed the team to calm down, good things happened. They always make the plays. I had the confidence that they were going to pull it out.”
Concordia pulled it out by placing five different players in double figures. When Tracy Peitz retreated to the bench with four fouls, Jericca Pearson picked up the slack inside. She scored 10 of her 13 points in the second half and helped subdue a Briar Cliff team that took the lead three times over the final 20 minutes.
Not only that, Mueller surfaced with one of her finest games of the season. She went for 18 points while knocking down three treys and 7 of 8 free throw attempts. Peitz, who had a monster first half, finished with 13 points and 12 rebounds. Meanwhile, freshman Mary Janovich continued her tremendous tournament with 14 points (4-for-9 from 3-point range).
The battle that featured plenty of 2-3 zone defenses on both sides ended with Concordia fending off a physical and confident Briar Cliff group that pulled upsets over No. 2 Davenport University and No. 15 Menlo College as part of its magical run to the semifinals. The Chargers used those same guts to fight back from a 10-point first-half deficit.
Foul trouble factored into play for both teams. Morris sat out the final few minutes of the first half after being whistled for the third time on an offensive foul. In the second half Peitz picked up her fourth foul, as did Briar Cliff standout Slone Masters.
A first team all-conference selection, Masters topped Briar Cliff with 15 points and helped keep her team neck and neck with Concordia. Masters drained a three during the Chargers’ 9-1 run to begin the second half. There was little separation for most of the second half until the Bulldogs went on their game-winning run.
Concordia shot 39.7 percent (23-for-58) from the field compared to 35.0 percent (21-for-60) shooting by Briar Cliff. The Bulldogs knocked down 11 treys.
In its run to the championship, Concordia has defeated Bryan College, No. 14 College of Saint Mary, No. 10 University of Jamestown and No. 19 Briar Cliff. The Bulldogs have won each of their first four games by 10 points or more.
Now Concordia will try to take down Morningside, as it did in the GPAC tournament title game on March 3.
“We know each other so well,” Olson said. “We know what they’re going to do. They know what we’re going to do. It’s going to be a great battle.”
Concordia meets Morningside in Tuesday’s national title tilt
SIOUX CITY, Iowa – The most significant game in the history of the Concordia University women’s basketball program will play out inside the Tyson Events Center in Sioux City, Iowa, on Tuesday night. For the fourth time this season, GPAC powers collide when the third-ranked Bulldogs (35-2) clash with top-ranked Morningside (36-1) with a national title trophy on the line. Tipoff is slated for 7:02 p.m. CDT.
The last time the two teams met, Concordia celebrated a GPAC tournament title with an 80-72 victory on the Mustangs’ home floor. Both squads are plenty familiar with each other’s tendencies.
“We know each other so well,” Olson said. “We know what they’re going to do. They know what we’re going to do. It’s going to be a great battle.”
GAME INFO
No. 3 Concordia (35-2) vs. No. 1 Morningside (36-1)
Tuesday, March 17 | 7:02 p.m. CDT
Sioux City, Iowa | Tyson Events Center
Live broadcast: ESPN3.com
Live stats: Dakstats
Tickets: available at arena ticket office or via tysoncenter.com
*Doors open to the public at 5 p.m.
Road to the title game
Concordia
First round: Bryan College, 76-35
Second round: No. 14 College of Saint Mary, 92-82
Quarterfinals: No. 10 Jamestown, 76-59
Semifinals: No. 19 Briar Cliff, 72-62
Morningside
First round: UC Merced, 79-45
Second round: No. 17 Oklahoma Wesleyan, 74-66
Quarterfinals: No. 9 Saint Francis, 79-62
Semifinals: No. 12 Hastings, 66-63
GAME NOTES
- Concordia is now 22-13 all-time in its 14 national tournament appearances. The 2015 championships marked the fourth time that the Bulldogs have reached the national semifinals (2003, 2005, 2012, 2015). Concordia is making its first-ever appearance in the national championship game.
- Two-time GPAC player of the year Bailey Morris has played in each of the team’s last 10 national tournament games. At the 2015 event, Morris is leading the Bulldogs in scoring with an average of 18.5 points per game. Her 34 points in the second round win over 14th-ranked College of Saint Mary are a single game high for individuals at the 2015 tournament. She came up just short of a triple-double with her line of 12 points, nine assists and eight rebounds in Monday’s semifinal win over Briar Cliff. In her career, Morris has averaged 13.5 points per game at the national tournament. Over 135 career games, Morris has totaled 2,040 points. She eclipsed the 2,000-point mark in the win over Saint Mary.
- Senior Tracy Peitz, a third team All-American last season, has tallied at least 12 points in each of her last five national tournament games. She recorded her first double-double on the national stage by putting up 13 points and 12 rebounds in the win over Briar Cliff. She ranks second on the team to Morris in scoring at the 2015 national tournament with an average of 15.8 points per game. She has also averaged 7.3 rebounds over the past four contests.
- Concordia has advanced to the title game by winning each of its four national tournament games by 10 points or more. The Bulldogs are averaging 79.0 points during the tournament and their 92 points in the win over Saint Mary broke a program record for single-game scoring on the national stage. On the other end, Concordia opponents have averaged only 59.5 points during the 2015 tournament.
- Head coach Drew Olson is in the midst of his seventh appearance at the national tournament in nine seasons at the helm of the program. He owns a national championships record of 11-6. He ranks No. 1 among Concordia women’s basketball coaches all-time in overall wins (226), conference wins (122), national tournament wins (11) and national tournament appearances (seven). He has guided the Bulldogs to two GPAC regular-season titles and two GPAC tournament trophies.
- Mary Janovich, the program’s first-ever GPAC freshman of the year, has averaged 13.5 points per game at the national tournament. She has gone 12-for-20 from 3-point range over the past four contests. Going back further, Janovich has made 26 of 44 shots (.591) from beyond the arc in her last 12 games.
- Concordia has moved up to No. 35 nationally among all NAIA Division II teams in field goal percentage defense (.369). At the national tournament, Bulldog opponents have gone 77-for-231 (.333) from the field. Bryan College’s 17.2 field goal percentage marked a season low for Concordia foes.
- With three victories over ranked opponents at the national tournament, Concordia now owns 13 wins this season over top 25 squads. The Bulldogs have defeated teams ranked Nos. 1, 5, 6, 7, 9, 10, 12, 14, 17 (twice), 19, 21 and 25. Concordia has wins over five of the other seven squads that advanced to the national quarterfinals.
- Off the bench, senior Jericca Pearson has averaged 10.3 points and 6.0 rebounds per game during the 2015 national tournament. She has played in nine career games on the national stage. She missed last season’s first-round loss to Olivet Nazarene due to injury. Seniors Morris, Peitz and Kelsey Hizer have played in all 10 Concordia national tournament games the past four seasons.
- Morningside, 34-9 all-time at the national tournament, is seeking its fourth national title in four appearances in the final game. Head coach Jamie Sale led the program to national titles in 2004, 2005 and 2009. With first team all-conference post Ashlynn Muhl sidelined for the entire tournament, the Mustangs have gotten a big four games from 6-foot-2 junior Jessica Tietz, who leads the team in scoring (15.5 ppg) and ranks a close second in rebounding (7.3 rpg) at the 2015 event.
- No Concordia University athletics team has ever won a national title. In 2005 the Bulldog men’s basketball team, under head coach Grant Schmidt, reached the NAIA Division II championship game and fell, 81-70, to Walsh University (Ohio.). National runner-up finishes have also been achieved by Concordia men’s cross country (2009), women’s cross country (2000, 2001, 2002, 2004), men’s indoor track and field (2000) and women’s outdoor track and field (1989).
Bulldogs fall short in first-ever national title game appearance
SIOUX CITY, Iowa – A jam-packed Tyson Events Center crowd saw the Concordia University women’s basketball team fall just shy in its first-ever NAIA Division II national title game appearance. Top-ranked Morningside ended the fourth battle of the season between the two GPAC powerhouses with a 6-0 run for a 59-57 victory.
Third-ranked Concordia concludes its season with an overall record of 35-3 (second most wins in program history). Meanwhile, the Mustangs (37-1) celebrated their fourth national championship – all coming since 2004 under the direction of head coach Jamie Sale.
“You don’t talk about the game,” Olson said of the postgame locker room chat. “I just told them how blessed I was to be with those six seniors and how much I love them, how much they meant to this team and this program. I just couldn’t thank them enough.”
Concordia saw a 57-53 lead in the final two minutes slip away. Morningside ultimately pushed ahead with the deciding points when Lexi Ackerman drained a pair of free throws with :1.2 left after Bailey Morris was whistled for a foul on the drive. Morris’ proceeding heave at the buzzer came up well short and a throng of Mustang fans rushed the Tyson Events Center floor.
Ackerman’s free throws completed a comeback from 12 points down in the first half. The Mustangs did not own an advantage until the 12:17 mark of the second half (42-41). Junior post Jessica Tietz served as the key cog in Morningside’s run. Named the tournament MVP, Tietz bullied Concordia inside, going for 17 points and 12 rebounds.
After Jericca Pearson’s put back with 1:57 made it 57-53 in favor of Concordia, Tietz responded with a 3-point play. Her free throw with :55 left then knotted the score. The Bulldogs milked the clock on the ensuing possession that ended when Mary Janovich’s corner three failed to beat the shot clock buzzer. That set the stage for Ackerman’s game-winning free throws.
A rough shooting performance from the outside (6-for-26 from 3-point range) against the Mustang zone doomed Concordia to its third loss of the season against a Morningside team that went undefeated (20-0) during GPAC regular-season action.
In arguably the greatest season in program history, the Bulldogs defeated 13 nationally-ranked teams and won GPAC and CIT tournament championships.
“I’m sure it will settle in later,” Olson said of the team’s accomplishments. “But it’s tough to lose when you felt like you had it.”
In her final collegiate game, Morris dazzled with precision passes that beat dizzied Mustang defenders. She dropped seven dimes in the game’s first 14 minutes. With Morris wheeling and dealing, Concordia raced out to 26-14 lead with under six minutes left in the first half. During the sterling start, Morris assisted four different players.
Named the NAIA Division II women’s basketball national player of the year following the game, Morris finished with 14 points and eight rebounds. She ended her career with 2,054 points, 502 assists and 394 steals. Tracy Peitz, tabbed to the all-tournament team along with Morris, paced the Bulldogs with 15 points while hauling in eight rebounds. In addition, Kelsey Hizer posted 10 points and nine boards and Becky Mueller reeled in 10 rebounds.
The senior class, led by the likes of Hizer, Morris, Pearson and Peitz, finished with a four-year record of 119-21. The group reached the national semifinals twice, qualified for four-straight national tournaments and won two GPAC regular-season titles and a pair of conference tournament titles.
“I’ll probably remember their personalities a whole lot more than them as players,” said an emotional Olson. “I’ll remember how much joy I had coaching each one of them and how much better they made going to work every day. That’s why they’re such a special group.”
Concordia fell despite limiting Morningside to 29.0 percent (20-for-69) shooting from the field. The Mustangs made up for it by making eight more free throw, by posting a plus-11 turnover margin and by owning a 47-40 rebound advantage.
Ackerman joined Tietz as the only two Mustangs in double figures. Ackerman tallied 14 points.
The 2015 event marked 12th time in the past 15 years that a GPAC institution has claimed the national title. All four GPAC teams in this year’s field advanced to the national semifinals. Concordia has made semifinal trips in 2003, 2005, 2012 and 2015.
2015 NAIA Division II All-Tournament
First Team
Slone Masters, Briar Cliff (Iowa)
Tracy Peitz, Concordia (Neb.)
Jamie Van Kirk, Hastings (Neb.)
Bailey Morris, Concordia (Neb.)
MVP - Jessica Tietz, Morningside (Iowa)
Second Team
Brook Ridley, Saint Francis (Ind.)
Morgan Stuut, Saint Xavier (Ill.)
Jessica Buck, Jamestown (N.D.)
Michaela Barry, Hastings (Neb.)
Allison Bachman, Morningside (Iowa)
Morris garners national player of the year honors; Peitz named All-American
View complete list of NAIA DII WBB All-Americans
SEWARD, Neb. – Already a two-time GPAC player of the year, senior Bailey Morris has earned the highest of honors. As announced following Tuesday’s national championship game, Morris has been named the NAIA Division II Women’s Basketball National Player of the Year. In addition, teammate Tracy Peitz received second team NAIA All-America recognition.
Morris is also making her second-straight appearance on the NAIA’s All-America first team. The native of Clay Center, Neb., is the first Bulldog ever to be tabbed national player of the year as well as the program’s only two-time first team All-American. Morris’ impressive haul of career honors include honorary captain of the Omaha World-Herald All-Nebraska NAIA team, eight GPAC player of the week awards, a national player of the week accolade, first team all-tournament at the 2015 national championships, two CIT MVP trophies and academic all-district laurels.
Morris ends her career with a school record 2,054 points over 136 career games. On program career lists, Morris also ranks second in steals (394) and fourth in assists (502). The 5-foot-4 point guard averaged 18.5 points, 5.17 assists and 3.78 steals per game as a senior. Her 45 points on Feb. 15, 2014, in a win over Northwestern remain a program record for the highest individual single-game scoring output.
When reflecting upon her time playing for Concordia, Morris wrote:
"When I look back on my career at Concordia, sure, I'll remember the scoring record, the national player of the year and all the accolades and recognition. But what I'll be most proud of are my teammates. I'm proud of everything they did for the teams I was on and the player they pushed me to be. I hope they remember me as passionate and hard-working person who loved the game of basketball but more importantly, loved them. Saying 'I'm so thankful for them' would be a giant understatement. I don't think they'll ever understand how much they mean to me. I'm so thankful for Coach Olson. Plain and simple, I wouldn't have become the player I did without him. He challenged me every day, mentally and physically, to make myself better and to make those around me better. He is a huge, huge reason for my success. I'll graduate and move on with my life, but the pride of being a Concordia Bulldog will be with me wherever I go."
Peitz has helped team up with Morris on a four-year record of 119-21, two GPAC regular-season titles, two GPAC tournament titles, two national semifinal appearances and four-straight trips to the national tournament. A third team All-American last season, Peitz moves up to the second team following a stellar senior year. The two-time first team all-conference selection averaged 11.9 points, 4.8 rebounds and 2.3 steals per game in 2014-15. She averaged 15.6 points at this year’s national tournament, earning first team all-tournament honors.
Also a two-time scholar-athlete, the Hartington, Neb., native is one of 26 players in program history to eclipse 1,000 points. Over 136 career games, Peitz posted 1,277 points, 594 rebounds and 306 steals (sixth most in Concordia women’s basketball history).
Excluding honorable mention honorees, Concordia has had 13 different players earn All-America status for a total of 17 All-America awards. Morris and Peitz are two of four Bulldogs to ever be named All-Americans twice. The others are Whitney Stichka (2008, 2009) and Kristen Conahan (2012 and 2013). Concordia players have collected All-America recognition a total of nine times under head coach Drew Olson.
Olson collects NAIA Region 2 Coach of the Year honors
SEWARD, Neb. – For the second time in four seasons, Concordia University head women’s basketball coach Drew Olson has been named one of six United States Marine Corps/Women’s Basketball Coaches Association NAIA Regional Coaches of the Year, as announced by the WBCA on Tuesday. Olson, the Region 2 coach of the year, received the same honor in 2011-12 when he guided the Bulldogs to GPAC regular-season and tournament titles.
All regional coaches of the year are finalists for the Pat Summitt Trophy to be presented to the 2015 United States Marine Corps/WBCA NAIA National Coach of the Year during the Fifth Annual WBCA Awards Show on Monday, April 6, in the Grand Ballroom at the Tampa Marriott Waterside. This event is part of the WBCA National Convention and is held in conjunction with the NCAA® Women's Final Four®.
"The WBCA congratulates these six outstanding coaches on being named finalists for the Pat Summitt Trophy, presented to the 2015 United States Marine Corps/WBCA NAIA National Coach of the Year," said WBCA Executive Director Danielle Donehew. "Each coach was selected as a finalist by their peers after leading their respective teams to exceptional seasons. The WBCA appreciates and applauds each coach’s commitment to their student-athletes, institutions, and communities.”
This season Olson led Concordia to a 35-3 overall record, a GPAC tournament title and the program’s first-ever appearance in the NAIA Division II national title game. The 2003 Concordia graduate holds program coaching records for overall wins (226), conference wins (122), national tournament wins (11) and national tournament appearances (seven). Over the last four seasons, Concordia has won two GPAC regular-season championships and has captured two GPAC tournament trophies. In 2012 Olson was named the GPAC coach of the year.
In Olson’s nine seasons, Concordia players have been named first, second or third team All-Americans a total of nine times. Two-time GPAC player of the year Bailey Morris blossomed with the help of Olson. On Tuesday she was tabbed the program’s first-ever national player of the year.
“I'm so thankful for Coach Olson,” Morris said. “Plain and simple, I wouldn't have become the player I did without him. He challenged me every day, mentally and physically, to make myself better and to make those around me better. He is a huge, huge reason for my success.”
Region 2 of the NAIA encompasses 45 institutions across the Great Plains Athletic Conference, Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference, Midlands Collegiate Athletic Conference and North Star Athletic Association.
The six coaches recognized with regional honors by the WBCA were:
Region 1 – Shelley Jarrard, Westminster College
Region 2 – Drew Olson, Concordia University
Region 3 – Dale Neal, Freed-Hardeman University
Region 4 – Mike Williams, Davenport University
Region 5 – Ginger Colvin, Campbellsville University
Region 6 – Chris Nelson, Bethel University (Tenn.)
Women’s basketball closes season at No. 2 in national poll
NAIA Division II WBB coaches’ poll
SEWARD, Neb. – Following a thrilling run to the national title game, the Concordia University women’s basketball team has checked in at No. 2 in the postseason edition of the NAIA Division II Women’s Basketball Coaches’ Top 25 Poll, released on Wednesday by the NAIA. Ninth-year head coach Drew Olson’s squad has now appeared in 52-straight national polls, dating back to the 2011-12 preseason rating.
Since the start of the 2011-12 season, Concordia has been ranked inside the top 10 of all but two polls and has garnered top-five national rankings a total of 30 times. The current senior class played every single game for a ranked Bulldog squad over the past four seasons. Since the NAIA initiated the postseason rating following the national tournament in 2012, Concordia has been placed at No. 3 (2011-12), No. 9 (2012-13), No. 13 (2013-14) and No. 2 (2014-15).
The program has held the No. 1 ranking a total of 11 times, including the final seven polls of the 2002-03 season and the first four ratings of the 2012-13 campaign. The 2014-15 Bulldogs became the first in program history to reach the national title game and was the fourth Concordia women’s basketball team to advance to the national semifinals.
In Olson’s nine seasons, six of his teams have ended the season in the top 25 (see below). The program’s all-time winningest coach says that the 2014-15 squad will go down as the best ever in Concordia women’s basketball history.
“It was the most fun I have ever had coaching,” Olson said. “It was an incredible group to work with all season. They were special. They had a togetherness and a collective toughness that is rare. They found ways to win. Most importantly, they were a great group of teammates that loved each other. It’s bittersweet how it ended, but I think we will remember the greatness of the team more. They will go down as the best team ever at Concordia and their accomplishments will be tough to top. I am blessed that God let me coach these seniors the most possible amount of games. I loved every minute with them.”
In a reflection upon her career after the national championship game, NAIA Division II player of the year Bailey Morris also spoke to the special nature of this year’s team.
“I'm proud of everything my teammates did for the teams I was on and the player they pushed me to be,” Morris said. “I hope they remember me as passionate and hard-working person who loved the game of basketball but more importantly, loved them. Saying 'I'm so thankful for them' would be a giant understatement. I don't think they'll ever understand how much they mean to me. I'm so thankful for Coach Olson. Plain and simple, I wouldn't have become the player I did without him.”
Concordia won a total of 11 games during the 2014-15 season against teams that appear in the top 25 of the postseason rating. The Bulldogs made victims out of No. 1 Morningside, No. 4 Saint Xavier, No. 5 Hastings (3x), No. 7 Jamestown (twice), No. 10 Briar Cliff (3x) and No. 17 College of Saint Mary.
Preseason/final top 25 rankings under Olson
2014-15: 9
2013-14: 5
2012-13: 1
2011-12: 22
2010-11: 11
2009-10: 22
2008-09: 7
2007-08: NR
2006-07: NR
Final end of season top 25 rankings under Olson
2014-15: 2
2013-14: 13
2012-13: 9
2011-12: 3
2010-11: NR
2009-10: NR
2008-09: 8
2007-08: 10
2006-07: NR
Morris nets second OWH honorary captain award; Peitz named to first team
SEWARD, Neb. – Already a two-time GPAC player of the year and NAIA Division II national player of the year, Concordia University women’s basketball star Bailey Morris has been tabbed honorary captain of the NAIA All-Nebraska team by the Omaha World-Herald. In addition, senior Tracy Peitz received first team All-Nebraska recognition and both freshman Mary Janovich and sophomore Becky Mueller garnered honorable mention.
Morris ended her career with a school record 2,054 points over 136 career games. On program career lists, Morris also ranks second in steals (394) and fourth in assists (502). The 5-foot-4 point guard averaged 18.5 points, 5.17 assists and 3.78 steals per game as a senior. Her 45 points on Feb. 15, 2014, in a win over Northwestern remain a program record for the highest individual single-game scoring output.
“She’s someone who’s always wanting to get better and better,” Bulldog head coach Drew Olson told the World-Herald. “I haven’t had a player like her. Her scoring, her leadership, we’re definitely going to miss her.”
Morris career achievements
- School record for career scoring (2,054 points) and single-game scoring (45 points)
- 2014-15 NAIA Division II national player of the year
- Two-time GPAC player of the year
- Two-time first team NAIA All-American
- Two-time Omaha World-Herald NAIA All-Nebraska honorary captain
- 2015 national tournament first team all-tournament
- Seven-time GPAC player of the week
- 2014-15 Capital One academic all-district
- Led Concordia to four-year record of 119-21, first-ever national title game appearance, two total national semifinal trips, four-straight national tournament berths, two GPAC regular-season titles and two GPAC tournament trophies
Peitz, a two-time Daktronics-NAIA Scholar-Athlete, earned a reputation as one of the top defensive players in the GPAC with the ability to dominate on the offensive end. The native of Hartington, Neb., amassed 1,277 career points and 594 career rebounds. As a senior, Peitz posted averages of 11.9 points, 4.8 rebounds and 2.3 steals and a shooting percentage of 60.2 from the field. She is a two-time NAIA All-American (one second team; one third team honor).
Janovich received the distinction of first-ever GPAC freshman of the year at Concordia. The jet-quick guard from Gretna, Neb., is averaged 9.8 points and 2.1 steals while playing a key role in the team’s forcing of nearly 27 turnovers per game. Mueller again served as one of the Bulldogs’ top outside shooting threats. The native of Elkhorn, Neb., is averaged 10.3 points per game and nailed 59 treys.
Concordia women’s basketball has captured each of the last four Omaha World-Herald All-Nebraska honorary captain choices. Prior to Morris’ back-to-back awards, Kristen Conahan (2012-13) and Amber Kistler (2011-12) received the same recognition.
Omaha World-Herald NAIA All-Nebraska
First Team
G, Bailey Morris, Sr., Concordia, 18.5
G, Jamie Van Kirk, Sr., Hastings, 19.4
F, Tracy Peitz, Sr., Concordia, 11.9
F, Hannah Dostal, Sr., Doane, 14.7
C, Deaundra Young, Jr., CSM, 20.9
Second Team
G, Tiffany Anzalone, Sr., CSM, 13.5
G, Cory Minjarez, Sr., York, 19.7
G, Michaela Barry, So., Hastings, 12.6
G, Felicia TeKolste, Jr., Nebraska Wesleyan, 17.4
C, Taylor Shepard, Sr., Midland, 10.9
Honorary captain: Bailey Morris, Concordia
Honorable mention: Shelby Allberry, Peyton Hagen, Tiffani Lewis, Justice Ross, College of St. Mary; Mary Janovich, Becky Mueller, Concordia; Hanah Barnard, Shelbi Bittinger, Heather Broman, Doane; Karen Orozco, Grace; Abby Jackson, Sierra Williamson, Hastings; Jamilah Johnson, Jaylan Spencer, Sammi Licari, Midland; Courtney Cook, Nebraska Wesleyan; Brittany Harward, Shelbie Hess, Karlee Stuart, Peru State; MacKenzie Eller, York.