This week will likely decide whether the ninth-ranked Concordia women’s basketball team will hoist the GPAC regular-season championship trophy for the second time in three seasons. The Bulldogs host Midland (13-13, 9-7 GPAC) at 6 p.m. on Wednesday and before welcoming No. 3 Northwestern (22-2, 14-2 GPAC) at 2 p.m. on Saturday in what has the potential to be a game of significant importance.
A career high 34-points in last week’s win at Dakota Wesleyan has allowed Concordia junior Bailey Morris to earn GPAC/Hauff Mid-America Sports Women’s Basketball Player of the Week accolades for the second straight time, as announced by the league on Tuesday. Morris also received the same recognition on Dec. 17, making her a three-time conference weekly honoree on the season.
Concordia and Hastings will meet Wednesday in a battle with GPAC title implications. The Bulldogs will also celebrate a senior class of nine on Saturday when Mount Marty comes to town.
The ninth-ranked Concordia women’s basketball team missed its first 12 shots of the night as part of a frustrating start at Dakota Wesleyan on Saturday evening. But then Bailey Morris happened. The sparkplug guard dominated with a career high 34 points and Concordia went 32-for-36 from the free throw line to steal an 86-84 win over the host Tigers (15-11, 8-9 GPAC).
Outside of the program, people kept wanting to talk about Hastings next week. The third-ranked Bulldogs kept the focus on the task at hand and defeated No. 9 Dordt, 74-56, on Saturday (Feb. 8).
The third-ranked Bulldogs showed the maturity not to look past Doane with No. 9 Dordt and No. 2 Hastings coming up on the schedule. Claire Cornell and Concordia pummeled the Tigers, 102-47.
For the second time this season, Concordia junior guard Bailey Morris has been named GPAC/Hauff Mid-America Sports Women’s Basketball Player of the Week, as announced by the league on Tuesday. Morris also received the same honor on Jan. 14, 2013, during her sophomore campaign.
A run of three-straight road games continues this week with the third-ranked Bulldogs heading to Doane and No. 9 Dordt. Concordia is coming off wins last week over No. 17 Northwestern and No. 12 Dakota Wesleyan.
Coach Drew Olson admitted that his team "stole one" on this particular day. Behind late heroics from Grace Barry, the Bulldogs rallied from a nine-point deficit to win at No. 12 Dakota Wesleyan, 69-67.
Three days after pulling off the biggest shocker of the GPAC basketball season, Mount Marty threatened to knock off another top 10 team. However, the ninth-ranked Concordia women’s basketball team rallied back from a 12-point first half deficit for a 60-53 win in Yankton, S.D., on Saturday afternoon. The season sweep of Mount Marty pushes the Bulldogs to 20-5 overall and 12-3 in GPAC contests. The game also marked the 100th career GPAC win for eighth-year head coach Drew Olson.
With Kendal Brigham and Abby Krieser leading the charge in the backcourt, the Bulldogs will remain a team that plays fast and presses full court. Coach Olson's 2024-25 team is rallying around the theme of selflessness.
Elizabeth (Rhoden) Dillingham motored into town with 'RoRo' on her Texas license plates. The nickname became part of the identity for a confident star guard who brought swagger to Concordia Women's Basketball.
A prep star in both basketball and softball, Abby Krieser eventually made basketball her college choice. She hasn't looked back while developing into an all-around player and leader for Coach Olson's program.
When Concordia upset No. 5 Marian in the second game of the 2023-24 season, it signaled that the 2023-24 Bulldogs meant business. Led by a special senior class, Concordia showed it could compete with anyone in the NAIA.
For the first time in school history, Concordia University, Nebraska will play host to NAIA basketball national tournament games. Concordia has been named a host site for first/second round NAIA Women's Basketball National Championship play.
The senior class is one that has persevered while shaping the 2023-24 squad into an elite one. Student-athletes like Kendal Brigham came to Concordia because it offered a close-knit community. They found that and much more.
Confetti, cupcakes and the whole family greeted Drew Olson in the locker room following Wednesday’s win over Morningside. The victory marked another feather in the cap for Olson, the winningest coach in Concordia Athletics history.
It's been three-and-a-half quick years since Taysha Rushton made her college decision official. Any reservations the Texan had about spending her college days in Nebraska subsided through close friendships and a love for basketball.
The top eight scorers, including all five starters, return from last season's national tournament team. The roster makeup gives Coach Drew Olson his most experienced group since 2019-20. The aim is to get back to Sioux City in March.
Eight years since she last starred for the Bulldogs, Bailey Morris continues to be characterized by competition and a love for the game. Says Morris of her Concordia years: "Those are some good memories for me. Those things have carried with me over the last eight years."