SEWARD, Neb. – The 23rd-ranked Concordia University Women’s Basketball team never did find an offensive rhythm on Wednesday (Jan. 26) while up against a strong defensive-minded Hastings opponent. The visiting Broncos dominated the fourth quarter (27-14 in scoring) and emerged from Friedrich Arena with a 68-60 upset win. The Bulldogs shot 35.7 percent for the game while struggling to crack a stingy Hastings zone defense.
Head Coach Drew Olson’s squad has dropped four-straight conference outings while closing out the month of January. Concordia has fallen to 12-10 overall and to 9-7 in league play.
Hastings (11-10, 7-8 GPAC) has gained some steam with victories in three of its last four games. Thanks in part to the work of Katharine Hamburger (20 points and eight rebounds) in the post, the Broncos made this a much different game than the one on Dec. 11 when the Bulldogs ran away with a 91-69 victory in Hastings. In the latest go-round, the contest saw 12 ties and seven lead changes. It was a three-point spread (61-58) in the final two minutes before Concordia came up empty on a series of possessions and the Broncos put it away at the foul line.
While making her first career start, Taylor Farrell attempted to take the jumper cables to the Bulldog offensive locomotive. Willy went 5-for-7 from 3-point range and helped keep Concordia afloat at times. Farrell finished with 17 points. She and Taysha Rushton were responsible for most of the offensive production. Rushton poured in 22 points (7-for-18 from the floor) and blocked two shots. It marked the 13th time Rushton has reached the 20-point mark in her career. Rylee Pauli filled the stat sheet with six points, 10 rebounds, five assists, three steals and two blocked shots.
For Hastings, this was its most significant win of the campaign. The Bulldogs had won each of the previous five meetings with the Broncos. Three teammates joined Hamburger in double figures in scoring: Kiernan Paulk (14), Taylor Beacom (12) and Riley Clavel (10). Hastings shot 40.4 percent (23-for-57) from the floor and enjoyed an advantage at the foul line, making 17-of-23 compared to 10-for-18 free throw shooting by the Bulldogs.
Concordia will be off this weekend while looking ahead to next Wednesday (Feb. 2)’s matchup at Midland (8-14, 4-11 GPAC). Tipoff from the Wikert Event Center is set for 6 p.m. CT. In this season’s first meeting, Concordia shot 50 percent from the floor on the way to a 93-52 blowout win inside Friedrich Arena.
