Second quarter dominance fuels season sweep of Morningside
SIOUX CITY, Iowa – The second quarter of Wednesday (Jan. 31)’s clash with Morningside exemplified Concordia University Women’s Basketball at its finest. The sixth-ranked Bulldogs erased a six-point deficit with a 19-0 run on their way to a workmanlike 79-67 triumph over the Mustangs in Sioux City, Iowa. The likes of Sadie Powell, Taysha Rushton and Mackenzie Toomey sliced and diced their way to buckets in the paint as Concordia shot an efficient 55.2 percent from the floor.
Head Coach Drew Olson’s squad has won for the 11th-straight time while moving to 18-2 overall (12-2 GPAC). The Bulldogs polished off a spotless 9-0 record for the month of January.
“I thought it was a great win,” Olson said. “Morningside is a good team and they’ve been playing really well. I thought we had a great full-team win. So many players stepped up and played well at certain times. Defensively – I’m a perfectionist – we did have a few breakdowns, but overall that was a really, really good defensive effort from our team.”
It would have been difficult to expect Concordia to throttle an improving Morningside team the way that it did (86-62) in Seward back in the conference opener. The Bulldogs forced only 16 turnovers in the latest meeting (compared to 32 on Nov. 15) between two perennially powerful programs. In making up for the lack of turnovers, Concordia shot a season best percentage and made use of its array of weapons. Five Bulldogs notched at least nine points while faced with the Mustangs’ usual zone defense.
The lead for the visitors stretched to as many as 18 points (61-43 in the fourth quarter) in exerting control. The game was defined by the second quarter surge that saw Concordia turn a 25-19 deficit into a 38-25 lead. As part of the miserable second period for the home team, Morningside went 2-for-12 from the floor and turned it over six times. Toomey was especially active during the run with six points and three of her steals coming during the second quarter.
The closest the Mustangs got over the second half was 10. When they managed to get within 49-39 midway through the third quarter, Olson called timeout and the Bulldogs promptly responded with a Megan Belt trey that sparked a 7-0 run. Off the bench, Belt (3-for-4) and Sammy Leu (2-for-3) teamed up to stick in the dagger from long range whenever Morningside threatened to make it a ballgame.
The four Concordia double-figure scorers were Powell (16), Rushton (14), Toomey (12) and Belt (11). It was another night of stuffing the stat sheet for Toomey, who added eight rebounds, three assists and three steals. Powell moved past 900 career points as she treks closer to 1,000. In addition, Kristin Vieselmeyer supplied nine points and four rebounds and CIT MVP Kendal Brigham tallied seven points, five assists and four steals. The starting five was especially effective offensively in going a combined 24-for-40 (.600) from the field.
Said Olson of the team’s defensive performance, “A lot of it had to do with our team understanding how we wanted to defend them. Offensively, we made a couple adjustments. Players stepped up. Mackenzie Toomey was phenomenal in that first quarter. Taysha got going a little bit in the second quarter and got some stuff off steals. Sadie Powell was incredible in the second half. I would also include Megan Belt. They cut the lead down to 10 and Megan hits a three to settle us down. Awesome team effort.”
There were some positive takeaways for Morningside (11-9, 8-7 GPAC), which owned a plus-three turnover margin and handled the Bulldog press admirably. Lily Vollertson topped the Head Coach Jamie Sale’s squad with 16 points off the bench. Alexis Spier posted 14 points and Ella Wragge contributed 12 points. Ella is the younger sister of former Concordia All-American Quinn Wragge.
The Bulldogs will be at home for their next three GPAC outings. That stretch will begin on Saturday when Northwestern (13-8, 9-6 GPAC) visits town for a 2 p.m. CT tipoff. Concordia won this season’s first meeting, 77-69, in Orange City on Nov. 18. In Wednesday night’s action, the Red Raiders routed College of Saint Mary, 91-43.
Bulldogs rise up for signature road win in shootout with No. 19 Morningside
SIOUX CITY, Iowa – Without star Tristan Smith in crunch time and down 10 points in the second half to 19th-ranked Morningside, the Bulldogs rose up. If observers nationally hadn’t been paying attention (and the latest coaches’ poll made it clear they hadn’t been), they have been compelled to do so now. Wednesday (Jan. 31)’s exhilarating offensive gunfight went the way of Concordia, 99-88, as both sides shot north of 50 percent. It was a 10-0 run for the Bulldogs in the closing five minutes that sent the Mustangs to back-to-back home defeats.
Head Coach Ben Limback’s program claimed its first win at the Rosen Verdoorn Sports Center in Sioux City for the first time since February 2016. The current five-game win streak has pushed Concordia to 16-5 overall (9-4 GPAC) and within a game of first place in the league standings.
“I’m so proud of the guys for their toughness,” Limback said. “Tristan goes down. We’re not great defensively at times, but (we made) big-time plays. Hayden Frank hit some big shots and Bradley Bennett got us the lead. Noah Schutte was Noah Schutte. We showed poise down the stretch. At CIT, we learned a lot about finishing games off and you could see it here with our poise at the free throw line. We had a really active zone. This is a gutsy road win. I’m so proud of the guys. The belief and the toughness really carried us the last five minutes.”
It took some degree of faith after Smith hobbled off the court with nearly 17 minutes to play. At the time, the Bulldogs were staring at a 58-50 deficit and were searching for answers on the defensive end. What’s more, Concordia had played back-to-back games over the weekend as part of the CIT championship run and Morningside had been idle since last Wednesday. With the circumstances seemingly favoring the Mustangs on their home court, the Bulldogs displayed their mettle.
An 8-0 run in the middle of the second half set the stage for Concordia to win at Morningside for the first time since All-American Chandler Folkerts roamed the paint. Trailing 82-80 with fewer than five minutes to go, the Bulldogs got loose in transition as Bennett finished with a three-point play. The visitors pushed their lead to 90-82 as Frank went for a steal and layup, Bennett canned a trey and Tyler Harre drained two free throws.
A Mustang team that had been red hot suddenly cooled, going 2-for-8 from the floor with five turnovers over the final five minutes. At last, the Concordia zone tightened when it needed to and contributions were made up and down the roster. When Morningside got back within six (90-84), Schutte attacked and put away two free throws to help stamp out a potential comeback.
Said Limback, “At CIT after we won and celebrated, the first thing the guys said in the locker room is now we’ve got Morningside. That’s senior leadership. We had guys practice really hard on Monday and Tuesday. This team has bought in. There are so many moments, where you need different guys. Tonight was awesome – just a team effort.”
This one made you exhausted just watching it with the way the two sides traded baskets back and forth. The Bulldogs shot 58.6 percent (34-for-58) from the floor while Morningside finished at 53.7 percent (36-for-67). Both turnovers and rebounds were about even in a game all about offensive fireworks. Schutte led Concordia with 21 points to go along with eight rebounds. Despite playing only 17 minutes, Smith poured in 19 points (3-for-3 from 3-point range) and blocked two shots. Frank posted 17 points and Bennett amassed 16 tallies. Off the bench, Brayson Mueller gets a gold star for his eight points, two rebounds, two assists and a steal in 19 minutes.
Morningside (14-6, 9-4 GPAC) also fell at home to Jamestown on Jan. 24. The Mustangs are loaded with offensive weapons of their own. Five of their players reached double figures on Wednesday: Ely Doble (24), Aidan Vanderloo (18), Jack Dotzler (16), Joey Skoff (14) and Dylan Johnson (12). Doble fouled out late in the contest.
A crucial stretch of the schedule continues on Saturday when the Bulldogs will welcome No. 12 Northwestern (17-4, 10-3 GPAC) to Seward for a 3:45 p.m. CT tipoff. In conjunction with the game, Concordia will celebrate 100 years of the program’s existence (more about the event can be found HERE). The Bulldogs hope to treat past players and coaches to a victory and avenge the 78-74 defeat endured at Northwestern on Nov. 18.
