CUNE Women’s Basketball Secures 27th CIT Championship

The Concordia University, Nebraska Bulldogs defeated the Concordia University Ann Arbor Cardinals on Saturday night of CIT. Photo by Jenna O’Laughlin

by Chris Johnstone

The No 2. GPAC-ranked Bulldog women’s basketball squad beat Concordia University Ann Arbor 89-62 in the championship round of the Concordia Invitational Tournament to win its 27th title in the 66-year history of the tournament.

“(It was) an amazing atmosphere and the crowd was electric,” graduate assistant Alexis Akin-Otiko said. “The girls came out with a lot of energy and fed off the crowd throughout the game. I was proud of them all.”

The first quarter ended with a tie at 19, but the Bulldogs pulled forward with a 15-point gap in the second quarter.  They continued to extend this gap after half-time, with period-scores of 28-19 and 23-20 in the third and fourth quarters.

Sophomore guard Quinn Wragge carried the torch for the Bulldogs with 22 points in 21 minutes while shooting 10-13 from the field. She was named MVP of the CIT tournament for the second year in a row.

Freshman forward Philomena Lammers also shone with 17 points and hauled in 10 boards in 22 minutes of action.

The Bulldogs checked in every player that suited up, with 14 of the 15 scoring a basket.

Concordia University Ann Arbor guard Kari Borowiak lead the way for the Cardinals with 15 points, but it was not enough to stop the Bulldog defense, as Concordia forced 28 turnovers from the Cardinals in the game.

The Bulldogs took down Concordia University Wisconsin on Friday in the opening round of the tournament with a 42 point victory, 107-65.

The team won’t be able to rest on its laurels for long.

“We now shift our focus back to conference play,” Akin-Otiko said. “It is important we finish the season strong.”

The team has a week off before it continues GPAC play and takes on the Mount Marty College Lancers in Yankton, South Dakota. The Lancers are 10-13 overall and 5-9 in conference play. Tip-off is set for 2 p.m. on Saturday, Feb. 4.

Read more about CIT here:

CIT tournament preview

Men’s basketball wins CIT