Women’s basketball team scores over 75 points in successful game against Northwestern
Photo description: Freshman Sammy Leu (right) and freshman Juliana Jones (left) race down the court in pursuit of the ball.
Photo credit: Kayla Korb (photo from previous game)
Cohen Carpenter
Sower Staff
Concordia defeated Northwestern College by a score of 77-69 to stay undefeated on the season.
While the final may indicate another offensive barn-burner on behalf of the Bulldogs, this fire took a while to get going. The first quarter was replete with poor play on both sides of the court, by both teams. Featuring 15 total turnovers, both teams could only muster a measly 22 points between the two of them. The Raiders outshot the Bulldogs early on, making four to eleven from the field compared to Concordia shooting only two to fifteen overall and one to nine from downtown.
In the first half, the Bulldogs did not shoot particularly well—simply opting for overwhelming the Raiders with superior shot numbers. While there was never a large onslaught of scoring, Concordia poked and prodded just enough to muster a six-point advantage at half.
Luckily for all involved, these trends would not continue. In the second quarter, junior Abby Krieser would improve the team’s shooting percentage numbers and spark the offense when she drained three shots on three attempts, scoring eight points in a matter of 96 seconds.
Perhaps more impressive than her second quarter heroics however was her full game point total. Krieser would notch a career-high 24 points, beating her previous high of 23 set last season against Doane. Shooting eight to fifteen from the field and four to eight from three-point land, Krieser would also tally two rebounds, two assists and two steals.
Kreiser wasn’t the only Bulldog who flirted with career numbers, as junior Kendal Brigham was a mere two points away from her Concordia high of 19 points set in the 2021-2022 season against Doane. Scoring 17 points on five to eleven shooting, Brigham would also add three rebounds, an assist and a steal on the night.
The game was defined by offensive blunders as much as it was defensive excellence. The excellence of Concordia combined with the blunders of the Raiders led to 20 Northwestern turnovers on the night. This did not hurt the home team too much however, as the two squads would be even at the end of the night with 18 points off turnovers.
After the slow start, Concordia would finish the night both out-shooting and out-scoring their Raider counterparts. The Bulldogs were quite accurate from both the field and from beyond the arch, shooting 38.2 percent and 33.3 percent respectively. The Bulldogs, while not fouled often, did take full advantage of their few trips to the charity stripe, only missing two of the 16 free throw attempts.
The Bulldogs would finish the night with four players in double-digits, contributing to their fourth win of the season by 75 points or more. These point totals place the Bulldogs squarely in the upper echelon of GPAC offenses.
Concordia’s next matchup will be on the eve of Thanksgiving where they will square off against the College of Saint Mary. Tip-off will be at 6 p.m. Tuesday in Omaha.
