No. 12 Briar Cliff Bounces No. 17 Concordia Women’s Basketball from GPAC Tournament

by Jacy Johnston

The No. 17 Concordia women’s basketball team entered the GPAC tournament against familiar rival Briar Cliff University. The Bulldogs’ fate was the same as it was four days earlier as Concordia lost the Wednesday night rematch.

The Bulldogs started the game out hot with a 9-2 lead with 6:30 to play in the first quarter. The Chargers quickly stopped the momentum, but junior Shelby Quinn regained the lead for Concordia with a bucket. The Bulldogs finished the first quarter down three, 19-16.

In the second quarter, both teams tallied an even 20 points on the scoreboard. The back and forth scoring came to a tie at 34 when junior Erin Vieselmeyer connected on a shot. At the half, Briar Cliff maintained their three-point lead 39-36.

The third quarter stayed close, and freshman Quinn Wragge once again led the Bulldogs with an old-fashioned three-point play. This bucket regained the lead for Concordia 45-43 with five minutes to play in the third quarter. After a quick timeout, Briar Cliff regained their lead. The Bulldogs did not give up, and with two 3-pointers from senior Becky Mueller and Quinn, Concordia trailed by only one. At the end of the third quarter, Briar Cliff led 56-55.

In the fourth quarter, the Bulldogs’ shooting stayed hot, and with back-to-back 3-pointers, they took a 61-56 lead. The five-point margin quickly shrunk, and with six minutes to play Concordia trailed 64-63.  The Bulldogs continued to fight, but could not regain the lead and finished with a 76-69 loss.

Wragge led all scoring with 21 points, and Quinn added 16 points. Mueller also contributed 10 rebounds for the Bulldogs.

The Concordia women end the season with a 22-9 overall record. In regular season GPAC play, the Bulldogs amassed a 14-8 record. The Bulldogs will now wait to see if they receive an at-large bid in the NAIA National Tournament. The tournament field will be announced at 5 p.m. Central Standard Time on March 2.