Women’s basketball pulls off fourth quarter comeback against Broncos
Photo description: Junior Kendal Brigham takes part in a cheer.
Photo credit: Esther Molina (photo from previous game)
Darien Semedo
Sower Staff
The No. 8 Concordia Bulldogs (13-2, 9-2) completed a comeback win 70-57 over the Hastings Broncos (8-8, 4-6) on the road powered by junior Kendal Brigham, allowing only five total points in the fourth quarter.
Entering the game, the Bulldogs climbed up three spots on the national coach’s poll to eighth, one spot off their highest spot on the season. With a five-game win streak entering as well, the Bulldogs have played good basketball as of late. Despite a slow start, the Bulldogs showed why they are high in the rankings during the fourth quarter.
Down seven at halftime, the Bulldogs put together some stretches to close the deficit to as low as two points but would let it slip away. The Broncos built the lead back up to seven but with 12 seconds left, juniors Taysha Rushton and Kendal Brigham scored two baskets to cut the lead to three (52-49) entering the final period.
Kendal Brigham, reigning Great Plains Athletic Conference player of the week would continue to play well, scoring nine points including her buzzer beater in the third and three straight free throws that would put the Bulldogs ahead for the rest of the night. Brigham finished the night with a game high of 22 points on 8-11 shooting and a perfect five to five from the charity stripe. 11 of her points came in the fourth period, where she played nine minutes and put excellent ball pressure on defense.
The defense headlined by Brigham suffocated the Broncos’ offense, including a six-minute and forty-one-second-long stretch with no score for the Broncos. In the quarter, the Broncos shot one to eight from the field along with six turnovers. The Bulldogs forced a total of 20 turnovers, with seven of them collecting a steal. Rushton would lead with four as junior Abby Krieser added three steals of her own and the team’s only block. Four starters would finish with over five rebounds, leading to 32 total team boards.
Rushton, Krieser, and junior Sadie Powell would all finish with 10 points on offense. On the night, the Bulldogs shot 48.3 percent from the field, including a rough 3-15 outing from deep. With only nine assists on the night as well, the Bulldogs struggled to score unless it was off the dribble or isolation.
The Bulldogs will now prepare to play the Briar Cliff Chargers (12-4, 7-3), who are coming off a loss to Jamestown, at home. The Chargers have lost three of their four games in January and will look to get back in the win column as they are now two games back from the Bulldogs in the GPAC standings.
