Concordia Women’s Basketball Wins GPAC Title
Photos by Garion Consier
By Chris Johnstone
The 2nd ranked Concordia University women’s basketball team hosted the GPAC conference championship game of the 2017-18 season against Dakota Wesleyan University on Tuesday night in what would prove to be a dramatic evening. Concordia escaped with the win, 90-88.
Senior guard Brenleigh Daum stole the show and, ultimately, the GPAC title as she got the scoop layup in the lane with just 0.7 seconds on the clock, pushing the Bulldogs to the lead. Dakota Wesleyan’s Riley Osthus had a last second heave to win it but came up short.
The atmosphere in Walz Arena was electric as roughly 1,400 students, parents and faculty filled the bleachers to cheer on the 2nd ranked team in the country.
“It was a crazy ending. I think our defense saved us this game, forcing 20 turnovers to our seven,” Graduate Assistant coach Erin Vieselmeyer said.
The Tigers had a balanced scoring core but were led by Guard Riley Osthus with 20 points and four assists.
“We’re going to enjoy this for a little,” Vieselmeyer said. “But we (will) soon know our opponent in the first round of the national tournament tomorrow.”
The 2nd ranked Bulldogs are now competing for a national title, most likely going into the tournament as the number one seed. The Bulldogs will find out who their opponent is on Wednesday at 6 p.m. The national tournament will be held March 7-13 in Sioux City, Iowa, at the Tyson Events Center.
