Women’s basketball falls short of fourth quarter comeback, loses to Broncos 71-69

Senior guard Abby Krieser (23) attempts to regain control of the ball (photo from previous game).

Photo credit: Josiah Seabaugh

By Kai Olbrich

The No. 14 Concordia Bulldogs nearly pulled off an incredible fourth quarter comeback but came up just short as they fell to the Hastings Broncos 71-69 Wednesday evening in Seward.

The Bulldogs seemed to start the first quarter on their heels but began to heat up scoring-wise as the period went on. The Bulldogs were down 10-16 but an 8-0 run at the end of the first quarter and the opening minutes of the second brought the Bulldogs back into the lead at 18-16.

The lead didn’t last for long, however, as the Broncos unleashed a barrage of three-pointers throughout the second quarter. The Broncos scored 18 of their 27 points via three-pointer.

The Broncos went into halftime with a lead of 45-33, shooting 45 percent from behind the arc. The Bulldogs, on the other hand, shot just 20 percent from deep.

Hastings player Ann Bose gave the Bulldogs a lot of trouble in the first half, scoring 12 of her 14 points in the first two periods. Macy Bryant was undefendable in the second quarter, scoring all 12 of her points during the 10-minute section of play.

Coach Drew Olson and the Bulldogs knew that the Broncos had the ability to hit the three ball but weren’t able to stop it in the second quarter.

“You know, they’re a really, really good three-point shooting team,” Olson said. “And we knew, you scout them and you see like every game they have one quarter where they just get red hot. And so we kind of like knew it might happen. But I also felt like we kind of did it to ourselves. You know, we allowed 11 to get loose. And Bose is probably one of the best shooters in our league. And, maybe we lost her twice. And then Macy Bryant hits one and she’s a solid shooter, but once she hits one, like, you got to play a little bit differently. And we allowed her to get a wide open one again.”

Juxtaposed to the second quarter, the third was quite dry in the realm of scoring with 14 for Hastings and 15 for the Bulldogs. The Broncos seemed to be running away with the game, but a very transitional last two minutes led to the Bulldogs eating away at the Broncos’ lead, culminating in a three-pointer from junior Kristin Vieselmeyer as time expired.

The fourth quarter was a dogfight as Concordia fought to get back into the game. The Bulldogs played good defense and put up 21 points, cutting the Broncos’ lead to two. They had the ball with 10 seconds remaining after a missed pair of free throws from the Broncos. Senior Kendal Bringham drove up the court but was unable to convert her mid-range shot over two Hastings defenders.

Despite the unfavorable outcome, Olson was proud of how his team fought back and gave themselves a chance. For him, it’s now about putting together 40-minute performances.

“We were down 17 in the third. And, you know, I think we cut it to 13 or 11 at the quarter. And we just told them, just keep playing, just keep grinding. And I thought our team did a great job of that. And, then we just got to keep learning it’s got to be a 40-minute game. We can play like that for 40 minutes. But I did think that we did a great job of fighting back and putting ourselves in that position to at least have a shot,” Olson said.

Bringham ended the game tied with Vieselmeyer for top Bulldog scorer with 14. The two were the only Bulldogs to hit double-digit points that evening. Bringham was also tied with sophomore Sammy Leu for assists with 3. Sophomore Raelyn Kelty led with six rebounds.

Due to their energy and versatility, Olson knows how valuable Bringham and Vieselmeyer are to the team.

“I thought both of them [Bringham and Vieselmeyer] were awesome in our comeback and Kendall provided great pace and energy and, you know, when she plays like that, that’s when we’re at best. And I thought Kristen did a really good job of taking what the defense gave her. And they were there holding off an awful lot. So she’s able to hit a couple threes which really allowed our comeback to happen. And, I just wish we could have gotten one more, but I’m really proud of our effort,” Olson said.

The game ended 71-69 in favor of the Broncos, making three conference losses in a row for the Bulldogs. Olson’s side will look to bounce back on Dec. 14 as they travel to Waldorf University in Forest City, Iowa. Tip-off for that game is scheduled for 2 p.m.