Familiar script followed in Omaha

January 15th, 2020 | Kendra Feather

OMAHA, Neb. – Sophomore Elsie Aslesen put together an 11-point first quarter while helping her side quickly gain a double-digit advantage in Omaha on Wednesday (Jan. 15) night. The third-ranked Concordia University women’s basketball team never looked back in a contest that went the way most observers would have anticipated it to go. The Bulldogs departed from the Lied Fitness Center with a 108-64 victory.

Fourteenth-year head coach Drew Olson’s squad is in the midst of a three-game stretch against unranked GPAC opponents. So far Concordia (16-2, 11-1 GPAC) has taken care of business.

“Elsie played well and was aggressive and Willy (Taylor Farrell) was efficient offensively again,” Olson said. “The pace went the way wanted. We wanted to go fast and we knew they would have a hard time keeping up with that pace. I hope we can learn from some of our mistakes moving forward.”

If you’ve followed the program, this game was a rerun. It’s the episode where the Bulldogs use their superior talent and hyper-aggressive press to overwhelm the opponent. Along the way, everyone contributes for another 100-point outing. The feat of reaching the century mark has now been accomplished nine times this season by the nation’s second highest scoring offense.

In this instance, reserves such as sophomores Elsie Aslesen and Chloe Schumacher and freshmen Taylor Farrell and Averie Lambrecht took advantage of their opportunities. All four were in double figures with Aslesen’s 16 points leading the way. Farrell stayed hot by totaling 15 points (also four assists), Schumacher added 12 points (4-for-6 from the floor) and Lambrecht contributed 10 points and three steals.

Point guard Grace Barry topped the starting five with 11 points and nine assists. Mackenzie Koepke also notched eight points and five steals. As a team, Concordia recorded 25 assists to just 13 turnovers. On the other end, the Bulldogs forced 40 turnovers, which negated College of Saint Mary’s 52.4 percent shooting from the field.

Often in games like this the only suspense regards how long it will take Concordia to reach 100 points. The answer tonight was 35 minutes, 19 seconds of game time. Lambrecht did the honors of pushing her team into triple digits with a steal and three-point play as a result of her drive to the bucket. Fortunately, it all added up to a lopsided victory despite the absence of All-American Philly Lammers for the majority of the night.

The Flames (5-14, 2-10 GPAC) were also led by their bench. Veronica Kobza put up a team high 15 points and Bailey White followed with 14. In terms of score, this was an improvement for CSM as compared to its performance at Walz Arena. Back on Nov. 20, the Bulldogs set a school record for most points in a single game with a 127-51 trouncing.

The Bulldogs face another road challenge on Saturday when they will be at Briar Cliff (5-14, 2-9 GPAC) for a 2 p.m. CT tipoff from the Newman Flanagan Center in Sioux City, Iowa. Concordia has won nine-straight matchups in the series with the Chargers. In this season’s meeting in Seward, the Bulldogs ran away with a 113-59 victory.

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