The ninth-ranked Concordia University women's basketball team survived a scare with a 62-60 victory over the Midland Lutheran College Warriors Jan. 16 in Great Plains Athletic Conference action at the Doghouse in Seward.
     The Bulldogs (15-2, 7-2 GPAC) were able to pull out a victory on a night when they were outshot from the field (40.4 percent to the Bulldogs' 28 percent) and three-point land (50 percent to the Bulldogs' 18.8 percent). Midland (7-11, 2-6 GPAC) continues to struggle, dropping its sixth consecutive contest.
     The Warriors came out and had the Bulldogs' number early, leading the first 8:41 of the first half before Concordia took the lead on a lay-up by senior post Jenni Lovegrove. The two teams traded buckets for the remainder of the first half, with the Bulldogs taking a 35-32 lead into halftime on the strength of two Whitney Stichka free throws.
     The Bulldog offense seemed to sputter coming out of the intermission, and the Warriors took advantage going on a 13-3 run to leap out to a 55-49 lead with 6:15 remaining in the ball game. The tide didn't turn to the Concordia side until with 2:53 on the clock, Stichka went the length of the court for one of her signature lay-ins.
     On the ensuing Warrior possession, Stichka came up with a steal and drained a three to tie the game at 57-57. After a defensive stop, junior guard Melissa Tinkham was fouled as she tried to drive the basket. Tinkham sank both free throws and the Bulldogs never looked back for the 62-60 victory.
     Stichka led all scorers with 22 points, with a large portion of her points coming from the charity stripe where she was nine for 14 on the night. Tinkham pitched in with 13 points, while Lovegrove added nine. Lovegrove led the Bulldogs down low with 10 rebounds and two blocks.
     Midland was led by senior guard Karmen Jericevic with 16 points, while senior forward Allie Rippe added 10 points for the Warriors.
    CU 64, Mt. Marty 61
     The Bulldogs earned a hard-fought 64-61 road victory over the Mount Marty College Lancers Jan. 19 at the Laddie Cimpl Arena in Yankton, S.D. The Bulldogs (17-2, 8-2 GPAC) used a tough defense and opportunistic offense to earn a victory on a night when Concordia made only one three-pointer.
     The Bulldogs turned 15 Lancer turnovers into 22 points to offset the cold long-distance shooting on the night (one for 15 from beyond the arc). Mount Marty (8-9, 2-6 GPAC) continues to struggle as a team that began the season ranked 17th in the nation.
     The Bulldogs held the upper hand for most of the first half, leading by as much as 11 before the Lancers went on a 9-3 run to close the gap before halftime, cutting the margin to four at 34-30.
     Mount Marty was able to carry the momentum into the second half and even gained a brief second-half lead at 39-38 on a jumper by Stacey Lickteig. The lead was short-lived as CU's Tinkham sank two free throws the next time down the court to put the Bulldogs back into the lead for good.
     CU was able to survive a late surge by Mount Marty to hold on for the three-point victory.
     Tinkham led the Bulldog offense with 11 points. Lovegrove added 10 points on five of seven shooting while pulling down eight rebounds.
     Mount Marty was led by Michelle Amundosn with 17 points, and Tevan Wenbourne added nine points and five rebounds for the Lancers.
    Upcoming action
     The Bulldogs continue the road trip this week, heading to Blair for a 7:30 p.m. tip-off against GPAC foe Dana Jan. 22 before heading to Chicago, Ill., to take part in the 54th annual Concordia Invitational Tournament.