Bulldog women pull away to defeat Doane

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Concordia University ratcheted up the pressure Dec. 15 as the women’s basketball team forced 33 Doane turnovers and took home a 72-55 Bulldog victory inside Friedrich Arena.

Concordia owned a 35-11 advantage in points off turnovers and limited Doane star Mak Hatcliff to a grand total of one point in the second half.

Head Coach Drew Olson’s program pushed its series win streak to 13 versus the Tigers while moving the active win streak to three. The Bulldogs are now 7-4 overall (5-4 GPAC).

A rising Doane team led by Hatcliff made a run at the end of the third quarter, but the final 10 minutes were dominated by Concordia.

On several possessions, it was a chore for the Tigers to simply get the ball beyond halfcourt. The Bulldogs put together a 24-4 run to open the fourth quarter. Mackenzie Toomey did some of her best work during that splurge in putting up seven points, including a three-point play.

The work of Toomey, Kendal Brigham, Taysha Rushton and Abby Krieser in the backcourt flustered the Tigers. One sequence in the middle of the fourth quarter went: Sadie Powell steal – Rushton layup, Brigham steal – Toomey layup, Rushton steal – Toomey layup. To cap the run, Rushton made a three-pointer to make it 69-46 with 4:22 left in the game.

Rushton led all scorers with 16 points while adding four assists and four rebounds. Three other Bulldogs reached double figures: Brigham (12), Powell (12) and Toomey (12).

Toomey added eight rebounds, five steals and four assists. In addition, Mackenzie Koepke put home nine points off the bench and Abby Heemstra contributed six points and five rebounds. Concordia shot 39.1% (27-for-69) overall, but CU took 22 more shots than Doane.

Doane (7-5, 3-5 GPAC) took a 34-30 lead to the half before faltering. The 10 points for Hatcliff were the second lowest of the season for the Beatrice grad. She also pulled down 10 rebounds. The Tigers also went only 3-for-19 from 3-point range.

The Bulldogs will wait until Dec. 28 for a return to action. On that date, Concordia will be in Fort Worth, Texas, to take on Texas Wesleyan University as part of a two-game swing down south. The Bulldogs will also play at No. 17 University of Science & Arts of Oklahoma on Dec. 30.

Conference play will resume after New Year’s.