Philly Lammers and Grace Barry both scored 14 points and the Concordia women began defense of their national title with a 75-57 win against Wilberforce (Ohio) during the opening round of the NAIA Division II Tournament on Wednesday in Sioux City, Iowa.
The No. 1 Bulldogs (32-2) advanced to Friday's second round where they'll face No. 15 Kansas Wesleyan (26-6). Tipoff is set for noon.
Chloe Schumacher added 11 points off the bench for the Bulldogs, who forced 31 turnovers and finished with 22 steals.
“We’re glad that we got a win and we move on,†Concordia coach Drew Olson said. “In tournament play, you can’t ride an emotional roller coaster. You just take it one game at a time and you move on from it.â€
Concordia trailed 9-7 early before going on a 10-1 run. The Bulldogs never looked back, extending the lead to 15 in the second quarter, and to 20 early in the third.
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LaTyrah Beasley scored 19 points to lead Wilberforce (20-9).
The Concordia starters each played less than 20 minutes, which will keep them fresh going into the second round.
"I’m not sure we had the same kind of focus and drive last year when we didn’t know who they were,†Olson said of Wilberforce. “We did still have some individuals who played well. I thought Philly played well and Chloe Schumacher came in and had some nice plays for us. I thought Mack Helman had a nice game too. Collectively, we’ve got to be better.â€
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Morningside 99, College of the Ozarks 58: Morningside used a dominating second half to win its NAIA Division II men's tournament opener in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. Tyler Borchers had 18 points for the Mustangs.