22nd-ranked Concordia used a full court pressure defense to force Nebraska Wesleyan into 36 turnovers as the Bulldogs ran away from the Prairie Wolves with a 85-39 victory in Great Plains Athletic Conference women’s basketball action on Wednesday night (Feb. 17) at the new Heath & Athletic Center in Seward, Neb.
The loss drops NWU to 7-17 overall and 4-13 in GPAC as the Prairie Wolves have dropped six straight games. The Bulldogs close out the 2009-10 regular season with a 20-9, 11-7 GPAC record.
Concordia jumped out to a 38-22 lead at halftime as NWU struggled to get into their offense because of the Bulldogs pressure defense. The second half was much of the same as the Bulldogs opened the half on a 25-6 run and cruised the rest of the half.
If there was a bright spot for the Prairie Wolves it was the play of freshman Mallory Shanahan. Shanahan led NWU with 13 points and five rebounds as she hit 6-10 from the field. She also added three blocks, two steals and two assists. Shea Rasmussen also reached double figures for NWU with 12 points.
As a team, the Prairie Wolves shot 34.0 percent from the field and only 2-21 from 3-point range for 9.5 percent. The 39 points was the second time this season the Bulldogs have held NWU under 40 points and forced over 30 turnovers.
Concordia had three players in double figures led by Kristin Miller with 14 points. Brittany Johnson came off the bench to score 13, while Angela Kuca also came off the bench for 12 points on 4-5 shooting from 3-point range.
Nebraska Wesleyan will close out the 2009-10 season on Saturday when they return home to face #11 Morningside College for the Pink Zone event. NWU will be wearing pink uniforms during the contest.
