Vikings Come Up Short in Loss to Concordia

The Dana College women's basketball team hosted eighth-ranked Concordia University Tuesday night, looking to knock off the Bulldogs and collect their second straight Great Plains Athletic Conference win. After a strong first half, the Vikings were poised for the upset. The tide turned early in the second half and Dana couldn't keep pace with Concordia, falling 80-75.

The Vikings took control of the game early on, jumping out to a 12-1 lead.  Dana did not allow Concordia a field goal in the first five minutes of the game.  The Bulldogs battled back to tie things up with five minutes remaining in the first half. Dana closed out the half on a 7-2 run and led 32-27 at the break. Amy Nichol (SR, Des Moines, Iowa) led the Vikings with 10 first-half points.

Concordia took its first lead of the game at the 17:25 mark in the second half, and never trailed the rest of the way. Dana kept it close midway through the second half, trailing 55-50 with ten minutes to play. The Bulldogs stretched their lead to 15 with six minutes remaining. The Vikings rallied late, but it was not enough in the end.  

Dana shot the ball fairly well on the night, shooting 43.8 percent from the field, but was outscored 32-17 in bench points. With the loss Dana, falls to 7-15 overall (2-8, GPAC) on the season.

Nichol led the way for the Vikings with 17 points and 8 rebounds. Amanda Bryant (JR, Treynor, Iowa) scored 16 points on 7 of 13 shooting. Also having big nights were Erin Bazata (JR, Randolph, Neb.) and Tricia Trotter (SO, Treynor, Iowa) who each chipped in with 11 points and two assists.

Up next for the Vikings will be a Saturday showdown with Northwestern who come to town boasting a NAIA No. 2 national ranking. Tip-off is scheduled for 2 p.m. 

Story written by TJ Bartels, Sports Information Intern.  For more information, please contact Shad Beam, Sports Information Director at 402-426-7389 or sbeam@dana.edu.