(Fort Wayne, IN) Concordia Women's Basketball returned to the court Saturday afternoon for their second matchup of the Indiana Tech Classic, facing Olivet Nazarene. The Tigers had an early lead thanks to a fast-paced press, but the Cardinals came back from their deficit and won the game 82-75 for their first win of the season.
The Cardinals had three in double-digits, led by Abby Long with 20, and followed by Ryan Moorer and Jess Andrew with 18 and 15 respectively. Ryan Moorer recorded a double-double with a team-leading 14 rebounds, while Julia Hirt pulled down 10 herself. Avery Collins led the team with 7 assists.
The Tigers jumped out to a quick lead, scoring 7 unanswered points in the first minute of play. Lauren Borsenik put the Cardinals on the board first with a layup to put a stop to the 7-0 run. The Tigers subbed early and often, utilizing a deep bench, and tried to fend off the Cardinals who began to claw their way back into the game. Ryan Moorer contributed 5 points to pull Concordia back within striking distance, with a 2-point deficit. Both sides were unable to score for a run of three and a half minutes, which was broken by an Abby Long triple. The Tigers answered with one of their own, and closed out the quarter with a 6-point advantage.
The Cardinal defense started to slow down Olivet Nazarene in the second quarter, allowing Concordia to bridge the gap. After a Tiger 3-pointer to open the quarter, the Cards went on an 8-0 run to make it a 1-point game. The teams traded buckets, with Abby Long making a layup to give Concordia their first lead of the day with 3:43 remaining in the half. The lead then changed two more times before Concordia took a 1-point lead into the half.
The Cardinals extended their lead to start the third quarter off of a pair of assists from Abby Long followed by a 3-pointer to stretch it to 6. Olivet Nazarene continued to press the Cardinals and rotate often, keeping themselves within reach of Concordia. The Tigers were content to live behind the arc, but were not hitting their attempts at a high enough rate to keep up with Concordia, who was beginning to break their press more successfully. The Cardinals grew their lead to double digits by the end of the third as the game saw coast to coast action with the Cardinals scoring quickly off of the press break and the Tigers putting up shots from deep early in the shot clock.
Olivet Nazarene made a pair of triples in the first two minutes of the final quarter as the Cardinal offense was slowed by the Tigers, only scoring at the free throw line in the first five minutes. Once Concordia was able to start making shots from the field, the Tigers began to heat up from behind the arc to keep pace. Despite a pair of turnovers with under two minutes remaining, the Cardinals had clutch buckets from Jess Andrew and Ryan Moorer to stay out of reach. The Tigers had to resort to fouling, but Abby Long sank free throws to secure the 82-75 victory.
The Cardinals will be back on the road for their next game as they take on Mount Vernon Nazarene on Friday, November 8th. Tip off is set for 5:00 PM in Mount Vernon, Ohio.
