Hot Shooting Keys Concordia Win Over Northwest Christian
PORTLAND, Ore.—Jumping out to a 19-point lead in the first half, the Concordia women’s basketball team reached the .500 mark for the first time since Nov. 4 with a 87-54 Cascade Collegiate Conference win against Northwest Christian.
With the result, Concordia moved to 5-5 on the year with a 2-1 record in the CCC while NCC dropped to 8-5 and 2-1 in league play. Concordia was last at .500 with a 1-1 record after the opening weekend of the season.
With a trio of three-point shots, Denise Benedict (Ridgefield, Wash./Prairie H.S.) led the first-half Cavalier charge with 13 points while Ann Snodderly (Portland, Ore./Franklin H.S.) corralled eight rebounds. As for the Beacons, Elise Gray scored the first eight points for Northwest Christian while it took nearly 14 minutes for a teammate to break into the scoring column with a free throw by Amy Croll at the 6:08 mark.
The Cavs shot 52.9 percent from the floor in the first half compared to 24 percent for their counterparts. Concordia also enjoyed a 23-13 edge in rebounding and committed half the number of turnovers, 5 to 10, as the Beacons.
Already down by double digits, the Beacons were dealt another blow when they lost starting center Emily Gray with an apparent knee injury when she jumped for a steal on a cross-court pass with less than a minute remaining before the half.
In the second half, the Cavaliers fired for a sizzling 72.7 percent rate while shooting 16 of 22 from the field.
Upping the lead to 27 with eight straight points to start the second half, Concordia would not allow the Beacons to come closer than 20 points the rest of the way before winning by 33, the game’s widest margin.
“Our kids really executed what we tried to do defensively and offensively they are starting to get a feel for what they are capable of doing on the court,” Concordia head coach Aaron Christian said.
It was the second straight game where all 11 players registered at least one point and one assist for the Cavaliers. Concordia was also 10 for 10 at the free throw line before a Benedict miss at 5:50 left in the second half. The team finished 10 of 14.
Benedict finished with a game-high 18 points while Snodderly counted for a dozen and added nine rebounds. Kelsey Schaefer (Vancouver, Wash./Evergreen H.S.) also reached double figures for the Cavs with 10 points on a perfect shooting performance after 4 of 4 from the floor as well as the free throw line.
The Cavs return to action Dec. 29 when they host Linfield in a non-conference game inside the Cavalier Gymnasium.
“I think all of us, players and coaches, are feeling a bit exhausted physically and mentally after finals and some tough practices,” Christian said. “This was a great way to go home for Christmas break.”