COLLEGE ROUNDUP : Concordia Expands Horizons in Victory

The Concordia women’s basketball team mostly is known as the one Gitte Mejer plays for.

Mejer, a senior center, is fifth among NAIA college scorers with a 25-point average.

But the Eagles showed they are not one-dimensional in an 80-71 overtime upset of Southern California College in a Golden State Athletic Conference women’s basketball game Saturday at Concordia.

Mejer was limited to four points in the first half after getting her second foul with 11 minutes 31 seconds to play. She was benched the rest of the half.

Her teammates showed great hustle against taller SCC, and Concordia led, 33-29, at the break.

Mejer finished with 17 points, including five in overtime, before fouling out with 1:55 left. Southern California used a double-team defense to limit her to nine shots. She made all five of her free throws.

Stacey Giem had 20 points, and Julie Workman added 18 for Concordia (12-8, 3-2 in conference). Kara Stephens came off the bench to score 14 for the Eagles.

“People focus a lot on Gitte,” Concordia Coach Sharon Campbell said. “But tonight showed that there is lot more to this team. I’m just so proud of them because we aren’t very tall or very deep, but we play hard and with a lot of heart.”

Southern California College (16-5, 2-2) rallied to lead, 40-37, five minutes into the second half. But Concordia went on a 11-0 run and was up, 48-40, with 9:55 left.

The score was tied, 62-62, at the end of regulation, but Mejer had five consecutive points in overtime to put Concordia ahead, 69-64, with 2:58 left.

On the Eagles’ next possession, Mejer took a pass from Workman but tossed it back, and Workman made a wide-open three-pointer to put Concordia ahead, 72-64, with 2:16 left.

The Eagles made nine of 10 free throws in overtime to keep SCC from coming back. Kikka Jarvelainen made four, and Workman and Giem two each.

The Eagles could have avoided overtime but blew a 60-56 lead in the final 1:02 of regulation.

SCC’s Tina Demarsh made two three-pointers in the final 45 seconds to force overtime. Her first came with 45 seconds left and cut the Concordia lead to 60-59.

Mejer made two free throws with 34 seconds left to make it 62-59. But Demarsh (23 points) made another three-pointer with 10 seconds left to tie it.

Concordia’s Workman missed an open three-pointer with two seconds left.

In Big West Conference women’s basketball:

Nevada Las Vegas 92, Cal State Fullerton 64--The Titans were never able to keep up with UNLV (13-3, 8-1), which had five players in double figures, led by Gwynn Hobbs with 20 points. Forward Autumn Hollyfield, who had six three-pointers, scored 25 points for Fullerton (2-13, 1-7).

New Mexico State 66, UC Irvine 64--Forward Anita Maxwell hit a shot with three minutes left to put visiting New Mexico (14-3, 6-2) ahead for good. Tamera Thomas brought the Anteaters (2-14, 1-7) within two points with eight seconds left, but Irvine was unable to get the ball back.

In Golden State Athletic Conference men’s basketball:

Southern California College 81, Concordia 70--Southern California College scored 50 second-half points to defeat Concordia (13-8, 2-3). Danin Bryant scored a game-high 32 points for Southern California College (10-11, 1-4). Craig Martin scored 17 for the Eagles.

In California Coastal Conference men’s basketball:

Pacific Christian 83, Pacific Union 63--Charles Ross had 27 points and 13 rebounds for Pacific Christian (15-13, 6-1), which remained on top of the conference’s Southern Division.

In men’s nonconference tennis:

Occidental 9, Chapman 0--Chapman failed to win a set in its season opener in Orange.