Lewis-Clark Blows Out Concordia

It was the kind of blowout Concordia feared and the kind of warm-up Lewis-Clark State sought.

In its first appearance, Concordia lost to the eighth-seeded Warriors, 90-68, Wednesday night in the first round of the NAIA Division I women’s basketball tournament.

Concordia, which had won 16 straight, ended a school-best 28-6 season. Lewis-Clark State of Lewiston, Idaho, takes a 25-6 record into Friday’s second round.

Concordia, winner of the Golden State Athletic Conference, was never in the game. The Eagles trailed, 32-8, midway through the first half and were down, 58-28, at halftime.

The Eagles had 32 turnovers, 17 in the first half.

One of the few positives was senior forward Angela Sather. She had 20 points, giving her the school’s single-season scoring record of 706 points. The previous mark was 694.

“It was a great experience despite the loss,” Sather said. “We came to do our best, but we weren’t used to playing such a physical game.”

Junior Heather Carll had 20 points and 14 rebounds for the Eagles.

Rosie Albert led Lewis-Clark State, making its second national tournament appearance, with 23 points. Laura Goulding added 18 points and eight rebounds. Eleven of 12 Warriors scored.

Concordia shot 42% from the field to Lewis-Clark State’s 48.7%. The Warriors outrebounded Concordia, 47-36.

“Even our poor performance doesn’t dim the great season we’ve had,” Concordia Coach Dave Wolter said. “The thing I’m proudest of is this team improved every day.

“But this was somewhat overwhelming. We pride ourselves on fundamentals, and tonight we didn’t play fundamental ball. We saw what it takes to get here, and we plan on being back.”