News

This weekend the Women’s Basketball team made the trip up to Fort McMurray to take on the Huskies of Keyano College. The Thunder were looking to keep the 'victory train' on track after two successful wins last weekend. On Friday night, the game got out to a rough start for the Thunder as they found themselves down a quick 10-0 to the Huskies. Concordia had to regroup quickly if they wanted to come away with a victory. As the quarter wore on, the Thunder battled back defensively, getting the stops they needed to give them a chance on the offensive end. However, the ball just wasn't bouncing for the Thunder and they put up a season low 2 pts in the opening 10 minutes. “This is very frustrating. The ball just didn’t want to drop early for us. We had excellent looks but we couldn’t finish,“ stated Head Coach Robbie Valpreda. The Thunder got their rhythm back in the second quarter and found themselves down by only 11 going into halftime (27-16).  The Thunder came out rolling in the second half, cutting the Husky lead down to just two points by late in the fourth quarter. But some bad decisions on the Thunder end cost them and the Huskies won the game 73-59.  “We were not ready to play tonight. We didn’t show up until late. Credit the girls for playing catch up and battling back to get the game within two points. They played hard in the end and gave us a chance but what ultimately cost us was scoring just 2 pts in a quarter,” lamented Coach Valpreda. The Thunder were led by Ann Stewart who had 19 pts and 9 rebounds and was named Player of the Game.
On Saturday afternoon, the Thunder were looking for a better start than they had on Friday and took an early 7-2 lead. As the quarter went on, the Thunder did an excellent job of executing on both ends of the floor. Defensively, the Huskies could not handle the pressure of the Thunder and on the offensive end they executed well. “We did a great job in transition today. When we ran the floor it was easy buckets for us. Everyone ran the lanes so it opened up the floor on the offensive end,” said Coach Valpreda. Going into halftime, the Thunder led 37-26. In the second half, Concordia starting scoring at will, getting contributions from everyone. The Thunder scored a total of 28 pts in the third quarter and jumped out to a 30 pt lead over the Huskies. But the Huskies made a strong push at the start of the fourth quarter which cut into the Thunder lead. “We have to remember this game is 40 minutes. Tonight we played 35. Those last five minutes can be the most important.”  However, the Thunder were able to hold off that last push and won the game 77-65. "The Thunder’s win today came from a complete team effort. This team is one of true character and determination. A couple players stood out today. Nakita Newman was Player of the Game with 19 pts, 8 rebounds and 2 assists; Ann Stewart had a huge game with 25 pts and 12 rebounds…her first 'double double' of the year."
The Thunder will finish off first semester action this weekend when they play a home and home series with the rival NAIT Ooks.  The home game goes Saturday night at 6 PM.