st. Paul, minn. - wayne state college's posts combined for 65 points and the wildcat defense suffocated the golden bears in an 87-69 decision on saturday night at the gangelhoff center. The golden bears (16-4, 10-3 nsic) sent the wildcats (16-4, 9-4 nsic) to the line 30 times in the game, with wsc nailing 27 attempts for a 90% performance. Concordia gives up its short-lived possession of first place in the nsic with the loss, again sitting in a tie with augustana college for the league lead. box score
the golden bears went into the game knowing that the wildcats played the most fierce defense in the nsic, allowing an average of just 55.1 points per game and minimizing opponents from the field in nearly every game. The extended zone show on saturday night not only kept cu guards from taking open looks, but wayne state posts were ever-present in the paint, pressuring cu close-range shots as well. The golden bears struggled from the field for most of the first half, not completing their first field goal until the 15:03 mark.
the wildcats had a large size advantage in the paint, an area in which they made a point to utilize in the game. Wsc forwards took turns laying in buckets and even nailed mid-range jumpers for all 13 of wsc's first points. The golden bears made three straight stops and went on a 6-0 run to bring wsc's lead down to four points, 13-9 at the 10:51 mark, but foul trouble soon hampered concordia's gains. The wildcats dropped in four straight free throws with the clocked stopped at 2:06 to take a 38-23 lead, completing the half with a 44-17 advantage.
the golden bears played a much better second half, shooting 46.9% from the field and finding a way to score on the wildcat forwards. ashley viehauser (f, sr., minneapolis, minn.) stepped up for her team with a huge half, scoring a career high 16 points from 6-of-8 shooting. The entire team showed an increased intensity, turning the ball over just three teams and pressuring the wildcats as much as they could.
but even with concordia playing with a renewed offensive and defensive intensity, wayne state's forwards only poured in more points. Ashley arlen dropped in 20 second half points, while mara hjelle had 13 points and seven boards in the half, giving the wildcats an answer for nearly every one of concordia's attempted runs.
a zoraa quoie (g, jr., woodbury, minn.) three-pointer at the 15:18 mark got the golden bears to as close as they would come in the period, a 12-point margin at 52-40. From there, the wildcats scored 12 of the next 14 points, 10 of which came from arlen and hjelle. Wayne state went to the line 20 times in the second period, hitting 18 of their free throws to make a considerable dent in concordia's enthusiasm.
concordia was held to a season low 38.0% field goal average. Viehauser was the team's leading scorer with 18 points. jineen williams (g, jr., racine, wis.) popped off enough shots to get to 12 points and matched a team high seven rebounds. maurika hickman (g, jr., minneapolis, minn.) also had 12 points. jamie jones (g, sr., mounds view, minn.) suffered from the same cold shooting virus as her teammates, but worked hard to find viehauser in the paint to finish with seven assists in the game.
arlen finished up a 31-point scoring performance to lead her team in the big win that moved the wildcats into a tie for third place in the nsic. She was followed closely by hjelle, who put up an equally impressive 21-point, 17-rebound game. Guard clare duwelius had 16 points, using four first half threes. The wildcats shot 47.4% from the field.
the golden bears take their campaign to the road next weekend where they will face bemidji state and minnesota duluth.
