Box Score
ST. PAUL, Minn. - The #9 Concordia University women's basketball team overcame a slow start and large second half deficit to win 79-71 in overtime in their exhibition opener at Gangelhoff Center against the UW-Superior Yellow Jackets. Anika Whiting picked up right where she left off last season, finishing with 20 points and 12 rebounds in the game. The Yellow Jackets received a game-high 30 points from Sally Linzmeier.
The Golden Bears took a 5-4 lead on a three from Kionda Nicks in the opening minutes, but wouldn't regain the lead in regulation. Superior surged ahead with a 10-0 run, turning a 15-11 lead into a 25-11 lead. Linzmeier caught fire in the first half and the rest of her teammates followed suit in the first half. The Yellow Jackets shot 47.2% from the field and 55.6% from beyond the arc in the first 20 minutes, while the Golden Bear struggled to get much going shooting 28.6% and 11.1% from three. The UW-Superior lead ballooned out all the way to 19 on a jumper from Linzmeier to make it 40-21 with just 3:46 remaining in the first. The Golden Bears managed to widdle the lead down to 43-31 going into the break.
Concordia cut it to 10 right at the beginning of the second and looked to be getting back in it, but Superior took control back and built the lead back up to 17 at 55-38 with just over ten minutes remaining in the game. CU was able to turn up the defensive pressure and speed the pace of the game up over the next few minutes and eventually got the lead back to single digits on a Kionda Nicks layup with 8:41 left. The pressure stayed on as the Golden Bears got it all the way down to four at 58-54 on another bucket from Nicks. The Yellow Jackets seemed to settle down as Linzmeier took over, hitting three straight baskets to bring the lead back to nine with just 4:03 remaining in the game. The lead still sat at five with just under a minute left as Jasmine Haynes hit a huge three to make it a one possession game with a score of 65-63. A Rachel Hansen steal with about 30 second remaining gave the Golden Bears the ball with a chance to tie. Haynes was fouled moments later and sent to the line with 25.7 seconds left and buried both to even the score. The Yellow Jackets got three chances on the final possession to take the lead back but were unable to convert, sending the game to overtime.
With all the momentum on Concordia's side, they outscored UW-Superior 14-6 in overtime to take a 79-71 victory.
Rachel Hansen filled the stat sheet with 18 points, six rebounds, six assists and six steals and Jasmine Haynes put up a similar line with 16 points, six rebounds, six steals and two assists. Kionda Nicks was the fourth Golden Bear to score in double figures with 13 points, four rebounds, four blocks and three steals.
The Golden Bears wrap up their two game exhibition schedule this Sunday at 1:00 p.m. in Iowa City, Iowa as they take on Division I University of Iowa.
