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ST. PAUL, Minn. - The #14th-ranked Concordia University women's basketball team (5-2) begins NSIC play with a Saturday afternoon game against their travel partner, the #17 Minnesota State Mavericks (3-1) in an early season WBCA Top-25 showdown.
Concordia's Vet Club will be collecting Toys for Tots at the game. We ask for donations of new, unwrapped toys or cash donations.
The Golden Bears also opened the conference season against the Mavericks last season, dropping an 85-66 game in Mankato. The game is set to tip off at 2:00 p.m. and will be followed by the men's game.
THE MATCH-UP... Saturday's game at the Gangelhoff Center is the 28th meeting between Minnesota State and CU on the court. Concordia leads the all-time series 15-12 and have won six of the last eight over the Mavericks. Concordia has gone 8-2 against MSU at the Gangelhoff Center.
LAST YEAR AT GANGELHOFF CENTER... The Concordia Golden Bears women's basketball team took a crucial conference game against #20 Minnesota State by a score of 83-68. With the win the Golden Bears pull even with the Mavericks in the NSIC South Division standings at 7-3 and a game behind the first placed-Augustana Vikings. The Golden Bears used some hot shooting in the second half to pull away from the Mavericks, shooting 59.1% in the second half.
Anika Whiting had a huge game for Concordia, scoring 28 points on 11-17 from the field and 4-4 from the free throw line while also chipping in six rebounds.
Rachel Hansen barely missed a rare triple-double with an outstanding stat line of 10 points, 11 assists, nine rebounds and four steals.
The Mavericks were led by Ali Wilkinson who scored 23 points on a solid 8-13 from the field and pulled down eight rebounds.
LAST TIME OUT... The 14th-ranked Concordia University Golden Bears finished up their non-conference slate on a high note with a 75-60 win against Northern Michigan, handing the Wildcats their first loss of the season. The Golden Bears forced 23 turnovers and held NMU to just 33.9% shooting for the game.
Rachel Hansen an impact player for Concordia, scoring a team-high 21 points to go along with 11 assists and six rebounds. It was the second consecutive game that Hansen picked up a double-double and second in a row with 20+ points.
Anika Whiting had a quietly efficient night with 18 points on 8-13 from the field, four rebounds, three assists and two steals.
CONFERENCE WINNING STREAK... The Golden Bears finished off last season in style, winning 13 straight games to end the NSIC regular season. The streak started with Concordia's win over the Mavericks back on January 15th in St. Paul.
