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SIOUX FALLS, S.D. – The Concordia University women's basketball team (21-8, 16-6 NSIC) finished off their regular season with aN 87-67 win over Sioux Falls on Saturday night. The win was Paul Fessler's 400th of his career and 299th of his Concordia career.
 
The Golden Bears have clinched the third seed in the South and will host Minnesota Duluth at 7 p.m. on Wednesday night in the NSIC Tournament first round. The winner will advance to the second round at the Pentagon in Sioux Falls, S.D.
 
The Golden Bears dominated on the offensive end, shooting 48.5% from the floor. Their shooting percentage and point total both marked their second best on the season. They also connected on 10-18 (55.6%) from three. CU took care of business on the glass as well with a 45-34 advantage in the rebounding category.

Ameshia Kearney caught fire from the floor as she hit 9-12 shots and 4-5 from beyond the arc to give her a new career-high of 26 points.

Anika Whiting had 21 points, 15 rebounds and four assists in what was her ninth game with 20+ points this season.

Rachel Hansen, the conference leader in assists coming into the weekend, put up a diverse stat line with 14 points, seven rebounds, seven assists and two steals as she connected on 5-8 attempts from the floor.

Laura Johnson was a bright spot for Sioux Falls as she picked up a team-high 16 points, seven rebounds and three blocks. The Cougars were held to just 32.8% shooting as a team as they also turned it over 13 times.
 
The Golden Bears built an early 20-9 advantage in the first six minutes of the game as the offense was firing on all cylinders. CU stepped on the gas pedal from there as they used a 13-0 run to turn a 10 point lead into a 23 point lead at 41-18 with 5:54 to go in the half. The Cougars did close the gap to 48-33 going into the half but it wouldn't be enough.
 
Kearney had a huge first half with 17 points while Whiting nearly double-doubled with 11 points and nine rebounds in the opening 20 minutes.

The Golden Bears pushed the lead back into the 20s early in the half as they cruised to the victory.

Concordia shot even better in the second half than they did in the first half as they knocked down half of their 28 attempts and 5-8 of their looks from beyond the arc.

The win gives the Golden Bears a perfect 4-0 record against Sioux Falls since they joined the NSIC.