PHOTO GALLERY (courtesy Lynne Halterman Images)
ST. PAUL, Minn. – The Concordia University women's basketball team (7-5, 3-3 NSIC) opened up the New Year with a hard fought 75-70 win over Minnesota Duluth (5-6, 3-4 NSIC) on Friday night at the Gangelhoff Center.
Anika Whiting surpassed Jennifer Pozzani for the Concordia career record in scoring in the win with 1,654 points.
The Golden Bears trailed by as many as seven in the second half as they came from behind to get back in the win column. CU connected on 57.1% (16-28) of their shots after the break and held the Bulldogs to just 35.5% (11-31) during that span.
Concordia also held a decisive advantage on the glass as they out-rebounded UMD 44-34 and grabbed 15 offensive boards in the win. The Golden Bears parlayed that margin to 15-2 advantage in second chance points to aid the effort. CU dominated in the paint as well as they out-scored Minnesota Duluth 38-16 down low.
Ameshia Kearney facilitated the offense for much of the night as she led the team with 17 points on 5-11 shooting and 2-4 from three while also dishing out seven assists and grabbing four rebounds.
Whiting,
Mishayla Jones and
Kionda Nicks all joined Kearney in double figures as they each scored 11 points. Jones added a career-best 14 rebounds for her first double-double to go along with four assists in a strong line. Nicks, the NSIC leader in blocks, also filled the stat sheet with four rebounds, four blocks, three steals and two assists in 22 minutes before fouling out.
Taylor Meyer put up a dominant performance with a game-high 22 points as she matched Jones with 14 boards for the double-double in a losing effort for the Bulldogs.
Jessica Newman posted a strong line with 11 points and seven assists while Allyson Harris and Kenzie Kane came off the bench for 10 points apiece for UMD.
Concordia got off to a quick start as they built a 10-5 lead at the 16:05 mark as the Golden Bears got points from four different players in the early going. The Bulldogs scored six straight to take the lead before CU regained their advantage and stretched it to seven on a layup from Jones to make it 28-21 with 8:01 to go in the first half. Minnesota Duluth rebounded with a 12-0 run spanning the next four minutes to take the lead back at 33-28. The momentum swung back the other way with six in a row for the Golden Bears to give them the lead back as Whiting got the streak started with her third basket of the game as she ecplised Jennifer Pozzani's mark of 1,647 points. The Golden Bears looked like they were going to take a lead into the half Newman hit a circus shot at the buzzer to give UMD a 36-34 lead heading into the break.
The Golden Bears opened up the second half with another burst as they took the lead back at 46-40 with a 12-4 run but it would be short-lived as Minnesota Duluth responded with ten straight. The Bulldogs' lead continued to grow as it eventually reached seven at 62-55 with 8:44 remaining in the game.
Concordia wouldn't go away as yet another run shifted the momentum as the Golden Bears scored 15 of the next 17 points over the next six minutes to build a 68-64 advantage with under three minutes to play. Nicks hit the go-ahead bucket before Kearney drilled a three to extend the lead to four. The Bulldogs shrunk the lead back to two on several occasions down the stretch but Kearney iced it at the line to give CU the 75-70 win.
The Golden Bears return to the Gangelhoff Center tomorrow night as they take on #21 St. Cloud State in an NSIC clash. Tip-off is set for 4 p.m.
