Women's Basketball | 2.9.15

ST. PAUL, Minn. – The Concordia University women's basketball team (13-10, 9-8 NSIC) travels south to take on Minnesota State (16-6, 13-4 NSIC) in a mid-week showdown at the Taylor Center on Tuesday night. Tip-off is set for 6 p.m.
 
THE MATCH-UP... The Golden Bears have split the all-time series 15-15 with the Mavericks heading into the 31^st meeting. Minnesota State has dominated the series over the past several years as they have won five out of the last six meetings and three in a row over Concordia.
 
BACK ON DEC. 20TH… Concordia saw a first half lead disappear in a 64-60 loss to Minnesota State at the Gangelhoff Center.
 
The Golden Bears shot just 28.6% from the floor after the break while the Mavericks connected on 41.4% during that span. Rebounding also aided Minnesota State's effort as they held a 47-38 advantage on the glass on the day.
 
Senior Ameshia Kearney was explosive during stretches as she scored a team-high 18 points while hitting 7-20 from the floor. She also added four steals and three assists in the loss.
 
Mishayla Jones put up a strong line with 14 points on 7-13 shooting while chipping in five assists, three rebound and three steals while Caitlyn Russell picked up her first career double-double with 12 points and 10 boards in 21 minutes.
 
LAST TIME OUT… Concordia swept a weekend series with Minot State and U-Mary at home.
 
The Golden Bears thoroughly dominated play on Friday night as they shot over 53.0% from the floor and held the Beavers below 30.0% in each half in an 80-45 win. The Golden Bears dominated in basically every aspect of the game as they held a 38-35 advantage on the glass, a 42-22 advantage in points in the paint as well as an 18-2 advantage on points off of turnovers.
 
Caitlyn Russell matched her career high with 16 points off the bench on 7-10 shooting for the Golden Bears in the win over Minot State.
 
Saturday's game was more hotly contested as it featured 13 ties and 11 lead changes as the Golden Bears picked up a 78-74 win over the Marauders. Concordia's bench provided a spark in the win as the unit combined to outscore the Marauder bench 28-4 in the win. Amanda Barton led the way with 11 points, eight boards, three assists and a pair of steals while Lauren Shifflett went 3-4 from beyond the arc to finish with nine points.
 
Mishayla Jones was the hero of the night, though, as she collected 16 points, four assists, three rebounds and three steals on the night. Jones iced the win by picking up a couple late steals and hitting 8-9 from the charity stripe after the half in the winning effort.
 
SCOUTING THE MAVERICKS… Minnesota State enters the weekend in second place in the NSIC South with a record of 13-4 in league play, a game and a half behind Wayne State for the top spot. The Mavericks have won three in a row and five of six overall. On their home court, the Mavericks are a perfect 10-0 on the season with nine of the 10 wins coming by six points or more.
 
Minnesota State swept U-Mary and Minot State at the Taylor Center last weekend with an 85-64 win over the Marauders on Friday and a 75-61 win over the Beavers on Saturday.
 
The Mavericks are led by Aubrey Davis' 13.3 points, 4.5 assists, 4.3 rebounds and 2.0 steals per game. Lexie Ulfers and Sammie Delzotto join her in double figures in scoring with 12.7 and 12.2 points per game, respectively.