ST. PAUL, Minn. - The Concordia-St. Paul women's basketball team (4-7, 1-4 NSIC) is preparing to host their last two games of the calendar year, as they will take on #19 Northern State (9-2, 5-1 NSIC) on Saturday, December 30^th at 4 p.m. and Minnesota State Moorhead (7-3, 4-2 NSIC) the following day at 2 p.m.  The Bears are returning to play after a twelve day break.
 
LAST TIME OUT
CSP went 1-1 in their last two games before the break, defeating Palm Beach Atlantic 63-58 in their last non-conference game of the season and falling 45-70 to Minnesota State Mankato.
 
Against Minnesota State, the Bears struggled shooting, connecting on 36.5% (19-52) of shots from the field and only 20.0% (4-20) of shots from behind the arc. Turnovers and rebounding also hurt Concordia, as the Mavericks were able to score 23 points off of turnovers and 15 points off of offensive rebounds. Junior Kayla Miller was the leading scorer for the Bears, scoring 11 points while shooting 75.0% (3-4) from the field and from the line. Freshman Ellie Gess hit her season scoring average mark in the contest, finishing with ten points, and was in double figures for the seventh time this year.
 
The Golden Bears fared better against Palm Beach Atlantic, hitting some clutch free-throws at the end of the game to seal their victory over the Sailfish in a game that was a battle all the way through. CSP was trailing by two points at halftime, but put together a solid third quarter, outscoring their opponents by seven, to help them finish on top. The Bears only shot 36.4% (20-55) from the field and 22.2% (4-18) from three, but capitalized on free-throws, scoring 19 free points, compared to the opponent's nine. Three different Golden Bears ended in double figures during the game, as junior Hanna Vidlund led the way with 14, while also securing 10 boards for the first double-double of her career. Also in double digits were juniors Lindsay Dorr, with 12, and Kayla Miller, with 11. Both juniors helped out in other ways too as Dorr added three blocks and two steals, and Miller had four assists, two blocks, and two steals in the victory.   
 
NORTHERN STATE SERIES HISTORY
The Bears have a 15-20 series record against the Wolves since beginning to play them in 1994. CSP generally gets better results when playing Northern State at home, as they have a 10-6 record at home against the Wolves, compared to a 4-11 away record. The series has been close in the last ten years, as no team has been able to win more than two games in a row since 2009. Additionally, neither team has been able to win more than one game in a row since January 2013, as the teams have been trading off between victory and defeat for their past seven contests.
 
LAST MEETING VS NSU
In their last meeting with Northern State, the Bears fell 66-52 in Aberdeen, South Dakota. CSP fell behind early, scoring only nine points in the first quarter, compared to their opponent's 16. The Bears bounced back and more than doubled their first quarter score to be down by four at the half. The Wolves had a stronger second half though, going on to win by 14.
 
The Bears shot a solid 40.0% (20-50) from the field, but a mere 10.5% (2-19) from three. Their opponents happened to shoot a little better though, shooting 46.6% (27-58) from the field and an impressive 50.0% (6-12) from beyond the arc. Anna Schmitt led all scorers with 21 points, but was the only CSP player to end in double figures. The Wolves had a more balanced scoring attack, as four different players ended in double digits. Schmitt also led the Bears in rebounding, securing eight, while also having two assists and two steals.
 
ABOUT THE WOLVES
Northern State is 9-2 on the year so far, and 5-1 in the NSIC. Other coaches around the nation have taken notice of the Wolves' hot start, as they are ranked #19 in the latest WBCA coaches' poll. Their two losses of the year happened against #13 Central Missouri and NSIC opponent MSU Moorhead in overtime.
 
As a team, the Wolves average 81.5 points per game while holding their opponents to 68.1. Northern State also posts impressive shooting percentages as they shoot 45.6% from the floor and 37.2% from three, which ranks second and first best in the conference, respectively. The team also posts the best rebounding margin, averaging 12.6 more rebounds than their opponents per game. However, Northern State does have a negative turnover margin, committing 2.45 more turnovers a game than their opponents.
 
The Wolves return 12 players from the 2016-17 season, while also adding eight new freshman to fill up their roster. Among their returning players, is their top scorer, Miranda Ristau. The senior center is averaging 18.5 points per game, which is second best in the NSIC, behind only CSP's Schmitt. Ristau also nabs an average of 7.8 rebounds per game, which ranks seventh in the conference. Joining Ristau in double figures is teammate Jill Conrad, at 12.6 points per game.
 
MSU MOORHEAD SERIES HISTORY
CSP owns a 23-14 all-time series record against the Dragons, although MSU Moorhead has been successful in their past four matchups with the Bears. The last time that the Bears beat the Dragons was January 2013 in St. Paul. Concordia fares better at home against MSUM, posting a 12-6 record against them at the Gangelhoff Center. The series has been tight in conference games, with the Bears holding a slight edge at 15-14.
 
LAST MEETING VS MSUM
In their last meeting with the Dragons, the Bears were on the losing end of a 76-63 decision. CSP fell behind early in the game, trailing 22-11 at the end of the first ten minutes. The Bears rallied in the second quarter, outscoring the Dragons by seven to cut their lead to only four as the teams headed into the halftime break. MSUM started to pull away in the third quarter, as they went on a 12-2 run to start the second half. They were up by 19 at one point in the third quarter before going on to win by 13.
 
The Dragons shot an impressive 48.1% (26-54) from the field, 61.1% (11-18) from three, and 76.5% (13-17) from the free-throw line. They also held the Bears to shooting 38.7% (24-62) from the floor and 30.4% (7-23) from behind the arc. Schmitt led the Bears offensively, scoring a game-high 21 points and Caitlyn Russell joined her in double digits, scoring 12 points. Kyrah Fredenburg and Russell secured the most rebounds for the Bears, with six apiece.
 
ABOUT THE DRAGONS
MSU Moorhead is 7-3 on the year and 4-2 in NSIC play. The Dragons have conference wins against U-Mary, Minot State, Bemidji State, and Northern State and losses to Minnesota Crookston and Northern State. The Dragons and Bears share non-conference opponents in Northern Michigan and Michigan Tech; the Dragons went 1-1 against these teams, defeating Northern Michigan, but falling to #21 Michigan Tech. The Bears lost to both non-conference opponents, falling by seven each game.
 
As a team, MSUM is averaging 70.3 points per game, which is an average of 9.9 more points than their opponents. They are shooting 39.7% from the field and 33.3% from three. Like Northern State, the Dragons are aggressive on the boards, averaging 6.3 more rebounds than their opponents.
 
The Dragons return nine players from last season, while adding five new faces. Their roster is relatively young, as nine out of their fourteen players are freshman or sophomores. Their team spreads out their scoring, as four different players are averaging double digit points. Junior Jacky Volkert is leading her team with 12.9 points a game, but teammate Drew Sannes is right behind her with 12.2 points per game. Sannes is the Dragons' leading rebounder with 9.4 rebounds per game, which is third best in the NSIC. As well as being the leading scorer, Volkert is also the leader in assists for her team, with 5.3 per game, which ranks second in the conference. Sophomore Megan Hintz and senior Cassidy Thorson round out their double digit scorers, averaging 10.7 and 10.3 points per game, respectively.
 
KEY STATS
-Junior Hanna Vidlund compiled her first career double-double, scoring a team-high 14 points against Palm Beach Atlantic and securing a career-high ten rebounds.
-Junior Kayla Miller had two solid performances in the past two contests, scoring a team-high 11 points against Minnesota State Mankato and another 11 points against Palm Beach Atlantic.
-Lindsay Dorr continues to lead the Bears in rebounding, averaging 6.6 rebounds a game. The junior center was the third Golden Bear to reach double digits against Palm Beach Atlantic, as she scored 12 points and nabbed eight rebounds.
-Anna Schmitt remains the conference leader in scoring, averaging 21.8 points per game, while also leading CSP in assists per game with 2.6.
-Freshman Ellie Gess continues her consistent freshman campaign, as the Bloomington native scored ten points against MSU and eight against Palm Beach Atlantic. Gess is leading the Bears in minutes played per game, averaging 31.3 minutes, which is eighth highest in the NSIC, and has reached double digits in seven games this season.
 
If you are unable to make it to the Gangelhoff Center, follow along with the Golden Bears this weekend at cspbears.com/watch.