ST. PAUL, Minn. -  The Golden Bears women's basketball team (7-14, 4-11 NSIC) defeated Bemidji State (4-15, 3-12 NSIC) on Friday night at the Gangelhoff Center, making it their third win in the past four games.  
 
Concordia fell behind early in the first quarter, but quickly picked up the pace in the second frame, gaining the lead after freshman Ellie Gess hit a three-pointer with a little over two minutes left in the half. The Bears did not look back from there, holding onto the lead through the rest of the contest.
 
The Bears forced 20 turnovers in the game, which resulted in 16 points for them. CSP also held a 46-43 rebounding edge, nabbing an impressive 18 offensive boards. In addition to playing tight defense and rebounding hard, the Bears were also efficient in the paint, capitalizing on 28 points in the paint, compared to the Beavers' 18.
 
Anna Schmitt led all scorers in the game, scoring 16 points, while also tallying three assists and tying her career-high in rebounds with nine.  Gess was the only other Golden Bear to end in double figures with ten. 
 
The bench had a solid performance for CSP, as Haydn Becker, Lexi Lee, and Ayla Lemke all came through with nine points each. Becker also registered a career-high four steals in the contest and Lee was especially efficient, hitting three out of her five field goals, including draining two of four from behind the arc. Lemke had a big defensive presence, collecting a career-high five blocks, which is the most any Concordia player has had in any game this season. The freshman forward also had nine rebounds, which was tied for the game high.
 
The Bears got off to a slow start in the contest, as the Beavers got out to an 11-1 lead halfway through the first quarter. Still down double figures with 2:40 left in the quarter, CSP kicked it into gear, and went on a 10-2 run to finish the first ten minutes. This cut the Beaver lead to only four entering the second frame. Becker and Lemke each had five points in the quarter to lead the Bears.
 
Concordia brought their intensity and momentum from the end of the first frame into the second quarter, outscoring their opponents 21-12 to take a five point lead heading into the halftime break. Schmitt and junior Kayla Miller were the biggest contributors in this quarter, combining for 13 of the 21 points. The team continued to work back from their slow start and took over the lead with a little over two minutes left in the quarter, as they finished the half on an 11-2 run to lead 34-29 at half.

Halfway through the third quarter, the Beavers got the game within one, but the Bears quickly rallied, going on a 13-3 run to close out the quarter. CSP also played some inspired defense, not allowing a BSU field goal for the last 6:30 of the quarter and for the first two minutes and thirty seconds of the fourth quarter. With the solid defense, Concordia entered the final frame up 52-41.
 
The Bears held on to their double digit lead for the majority of the fourth quarter, at one point leading by 16. Both teams played tough defense in the quarter, each holding the other to shooting under 30.0%. CSP would not allow the Beavers to cut down their lead, though, as they were up by at least nine for the whole quarter, eventually winning 63-53.
 
Bemidji State presented a balanced offense, as nine different players scored throughout the game. Freshman Sydney Zerr and senior Sierra Senske were the top scorers for the Beavers, each scoring ten. Senior forward Sam Adamich was the team's leading rebounder, securing nine.
 
Concordia finishes their homestand tomorrow, January 27^th, against Minnesota Crookston, as they look to make it three wins in a row. Tip-off is at 4 p.m. at the Gangelhoff Center. If you are unable to make it in person, watch online at cspbears.com/watch.