WAYNE, Neb. – The Golden Bear women's basketball team (4-10, 1-7 NSIC) fell 72-47 against the Wayne State Wildcats (13-4, 7-2 NSIC) at Rice Auditorium in Wayne, Nebraska on Friday evening. Concordia led after the first ten minutes, but Wayne State took over the lead in the second quarter and kept the Bears at bay from there.
 
The Bears were dominant on the glass, holding a 42-31 rebounding edge, while securing a season-high 18 offensive boards, compared to the Wildcats' five. Despite this advantage, CSP only scored five points off of second chances. Wayne State forced 25 Concordia turnovers, capitalizing on 36 points from these mistakes.
 
 The Wildcats also shot well, posting impressive percentages from each shooting category (46.9% from the floor, 55.6% from three, and 72.4% from the line). The Bears were held to more modest percentages, connecting on only 32.3% (20-62) of their shots from the field and 10.0% (1-10) from beyond the arc. WSC also made use of their 29 free-throw attempts, scoring 21 points from the line, compared to the Bears' six.       
 
Three Concordia players ended in double figures in the contest. Junior Anna Schmitt led the way with a team-high 13 points, followed closely by junior Kayla Miller, who finished with 12, and sophomore Brianna Miller, who ended with 10. This is Schmitt's and Brianna Miller's third straight game in double figures for the Bears. Junior Lindsay Dorr led the rebounding efforts, finishing with a game-high nine boards for the Bears, six of which were on the offensive end.
 
CSP started the game slowly, as the Wildcats opened up the game with an 8-2 lead heading into the first media timeout. The Bears rallied from there, though, going on a 12-2 run to end the quarter on a high note and took a 14-10 lead heading into the second frame.
 
The Bears struggled in the second quarter, being outscored 24-9 by their opponents. Wayne State was able to hold the Bears scoreless for the first six minutes of the quarter. Kayla Miller and Brianna Miller got the offense going, though, combining for all the points scored in the quarter. Helping the Wildcats gain the lead was a solid first half shooting percentage which included connecting on 47.8% of shots from the field and 60.0% from three, as well as capitalizing on nine points from the line. The Golden Bears, however, were held to shooting 37.0% from the field, were 0-6 from behind the arc, and only scored three points from the free-throw line in the first half.
 
The third quarter was a more competitive one, as Schmitt scored five straight points to get the Bears within six with 5:57 left in the quarter. The Wildcats regained their double-digit lead with 2:15 left in the third and continued to build up their lead into the fourth quarter. WSC started the final frame with a 10-1 run, giving them a 22 point advantage, eventually going on to win by 25.
 
Wayne State had ten different players score throughout the contest, but were led by Haley Moore, who finished with a game high 17 points. Teammate Halley Busse chipped in with 12 and was the only other Wildcat to end in double digits.
 
The Bears will travel to Sioux Falls to take on the Augustana Vikings tomorrow, January 6^th. Game time is set for 4 p.m. Follow along online at cspbears.com/watch.