ST. PAUL, Minn. - The Concordia-St. Paul women's basketball team (5-3, 1-2 NSIC) will host their first home conference games this weekend at the Gangelhoff Center. The Golden Bears will take on Upper Iowa (3-7, 0-3 NSIC) on Friday, December 14th at 5:30 p.m. and Winona State (4-3, 2-1 NSIC) on Saturday, December 15th 3:30 p.m.
LAST TIME OUT
Last weekend, CSP traveled away from the Twins Cities to take on two NSIC South foes, Sioux Falls and Southwest Minnesota State. The Golden Bears played a pair of games that went down to the wire, falling 83-74 to Sioux Falls and picking up a 66-63 victory against SMSU.
In their first contest of the weekend against the Cougars, CSP and USF were tied at 70 with two and a half minutes to play before a 13-4 run by Sioux Falls allowed the Cougars to pull away for the win. Anna Schmitt led the Golden Bears with 17 points in that contest, while Lindsay Dorr scored 16 points and pulled down 13 rebounds.
Southwest Minnesota State was the next destination for the Golden Bears, and CSP used a big comeback to claim their first NSIC victory. Down 31-17 in the first half, Concordia rallied back to take a lead in the second half before again falling in a seven-point hole with just over three minutes to go. The Golden Bears closed the game a 12-2 run secure the win, as Sidney Wentland blocked a last second three-point attempt for the Mustangs.
Schmitt led the Golden Bears in that matchup by pouring in 26 points, including 19 in the second half. Dorr also had a big game down low, collecting 17 points, 16 rebounds, and four blocks.
UPPER IOWA SERIES HISTORY
The Golden Bears hold a 23-4 edge over the Peacocks in the series history. The series has been more competitive in recent years, as CSP is 4-3 in their last seven matchups. The Golden Bears have won their last two games in the row against UIU and are 11-2 at home against the Peacocks.
LAST MEETING WITH UIU
The Golden Bears defeated Upper Iowa 87-59 in their last meeting, which was also held in the Gangelhoff Center on February 10th, 2018. Concordia broke the game open with a big second quarter, scoring 22 points to the Peacocks' six in that ten-minute span. CSP took a 20-point lead into halftime and held off UIU in the second half to pick up the win.
Anna Schmitt and Lindsay Dorr both had big games for CSP. Schmitt posted 26 points, four rebounds, three assists, and three steals while Dorr went for 24 points, seven boards, four steals, and three blocks. Senior Hadyn Becker collected a double-double, scoring 10 points and bringing in 11 rebounds. Becker also pitched in six assists and three steals.
CSP shot 46.6% from the field compared to Upper Iowa's mark of 38.5%. The Golden Bears also shared the ball well in that contest, posting a season-high 23 assists in the win.
ABOUT THE PEACOCKS
The Peacocks have had struggles scoring the ball this season, ranking last in the NSIC with 57.8 points per game. They also rank 15th in the conference in scoring defense, allowing 68.1 points per game. Upper Iowa has lost 27 straight NSIC games, dating back to the 2016-17 season.
UIU is led in scoring by sophomore guard Natalie Dinius with 10.9 points per game. Next is 6'3 center Savannah Domeyer, who had come off the bench to provide 10.2 points per game on 53.7% shooting. The sophomore is also second in the NSIC with 2.4 blocks per game, and leads the team with 6.1 rebounds per game. Bekka Pierson is another impact player for the Peacocks, with 8.7 points per game and 4.9 rebounds per game, both second on the team.
The Peacocks rely more on scoring inside the arc, as they average just 5.1 three-point shots made per game. They have also shown some prowess on the defensive end under the basket, blocking 3.9 shots per game (5th NSIC).
Upper Iowa has had some trouble with taking care of the basketball this year. The Peacocks rank last in the NSIC in turnover margin (-8.70 per game) and assist-to-turnover ratio (0.54).
WINONA STATE SERIES HISTORY
The Golden Bears come into the matchup with the Warriors with a 30-19 edge in the all-time series between the two teams. Winona State has had some recent success in the series, winning eight of the past ten games. Concordia is 13-6 against the Warriors in the Gangelhoff Center.
LAST MEETING WITH WSU
The Golden Bears and the Warriors last met in the NSIC Tournament Semifinals, where Winona State moved on to the championship with a 66-56 win.
Concordia had a quick 10-5 edge to start the game, but Winona State took the lead before the end of the first quarter and maintained it the rest of the way. CSP couldn't get going offensively, shooting just 36.9% from the field and 20.7% from three. The Golden Bears were hanging in throughout the game, but where unable to close the gap to less than eight points in the final quarter.
Three Golden Bears scored in double digits in that contest, including Lindsay Dorr (13 points), Hadyn Becker (11 points), and Anna Schmitt (10 points). The game featured a slower pace of play, as the teams combined for just two points in transition.
ABOUT THE WARRIORS
The Warriors feature a balanced scoring attack with four players averaging ten points or more. Rachel Novotny leads the team with 12.6 points per game on 71.1% shooting, the best mark in the conference. The senior forward also leads the Warriors in rebounds with 6.9 per game.
Allie Pickrain controls the ball quite a bit for the Warriors as one of the team's lead guards. The sophomore has attempted 10+ shots in six of the seven games the Warriors have played and is second on the team in points per game at 12.1. Pickrain also leads the team in assists with 2.1 per game.
Winona State has struggled shooting the three-point shot this season, making just 26.6% of their attempts from three, last in the conference. They also rank 15th in assist-to-turnover ratio, with a mark of 0.74. The Warriors rank last in the conference in blocked shots per game, averaging 1.7 per contest.
The Warriors have had a strong programs the last few seasons, with a winning NSIC record in three of the last four seasons. They were also able to reach the conference championship in the season where they did not have a NSIC record above .500.
KEY STATS
Lindsay Dorr has continued her strong start for the Golden Bears, scoring 14 points or more in each of CSP's first eight games. The senior center leads the team and is 2nd in the conference with 19.8 points per game. Dorr is also one of the best in the NSIC in rebounding (10.5 per game, 3rd) and field goal percentage (54.0%, 4th).
NSIC South Preseason Player of the Year Anna Schmitt is starting to heat up, as the senior guard led the Golden Bears in scoring in both games last weekend with 17 points against Sioux Falls and 26 points against Southwest Minnesota State. Schmitt moved into second place in CSP's all-time scoring ranks with her effort against Sioux Falls (passing Jennifer Pozzani), and now has 1,680 career points. Schmitt is sixth in the NSIC with 15.9 points per game.
Sidney Wentland continues to do a little bit of everything for the Golden Bears. The sophomore ranks in the top three on the team in FG%, 3 PT FG%, scoring, blocks, steals, and assists. She also leads the team in 3 PT FG% (50%) and assist-to-turnover ratio (2.1).
The Golden Bears have continued to play some of their best basketball in the second and third quarters of games. CSP outscores opponents by an average of 2.4 points in second quarter and 5.0 points in the third.
CSP has been effective drawing fouls this year and getting to the free throw line. The Golden Bears have attempted an average of 5.5 more free throw per game than their opponent, averaging 18 shots a game from the charity stripe.
