Women's Basketball | 1.9.19

ST. PAUL, Minn. - Concordia-St. Paul's women's basketball team will host a pair of NSIC contests this weekend, facing off against Southwest Minnesota State (6-7, 3-5 NSIC) on Friday at 5:30 before playing Sioux Falls (10-4, 5-3 NSIC) Saturday at 3:30.

LAST TIME OUT
Concordia ventured to North Dakota last weekend on their longest road trip of the year. CSP split their two games, falling to the University of Mary 74-62 on Friday before defeating Minot State 58-46 on Saturday.

Concordia fell to UMary mostly due to the performance of two Marauder junior forwards, Gabbie Bohl and Cassie Askvig. Bohl scored 20 points with seven rebounds while Askvig put up 18 points and 17 rebounds.

The Golden Bears had three double digit scorers in the game as Lindsay Dorr scored 17, Anna Schmitt added 14, and Lexi Lee posted 10 points. CSP was outshot 45.2% to 35.6% and a 14-3 Marauder run in the fourth quarter secured the win for UMary.

CSP was able to pick up a win in the second of the two games, as they locked down on defense and used a big fourth quarter run to claim the win. Riley Wheatcraft had a breakout game for the Golden Bears, scoring a career-high 22 points, including 12 in the fourth quarter.

Concordia used a 15-3 run to pull away from the Beavers in the fourth quarter, led by a quartet of Wheatcraft threes. Sidney Wentland was also top contributor in that contest for the Golden Bears, scoring 12 points. Lindsay Dorr also pitched in nine points and 14 rebounds for CSP.

SOUTHWEST MINNESOTA STATE HISTORY
CSP has a 39-16 all-time record against the Mustangs, and has had a lot of success in recent years. Concordia has won the last 14 matchups between the two teams, and has also been victorious in 34 of the last 37 games in the series. Concordia is 20-3 against SMSU at home. However, each of the last five matchups between the two teams were within five points or less at the final buzzer.

LAST TIME AGAINST SMSU
The Golden Bears traveled to Marshall earlier this season to take on the Mustangs, and picked up a dramatic 66-63 victory. Anna Schmitt scored 19 second-half points in the win (26 total), and CSP ended the game on a 12-2 run to claim their first conference win of the season.

The Mustangs held a 14-point lead (31-17) midway through the second quarter, but Concordia ripped off a 17-3 run to tie the game at 34. Play would go back and forth throughout the game until the Mustangs went on a 7-0 run to take a 61-54 lead. CSP would close the game out with their big run, and they would clinch the win as Sidney Wentland blocked a three-pointer as time expired.

Lindsay Dorr was also a big contributor for the Golden Bears. The senior center posted 17 points and 16 rebounds in the victory.

SCOUTING THE MUSTANGS
The Mustangs are led by Caleigh Rodning in multiple categories, including points per game (15.4). Rodning has been excellent at the free throw line, shooting 90.3% from the stripe (1st NSIC, 11th NCAA DII). The junior forward also leads the team in rebounds with 7.8 boards per game.

Sadie Stelter has contributed more for the Mustangs in recent games, as she averaged 18 points a game last weekend. Stelter is tied for the team lead in three-point field goals and leads the team with 24 assists.

The Mustangs have attempted the third-most three point field goals in conference play. However they are last in the NSIC in three-point shooting (in conference play) with a percentage of 26.1%.

Southwest Minnesota State has turned the ball over frequently in conference play, with 17.3 per game (15th NSIC). They have also been successful in forcing some turnovers, ranking fifth in the NSIC with 16.1 turnovers forced per contest.

SIOUX FALLS SERIES HISTORY
The Golden Bears have a 9-5 record against the Cougars in their all-time series. However, USF has claimed five of the last eight games between the two teams. Concordia is 4-2 against the Cougars at the Gangelhoff Center.

LAST TIME AGAINST USF
Concordia faced off against the Cougars in their second NSIC game of the 2018-19 season, falling 83-74 in Sioux Falls. The Golden Bears hung with USF for most of the game, but were done in by late Sioux Falls run.

With the game tied at 70 points a piece with 2:26 to go, Sioux Falls went on a 13-4 run to close the game. The game featured ten ties and nine lead changes, as the teams battled closely throughout.

Concordia had three players who scored 15+ points in that contest, led by Anna Schmitt with 17. Lindsay Dorr also contributed 16 points and 13 rebounds, and Sidney Wentland scored 15 points in the loss.

Kaely Hummel led the Cougars with 25 points, while Gloria Mulumba netted 17 points on 8-11 shooting in that contest.

SCOUTING THE COUGARS
The Cougars are led by junior guard Kaely Hummel, who averages 15.6 points per game. Hummel has scored in double figures in 13 of 14 games and sports some top-notch shooting percentages as a guard, shooting 45.3% from the floor, 39.5% from three, and 87.9% from the free throw line.

Mariah Szymanski is second on the team with 8.4 points per game. The junior guard is also tied for the team lead with 33 assists on the season. Gloria Mulumba leads the team with 51.7% shooting from the field. Eight Sioux Falls players average five points or more.

The Cougars lead the NSIC in turnover margin with an average mark of 6.93. Their assist-to-turnover ratio is also third in the conference at 1.18. However, USF hasn't been quite as good in those areas lately, with 15+ turnovers in two of their last three games.

Sioux Falls has struggled a bit on the glass in conference play, ranking 12th in the conference with a rebounding margin of -3.3 per game. The Cougars were outrebounded by an average of six boards per game last weekend.

KEY STATS
Lindsay Dorr has been a very consistent contributor for the Golden Bears in the 2018-19 season. The senior center has scored 14 or more points in 12 of 13 games for CSP and has grabbed six or more rebounds each game this season. Dorr ranks third in the NSIC in points per game (17.7), rebounds per game (10.1), and field goal percentage (54.1%).

Riley Wheatcraft's breakout game against Minot State last weekend set new career high's for the sophomore transfer in points (22), field goals made (7), three-point field goals made (6), minutes (20), and free throws (2). Her six made threes were the most in a game for the Golden Bears since February of 2016 when Lauren Shifflett hit six against UMary.

The Golden Bears have two players chasing some big-time school records. Anna Schmitt currently sits in second place in scoring with 1,740 points while Kyrah Fredenburg is in third place all-time for rebounds with 788 boards. Schmitt is trailing Anika Whiting (1,982 points), while Fredenburg is trailing Whiting (863 rebounds) and Dana Christopher (871 rebounds).

Concordia hasn't lost a game yet at the Gangelhoff Center, protecting their home court with a 6-0 record.

One big key for Concordia has been turnovers. The Golden Bears are 6-0 when forcing 15 turnovers, and 5-0 when they win the turnover battle. Three-point shooting has also been a big factor. CSP is 9-1 when making five three pointers or more in a game.