ST. PAUL, Minn. – The Concordia-St. Paul women's basketball team will return to action this week as they travel to St. Joseph, Missouri for the first regular season games of 2019-20. The Golden Bears will play their first game on November 8^th at 5:30 pm against Missouri Western and conclude the weekend with a game against Fort Hays State on November 9^th at 2:00 pm. The games will be played in the Civic Arena as apart of the Hillyard Tip-Off Classic at Missouri Western State University.

In 2018-19 the Golden Bears went 21-7 overall, winning the NSIC South Division with a record of 17-5. In a surprising upset after a winning season and making it to the NSIC Semi-Finals in the 2018-17 season, Concordia fell short in the first round of the NSIC tournament against Bemidji State University. The Beavers came back in the second half to win 73-70 against CSP in their first NSIC Conference tournament game since 2003-04.

Back in October, the Golden Bears received 104 points in this year's NSIC Preseason Coaches Poll, being picked to finish 10^th in the conference and seventh in the NSIC South Division. The Bears were predicted to trail Southwest Minnesota State University (ranked ninth), falling three points short to the Mustangs in the coaches' poll.

The polls also recognized junior forward, Sidney Wentland, as a player to watch this season in the NSIC. Coming from the University of Denver her sophomore year and a native from Elk River Minn., Wentland played in all 28 games for the Bears last season and made 25 starts in her inaugural year with CSP. She was a strong, well-rounded player for the squad, dishing out 25-assists, 20 three pointers, and grabbing 124 rebounds on the season. The junior will return as the top performer in rebounds, scoring, assists, and blocked shots for the Golden Bears.

"Wentland was a steady starter last year and will bring a lot of experience," head coach Amanda Johnson said, "we expect her to step up into a bigger role this year with her experience and leadership".

Amanda Johnson will be entering her fifth full year as the head coach of the women's basketball team at CSP. Reflecting on the coaches poll she stated, "A lot of the teams do not know what to expect with our young team this year (upon losing four out of five starters). We will be a young team this year, but the players understand hard work and effort and are more than willing to earn it by putting in extra time inside and outside of practice." Johnson adds, "This team has waited for this opportunity and they come to practice every day with great attitudes, wanting to get better."

In addition to Wentland, the Golden Bears will return three more players who played in 20+ games last season. Junior Riley Wheatcraft from Prior Lake, Minn. and another Division I transfer who debuted her CSP career as a sophomore, will return as a sharpshooter for the Bears. Johnson is also confident in Wheatcraft's abilities specifying that she'll "be a big-time player for us the next two years."

Sophomore guard Meghan Dubois and junior forward Ayla Lemke will also be back on the court as strong scoring contributors. Dubois led her freshman class in scoring with 75 points last season and a field goal percentage of .431. According to coach Johnson, "Dubois will bring high energy and a super competitive attitude and will not back down to anything."

Dubois comes from Brooklyn Park, Minn. along with junior teammate, Danielle Schaub. Schaub played in 15 games last season and will be a dominant point guard for the team this winter. The junior guard made tremendous plays in the first two exhibitions games against Augsburg and St. Kates University. She totaled 10 points, 10 rebounds, and eight assists in the first game against Augsburg, adding seven more assists and three steals in the game against St. Kates. She also returns as the teams most accurate shooter, with a field goal percentage of .533.

"Schaub is a great leader and is ready to be the point guard that will facilitate on and off the floor," Johnson stated, "She leads by example with all of the hard work she puts in on a consistent basis. The girls definitely look up to her."  

In addition to a strong bunch of leaders, the squad will also welcome back redshirt freshman forward, Sydney Zgutowicz. The St. Francis, Minn. native was tabbed as a newcomer to watch last season before she ultimately had to sit out of her freshman year due to injuries.

"We expect big things from Z (Zgutowicz) after her redshirt season. We are slowly getting her back to herself after being out and I cannot wait to see what she can do at CSP over the next four years, she will be fun to watch." Johnson continued, "She is also super competitive and one of the toughest players I have ever coached. Her hard work will pay off for her."

The Golden Bears will also bring in four freshmen for the 2019-20 season including St. Michael, Minn. native, Jadyn Hanson. Johnson says they expect big things from their freshman point guard, "Jadyn will get good minutes this year. Basketball just comes easy to her. She gets the game and wants to be a player we can depend on as she grows."

Coach Johnson is also confident in freshman Makayla Johnson, a forward from Champlin Park, Minn., and her ability to earn some minutes. "She is very athletic and I think she will have a very bright future at CSP."

Overall, Johnson believes that the success of this season will come from a team effort. "Our strengths this season are definitely our team chemistry and work ethic. This team will put in all the extra time needed to get better. They're also very coachable and eager girls, who are ready to be challenged," Johnson said.

Before entering conference play against Sioux Falls on December 6^th at the Gangelhoff Center, the Golden Bears will play six non-conference games against well-rounded teams. CSP will face Missouri Western on November 8^th and Fort Hays State on November 9^th at the Civic Arena in the Hillyard Tip-Off Classic.

Live stats for the tournament will be available here: https://gogriffons.com/sidearmstats/wbball/summary as the Golden Bears will tip off at 5:30 pm on Friday the 8^th and at 2:00 pm on Saturday the 9^th. A livestream of the event will be available here: https://www.themiaanetwork.com/mwsugriffons/.

CSP will host the Parkside Rangers on November 15^th at 8:00 pm in the Gangelhoff Center for the first regular season home game. The Bears will then travel to Michigan on November 22^nd and 24^th to take on Michigan Tech and Northern Michigan University, and finally return home for one more non-conference game on November 30^th at 4:00 pm against Jamestown.

With a strong team dynamic and a group of sturdy returners, the Golden Bears have the potential to leave an impactful mark in the NSIC this season as they work towards another appearance in the conference tournament. "They do not want to show up to practice or games and expect to win, they want to earn it with their hard work and dedication," Johnson said, "As a younger team, they know it won't be easy but they are ready to fight for each other and for wins this year."