FAYETTE, Iowa. – On their first NSIC road trip this season, the Concordia-St. Paul women's basketball team (4-5, 1-2 NSIC) faced Upper Iowa (1-8, 1-3 NSIC) on Friday night and fell to the Peacocks with a final score of 65-63.The all-time record between the teams goes to 25-5 after the loss. Upper Iowa's performance breaks their 49-game losing streak, their last win occurring on February 11^th, 2017 against CSP.
 
The first quarter was looking promising on behalf of the Golden Bears after they went on a 15-0 run within the first five minutes of the game. Their shooting and defense was strong as they left Upper Iowa dry from the paint and unable to get a shot up, resulting in an entire new lineup on the court for the Peacocks. The tables quickly turned when the fresh lineup for UIU went on a 9-0 run with four minutes left to go in the quarter. It was a slower paced game from then on, but the Bears were able to sustain their lead, up 15-11 after the first ten minutes.  
 
That quickly changed after UIU hit the court hard in the second quarter and improved their run to 18-0 to lead CSP 18-15. It was a back and forth game after that as Concordia fought back for the lead. Danielle Schaub picked it up for the Bears and scored seven points in the final five minutes to contribute to a 28-26 lead going into the second half. Schaub was the most efficient shooter in the first half going 50% from the field and 1-1 from the three-point line. The Bears were much more productive in the paint than the arc in the first half, shooting 40% (12-30) from the field and 22% (2-9) from the three-point line.
 
Riley Wheatcraft got things started off in the second half of the game with a quick lay-up, followed by a three by Schaub and then back on Upper Iowa's end with a jumper by Jessica Musgraves. The final half of the game was a much different story than the first, as the teams kept the score within two and each played productive defense to prevent any scoring runs.
 
Upper Iowa had the lead going into the fourth quarter after outscoring CSP 25-21 in the third. The game was stale until the halfway point of the fourth quarter when CSP took a one-point lead after a layup by Sidney Wentland. UIU continued to be the better shooters from the arc as Bekka Pierson banked a three at the shooting buzzer to take the lead 57-55. Pierson led the Peacocks as the forward was dominant all-around the court with 17 points which included five three pointers to go along with ten rebounds.
 
Schaub ended the night as the leading scorer for the Bears with 16 points and five rebounds while she shot 53.8% from the field. Junior Ayla Lemke put up a season high in scoring and rebounding with 12 points and nine boards. Wentland rounded out the trio with 11 points and three boards. As a team, the Bears outrebounded the Peacocks 41-32.
 
The Golden Bears will look to improve their record tomorrow as they face Winona State at 3:30 p.m. in the McCown Gymnasium. Live stats and video will be available at the tip-off at cspbears.com/watch.