ST. PAUL, Minn. – The Concordia-St. Paul women's basketball team (5-5, 2-2 NSIC) is set to face Minnesota State (6-2, 3-1 NSIC) in back-to-back games on Wednesday night and Saturday afternoon. CSP will host the Mavericks on December 18^th at 5:30 p.m. prior to traveling to the Taylor Center in Mankato on December 21^st for a two o'clock game.
 
LAST TIME OUT
 
The Golden Bears were on the road last weekend in which they split against with a loss against Upper Iowa (1-9, 1-4 NSIC) and a win over Winona State (7-2, 3-2 NSIC).
 
Concordia came into the weekend looking solid against UIU in the first quarter when they went on a 15-0 run within the first five minutes of the game. The Peacocks responded with an entirely new lineup on the court that showed up with a 9-0 run before the quarter ended and kept it going for an 18-0 run into the second quarter.
 
Danielle Schaub changed the pace of the game for CSP as she scored her first seven points with five minutes to go in the first half to contribute to a 28-26 lead going into the second. Schaub ended the night as the leading scorer for Concordia with 16 points and five rebounds, however, the Peacocks efficient shooting from the arc cost the Bears a win and they fell 65-63 after a close battle.
 
CSP's match up against Winona State was a different story as the Bears were the ones to shoot well from behind the arc in the 89-82 victory. The team shot 50% from the three which contributed to their largest lead of the game at 13 points ahead of the Warriors in the fourth quarter. The squad shot 48.5% (32-66) from the field and held the Warriors to a field goal percentage of 42%. With a strong defense, the Bears caused 11 turnovers by WSU and gave up only eight which is their lowest this season.
 
Meghan DuBois ended the night with her best shooting percentage of the season going 66.7% (8-12) from the field and 100% (3-3) from the arc, ending the night with a career-high of 20 points along with four assists.
 
Eight of Concordia' players put points on the scoreboard, 36 of their total baskets coming from the bench. Riley Wheatcraft performed well from the three-point line going 4-6, ending the night with 17 points and eight rebounds while Sydney Schultz scored 14 going 6-10 from the paint. Despite Sidney Wentland getting in foul trouble early on, she was able to draw fouls down low to go 87.5% from the free throw line and conclude the night with 13 points.
 
MINNESOTA STATE SERIES HISTORY

The Golden Bears and the Mavericks are in close standings in the all-time series going 20-19. The matchups between the two teams have been especially back-and-forth in recent years, as the teams have alternated wins in each of the last nine games. Concordia has been better against MSU at home, with a 11-5 record facing the Mavericks in the Gangelhoff Center.
 
PREVIOUS MATCHUP AGAINST MSU
 
Last December of the 2018-19 season, Concordia hosted Minnesota State and limited the Mavericks to a 28.8 shooting percentage to take the win. The Bears shot 42.3% from the field in their 65-54 victory and had a distinct advantage from the free throw line, hitting of 16-of-26 (61.5%) to MSU's 9-of-23 (39.1%).
 
CSP's defense was solid from the start as they forced MSU to miss its first 14 shots in the first seven and a half minutes of play. After that, the game was full of twists and turns with multiple lead changes. The Bears had a 14-point lead before the Mavericks went on a 16-0 run to reclaim the lead in the third quarter but wouldn't lead again after a quick layup and a three by CSP.
 
Sidney Wentland was the strong rebounder grabbing 12 rebounds along with five assists, two blocks, and two steals.
 
SCOUTING THE MAVERICKS
 
Minnesota State features a wide array of talent, with the team leading the conference in scoring at 80.1 points per game and in offensive rebounds with 16.1 per game. The squad is also sitting at the top of the NSIC South Division with their 3-1 record.
 
MSU has also been dominating in steals and assists per game. The Mavericks are first in the NSIC with 13.63 steals per contest and fourth in assists with 15.13.
 
Senior Kirsten Klitzke with 12.0 points per game on 51.5% shooting. Junior Tayla Stuttley is the second leading scorer with 10.7 points each game and contributes 4.3 rebounds. Junior Rachel Shumski puts up 9.3 points per game and leads in rebounding with 6.9.
 
KEY STATS
 
Sidney Wentland has spent the most time on the court this season as she ranks first in the NSIC averaging 34.5 minutes each game. She is the leading scorer for the Bears with 13.0 points per game (15^th NSIC) and the leader in rebounds with 4.9 and in blocks totaling 17 and averaging 1.7 per game (3^rd NSIC). As a team, CSP averages 4.4 blocks in each contest and puts them at number one in the NSIC.
 
Riley Wheatcraft showed her shooting touch in the last two games for Concordia and put up a career-best performance from the three-point line shooting 66.7 % (4-6) in the win against the Warriors. The junior guard averages 11.9 points per game is second on the team in scoring.
 
Meghan DuBois is close behind with 11.5 points per game and ranks seventh in the NSIC in assists while averaging 3.4 a game and sixth in steals with 1.8 a game. Danielle Schaub is the next Golden Bear averaging double digits this season with 11.2 points per game and her sharp shooting puts in her in the top-ten for three-point field goals made in the NSIC (2.0 per game).