ST. PAUL, Minn. - The Concordia-St. Paul women's basketball team (19-6, 15-5 NSIC) picked up their fourth straight win on Saturday afternoon, claiming a 69-61 victory over Augustana (20-9, 12-8 NSIC) on Senior Night at the Gangelhoff Center.
With the win against Augie, CSP is just one victory away from clinching at least a share of the NSIC South title. Sioux Falls trails the Golden Bears by one game in the NSIC South with a 14-6 record in conference play. The Golden Bears will travel to play Winona State next Friday at 5:30 before facing off against Upper Iowa next Saturday at 3:30.
It was the four seniors that powered the Golden Bears to their 15th win in the last 18 games, as they scored 58 of Concordia's 69 points. That group was led by Anna Schmitt, who led all scorers 26 points, going 8-16 from the floor and 9-10 from the free throw line. The Waconia, Minnesota native also pitched in four rebounds and four assists and is now just 25 points away from breaking CSP's all-time scoring record.
Lindsay Dorr also put together a solid performance for the Golden Bears, as the center posted 13 points and 10 rebounds for another double-double. Dorr also added two blocks and a steal for the CSP. Lexi Lee also had productive night, putting up 11 points, seven rebounds, and three assists. Kyrah Fredenburg pitched in eight points, 11 rebounds, and two steals to round out the quality game for CSP's quartet of seniors.
The Golden Bears defense was strong throughout the game, as they limited Augustana to 30.2% shooting from the field and 10.7% from three. Concordia also held a significant advantage on the glass, as they outrebounded the Vikings 47-39.
Augustana scored the first basket of the game on Shelby Selland jump shot, but the Golden Bears answered back quickly with a Schmitt floater to tie the game at two. Concordia would take the lead on a Lexi Lee three, as the senior sank three in the first quarter and the Golden Bears would not give up the lead for the rest of the initial frame. CSP's largest lead in the quarter was five (13-8), but the Vikings were able to cut it to two (16-14) at the end of the first quarter.
Concordia's offense went cold to start the second quarter, as the Golden Bears scored just two points for the first six minutes of the quarter and trailed 23-18 with four minutes to go in the half. The Golden Bears and Vikings traded baskets for the rest of the half, and Augustana went into the break with a 29-26 lead. With a total of 24 first-half fouls, including 13 on CSP, the Golden Bears battled foul trouble and had trouble getting an offensive rhythm going. Augustana employed a press the entire game to try and slow CSP's offense.
The Golden Bears started to gain some traction in the third quarter, starting the second half on 6-0 run to take a 32-29 lead. CSP and Augie went back-and-forth for much of the quarter, as the Golden Bears led 41-40 with 2:39 to go in the third. Concordia finished the frame with a burst, as they outscored Augie 8-2 to finish the quarter. The run was punctuated by a Meghan Dubois three to give CSP a 49-42 lead going into the fourth.
The Golden Bears were able to take their largest lead of the game right away in the fourth quarter, as Schmitt drove to the basket to convert a layup to put CSP up 51-42. The lead would fluctuate between six and nine points for the next six minutes before the Vikings tried to regain the lead in the final minutes.
The Vikings used a 9-2 run to bring the score to 61-59 with 1:59 to go, but the Golden Bears executed down the stretch. Dorr hit a big-time shot with a post move to give the Golden Bears a four-point lead, and Fredenburg picked off a pass with 39 seconds to go to help seal the victory. The Golden Bears hit six of eight free throws down the stretch to secure the win.
The Golden Bears concluded their regular season games at the Gangelhoff Center, going 13-1 on their home court. Concordia's 19 wins are tied for the most for the Golden Bears in the last five years.
