ST. PAUL, Minn. - The Concordia-St. Paul women's basketball team is set to travel south for the final weekend of the season, as they will take on Winona State (14-10, 12-8 NSIC) Friday night at 5:30 before facing off against Upper Iowa (3-25, 0-20 NSIC) on Saturday afternoon at 3:30.
LAST TIME OUT
The Golden Bears completed their home regular season games last weekend, collecting another two wins at the Gangelhoff Center. CSP finished their regular season slate at home with a 13-1 record, picking up victories against Wayne State and Augustana.
In the first game against the Wildcats on Friday night, the Golden Bears used a huge second-half run to pick up an 84-58 victory. Concordia outscored Wayne State 50-29 in the final 10 minutes to secure the victory.
The Golden Bears shot 17-29 from the field in the second half (58.6%) and 9-14 from three (64.2%). CSP used a huge 23-5 run from midway through the third quarter to early in the fourth to put the game away. After missing their first 10 three-point shots of the game, the Golden Bears went 11 for their next 14 from downtown.
Anna Schmitt posted a game-high 23 points and nine rebounds, and also matched a game high with four assists. Schmitt shot 10-17 from the field, with a majority of her baskets coming on a plethora of finishes around the the basket. Lexi Lee also added 17 points and five steals, and Meghan Dubois set a new career-high with 10 points for CSP.
The next game was a much more competitive affair, as the Golden Bears battled Augustana and came out with a 69-61 victory. Neither team had more than a 10-point lead throughout the contest, and the Vikings had cut CSP's lead down to two points with less than two minutes to go. However, CSP executed down the stretch to maintain their lead atop the NSIC South.
While Concordia celebrated their seniors after the game, the Golden Bears were also led by the quartet of veterans on the court during the contest. Schmitt led CSP with 26 points, also collecting four rebounds and four assists. Lindsay Dorr also contributed a solid performance with 13 points and 10 rebounds.
Lee also added 11 points for Concordia, hitting three key triples.
Kyrah Fredenburg also posted eight points, 11 rebounds, and two steals for the Golden Bears.
WINONA STATE SERIES HISTORY
The Golden Bears have a 31-19 record against Winona State in their series history. CSP has won two of the last three in the matchups, but the Warriors have been victorious in eight of the last 11. CSP is 11-7 when playing in Winona.
LAST TIME AGAINST WSU
The Golden Bears faced off against the Warriors early in this season, as CSP and WSU engaged in a defensive battle and Concordia came out with a 53-49 win.
Anna Schmitt came up clutch down the stretch, as she ended the game on a 5-0 run of her own to lead the Golden Bears to the win. With CSP down one with 1:43 left in the game, Schmitt hit a layup, floater and free throw to help seal the victory. The senior guard ended the game with nine points.
The game was tight throughout, as neither team had lead bigger than six points. Many of the team statistics were close to even at the conclusion of the game, though the Golden Bears did have an edge in rebounding (38-33) and shooting percentage (38.9% to 34%). CSP had a balanced scoring attack, as six players had six or more points.
Lindsay Dorr led the Golden Bears with 14 points, also adding seven rebounds and three blocks. Kyrah Fredenburg racked up an impressive 16 rebounds in addition to eight points, while Sidney Wentland posted a complete stat line of eight points, seven rebounds, and six assists.
SCOUTING THE WARRIORS
The Warriors have been on a roll lately, winning four of their last five games with their only loss being a two-point defeat at the hands of Sioux Falls. WSU is 7-3 in their last 10 games in conference play.
The Warriors have a very balanced scoring attack, as they have four players that average between 10.4 and 10.8 points per game. Leading the bunch is Emily Kieck, who has been especially effective recently. Kieck has averaged 19 points per game in her last three contests and has posted double-digit scoring totals in five of her last six games.
Rachel Novotny leads the frontcourt for the Warriors, as the senior averages 10.4 points, 7.6 rebounds, and 1.5 blocks per game. Novotny has also been very efficient from the field, making 60.9% of her shot attempts.
Much of the Warriors offense involves sophomore guard Allie Pickrain, who leads the team with over 10 shot attempts per game and is averaging 10.6 points per game. Pickrain also has shot an impressive 95.5% at the free throw line on the season.
The Warriors rank last in the NSIC in assists per game, averaging just 10.8 per contest. However, they are one of the top teams in the league in points allowed, with their opponents averaging just 60 points per game.
UPPER IOWA SERIES HISTORY
Concordia has had a lot of success against the Peacocks, going 24-4 against Upper Iowa in their 28 matchups. The Golden Bears are on a three-game winning streak against UIU, and have claimed five of the last six games. Concordia is 11-2 when playing at Upper Iowa.
LAST TIME AGAINST UIU
In their previous matchups with the Peacocks this past December, the Golden Bears completed a wire-to-wire victory for an 85-43 win. The margin of victory (+42) was the biggest since 2015.
Concordia jumped out a 16-1 lead early and never looked back. CSP was very efficient from the field, shooting 49.1% from the floor and 45.5% from three. Concordia capitalized on 25 UIU turnovers, collecting 14 steals. The Golden Bears scored 38 points off of turnovers compared to the Peacocks' six.
Lindsay Dorr led all scorers with 18 points, also collecting six rebounds, two blocks, and two steals. Anna Schmitt added 16 points, and also dished out six assists in the win. Kyrah Fredenburg grabbed a team-high 14 rebounds and pitched in seven points and three assists.
SCOUTING THE PEACOCKS
Upper Iowa has struggled in the past few years, and currently is on a 44-game losing streak in NSIC play. The Peacocks have made strides recently though, as two of their last four games were dropped by five points or less and in another they had a halftime lead.
The Peacocks don't have one or two players that carry most of the scoring load, as they have five players averaging between 6.3 and 8.6 points per game. Savannah Domeyer leads the team with 8.6 points per game, and is also shooting 47.9% from the field. The sophomore center also ranks third in the NSIC with 1.9 blocks per game.
Upper Iowa has struggled in many categories this season, ranking last in the NSIC in both scoring (75.2) and points allowed (53.2). The Peacocks also rank 16th in shooting percentage (34.5%) and 15th in defensive field goal percentage (43.9%).
The Peacocks rank in the top half of the conference in one major statistical category, blocks. UIU has blocked 3.8 shots per game in NSIC play, which ranks fifth.
KEY STATS
Anna Schmitt is just 25 points away from breaking CSP's all-time scoring record. The senior guard has amassed 1958 points in her career, trailing just Anika Whiting (1982 points, 2011-15). Schmitt has been in a rhythm lately, scoring 20+ points in four straight games. She now ranks fifth in the NSIC with 16.2 points per game and fifth in assists with 3.7 per game.
Lexi Lee leads the Golden Bears with 1.6 three-point shots made per game. Lee has made two or more three's 14 times this season, with CSP sporting a 13-1 record in those games.
Concordia has been a solid defensive team, especially down the stretch. The Golden Bears have gone 13 straight games holding their opponents to under 40% shooting, including nine games limiting the opposition to under 35% shooting in that stretch.
CSP has been led by their four seniors this year, as they have combined for an average of 47.5 points and 26.3 rebounds per game. Concordia's seniors are all averaging 29.4 minutes or more per game.
The Golden Bears have been effective getting to the free throw line this season, shooting the third-most in conference play. However, CSP ranks last in the NSIC with a free-throw percentage of 65.9%.
Concordia is just one win away from clinching a share of the NSIC South title. With two wins in the upcoming weekend (or a one win and a Sioux Falls loss), the Golden Bears will win the title outright.
