ST. PAUL, Minn. - The Concordia-St. Paul women's basketball team (21-6, 17-6 NSIC) is set to host Bemidji State (5-21, 3-19 NSIC) for the first round of the NSIC Tournament on Wednesday, Feb. 27 at 6 p.m. at the Gangelhoff Center. The Golden Bears are the number one seed in the NSIC South, while Bemidji State is the eighth seed in the NSIC North.
Ticket prices for the first round game NSIC Tournament at the Gangelhoff Center will be as as follows: Adults - $10, Students - $2, Kids five and under - free.
If the Golden Bears defeat the Beavers in the first round of the tournament, they will advance to play the winner of St. Cloud State and Minnesota State at the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls on Saturday, March 2nd. The remainder of the tournament is also held at the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, with the semifinal and final games on March 4th and 5th, respectively.
LAST TIME OUT
In the last weekend of the regular season, the Golden Bears traveled to Winona State and Upper Iowa. Concordia came away with two wins, shooting 59.3% on the weekend.
On Friday against the Warriors, the Golden Bears set a new DII-era school record for shooting percentage in a game with a mark of 65.3%, claiming a 80-68 win. Concordia had five players score in double digits.
Winona State took an early lead in the first quarter, but the Golden Bears stormed back to create a significant gap in the second and third quarters. CSP outscored WSU 26-10 in the second quarter and the Golden Bears shot 11-13 (84.6%) in third quarter.
Lindsay Dorr led CSP with 19 points and 10 rebounds, followed by 15 points from Meghan DuBois. Anna Schmitt (12 points), Sidney Wentland (11 points), and Kyrah Fredenburg (10 points) were also significant contributors.
In the matchup against Upper Iowa, Schmitt set a new school record for career scoring, topping Anika Whiting's record with a pull-up jumper late in the second quarter. Schmitt ended the game with 20 points on 7-9 shooting, and now has 1990 career points.
The Golden Bears held the lead for the entire game, shooting an efficient 55.0% from the floor. CSP also outrebounded the Peacocks 40-28.
Dorr led the Golden Bears with 23 points on an extremely efficient 10-11 shooting. Wentland also had a productive game with 16 points, seven assists, and five rebounds and DuBois added 10 points for CSP.
BEMIDJI STATE SERIES HISTORY
The Golden Bears hold a 31-11 edge in the all-time series against the Beavers. Concordia has been especially successful against BSU at home, with a 16-1 record at the Gangelhoff Center. CSP has won the last five matchups in the series and 15 of the last 16.
LAST TIME AGAINST BSU
The Golden Bears faced off against the Beavers just a few weeks ago, with the Golden Bears claiming a 83-52 win in Bemidji. Concordia outshot BSU 54.2% and 37.0% to capture the victory.
The Beavers were able to cut CSP's lead to two early in the second half (38-36), but it was all Golden Bears from there. Concordia outscored the Beavers 45-16 from that point on, cruising to the victory.
Anna Schmitt led the offensive charge for the Golden Bears, as the senior poured in 22 points on 8-14 shooting from the floor, including 3-3 from three. Three other Golden Bears also posted double-digit scoring totals, as Lindsay, Dorr, Lexi Lee, and Riley Wheatcraft each added 11 points. Dorr also secured her tenth double-double of the season with 13 rebounds and provided rim protection with three blocks. Lee made an efficient 5-8 from the floor with two steals while Wheatcraft matched Schmitt for the team lead with three triples.
SCOUTING THE BEAVERS
Bemidji State doesn't have a main scorer or two that they rely on consistently, instead with five players averaging between 6.7 and 9.5 point per game. That group is led by Taylor Bray, who averages 9.5 points per game on 56.1% shooting.
Trinity Meyer has been heating up lately for the Beavers, as the freshman has posted double digit scoring totals in nine of the last ten games. Meyer has also been efficient from downtown, hitting 44.1% of her three-point shots on the season.
Bemidji State had won three of out of a stretch of four games during the middle of the conference season, but they have tailed off at the conclusion of the year. The Beavers dropped their last eight games of the season, including the last four by 18 points or more.
BSU has shot the fifth most-three point attempts in conference play among the 16 NSIC teams, averaging 22.27 per game. However, the Beavers are last in the conference with a 29.8% mark from three.
KEY STATS
The Golden Bears have been at the top of their game at the Gangelhoff Center this season, winning 13 of their 14 contests. CSP has held their last 12 home opponents to less than 40% shooting.
The Golden Bears now have two school record holders on the team. Anna Schmitt just recently claimed the school record in career scoring (1990 points) while Kyrah Fredenburg has the school's top rebounding mark (925 rebounds).
Lindsay Dorr ended the regular season ranked fourth in the conference in scoring (16.6 ppg), third in rebounding (9.8 rpg) and field-goal percentage (51.7%). The senior center shot 18-20 (90%) from the field last weekend, earning NSIC South Player of the Week by averaging 21 points and 6.5 rebounds per game.
Three-point shooting has been a key this season for the Golden Bears. When making five or more three, CSP is 21-1. When making more threes than the opposition, the Golden Bears are 15-0.
Concordia leads the NSIC in conference play in defensive field goal percentage with a mark of 35.6%. The Golden Bears have not allowed an opponent to shoot above 40.5% since January 4th against the University of Mary.
