CROOKSTON, Minn. - The Concordia-St. Paul women's basketball team (17-6, 13-5 NSIC) used a big fourth quarter to claim a 67-59 victory over Minnesota Crookston (10-14, 5-13 NSIC) Saturday afternoon at Lysaker Gymnasium.

With the Golden Eagles up 47-43 with 7:05 to go in the game, CSP turned on the jets by closing the game on a 24-12 run. CSP was led by a huge fourth quarter from senior guard Anna Schmitt, who scored 16 points in the final frame. The Golden Bears shot 53.8% in the fourth quarter after shooting no higher than 31.6% in the previous three.

Schmitt led all scorers by posting 28 points, her highest total of the season. The Waconia, Minnesota native was an efficient 9-15 from the floor and a perfect 9-9 from the free throw line. Schmitt also added six rebounds and three assists as she powered the Golden Bears' comeback down the stretch.

Lindsay Dorr collected another double-double for the Bears, as the senior center racked 14 points and 14 rebounds. Dorr was solid once again on the defensive end, swatting away three Golden Eagle shots. Lexi Lee added nine points, three assists, and three steals for CSP.

While most of the statistical categories were nearly identical between the two teams, the Golden Bears held a distinct advantage in two key areas. CSP shot their best free throw percentage of the year by going 16-17 from the stripe (94.1%) compared to 68.2% from UMC. The Golden Bears were also able to get out in transition, outscoring the Golden Eagles 12-4 on the fast break. After struggling form the free throw line for most of the season, the Golden Bears have hit 81.9% of their attempts from the stripe in their last four games.

After getting out to a 5-0 lead early on in yesterday's game against Bemidji State, the Golden Bears trailed 5-0 early as Minnesota Crookston held CSP scoreless for the the first 2:48. Concordia would make enough shots to keep the game close in the first quarter, as the Eagles lead never eclipsed seven points in the initial frame. Despite shooting just 23.5% from the field in the first, the Golden Bears were down just 14-10 at the end of the quarter.

After getting the first basket of the second quarter on a Dorr lay-in, the Golden Bears went scoreless for over three and half minutes, allowing the Golden Eagles to take a 21-12 lead at the 6:35 mark of the second quarter. CSP answered back with a 10-0 run of their own, powered by two threes from Kyrah Fredenburg and four points from Schmitt. CSP and UMC traded baskets for the rest of the half, and the Golden Eagles went into the break with a 29-27 lead.

Concordia started the second half cold as well, as Crookston grew their lead to as many as seven points (40-33) with 2:22 to go. The Golden Bears were able to close the gap to two points by the end of the third quarter, as Schmitt made the score 41-39 with the free-throw line jumper a couple of seconds before the quarter buzzer.

Minnesota Crookston was able to take a 47-43 lead early in the fourth quarter, but the Golden Bears stormed back with an 11-0 run to take a 54-47 lead as Dorr converted an old-fashioned three-point play. The Golden Eagles wouldn't go away easily, closing the gap to 54-51 with a 4-0 spurt of their own. Anna Schmitt hit another and-one to expand CSP's lead to three possessions, as she knocked down a floater while absorbing contact from the Golden Eagles. The Golden Bears would convert their free throws down the stretch to secure back-to-back victories.

Concordia will return home for a pair of important NSIC South matchups. CSP will face off against Wayne State (13-11, 8-10 NSIC) on Friday, February 15th at 5:30 before playing Augustana (19-8, 11-7 NSIC) on Saturday, February 16th at 3:30. Saturday's game against the Vikings will be CSP's senior night, so come out to support Concordia's four seniors!