ST. PAUL, Minn.  – The Concordia-St. Paul women's basketball team (8-6, 5-3 NSIC) will be on the road this weekend for a set of games against Southwest Minnesota State (6-7, 1-7 NSIC) and Sioux Falls (13-2, 6-2 NSIC). The Golden Bears will face the Mustangs on January 11^th at 5:30 p.m. before traveling to South Dakota to face the Cougars at 3:30 p.m. on January 12^th.
 
LAST TIME OUT
Concordia is coming off a weekend sweep against the University of Mary and Minot State. The Bears soared past the Marauders on Friday with a final score of 91-72 and carried their momentum into Saturday when they defeated the Beavers 84-74.
 
Against the Mustangs, junior Sidney Wentland had a record-breaking night as she scored a career-best 34 points to tie or third place in Concordia's division II era for single game scoring. The forward shot 73% (11-15) from the field and 100% from the three (4-4) and the free-throw line (8-8). Wentland also grabbed six rebounds, three on each end of the court, and two assists.
 
The Golden Bears had the lead for 35 minutes of the game against UM, shooting 66.7% (10-15) from the arc, 91.3% (21-23) from the free-throw line, and 47.6% (30-63) from the field.
 
Over Minot, Concordia's defense upset the Beavers and forced 19 turnovers. The Bears held their opponents to 37.7% field goal shooting while going 42% from the field themselves.
 
Ayla Lemke had a standout game, finishing with a career high of 21 points against the Beavers. The junior forward grabbed four offensive boards, four defensive boards, and put up two blocks. Wentland also contributed 21 points against Minot, along with seven rebounds and four blocks to end the weekend with a combined scoring total of 55 points.
 
SMSU HISTORY
CSP has a 41-16 record against the Mustangs and won their last face off earlier this season. The Bears have won the last 16 match ups between the two teams and have also been victorious in the last 36 of 39 games of the series. On the road, the Bears are 18-13 against the Mustangs.
 
LAST MEETING WITH THE MUSTANGS
The last face off between CSP and SMSU included six ties, three lead changes, and an overtime battle until the Bears ultimately defeated the Mustangs with a final score of 82-79.
 
Both squads developed a lead in the first half for at least nine minutes, making it a close game from the start. SMSU tied up the game with a minute to go in the fourth quarter and hit a set of free throws with 1.2 seconds left to take the lead. Riley Wheatcraft was able to find a spot on the outside and hit a three to bring the game to overtime.
 
Wheatcraft contributed another huge play in overtime with an offensive board and drew a foul on the put back for a successful and-one opportunity. The junior ended the night with 22 points and five rebounds.
 
Freshman Jadyn Hanson scored a career high in the last matchup with 18 points along with eight rebounds and three steals.
 
ABOUT SOUTHWEST MINNESOTA STATE
SMSU is 6-7 overall and 1-7 in the conference this season. Their last win was against Augustana on January 3^rd with a final score of 60-55. That was the Mustang's first win since November 30^th when they defeated Western Oregon.
 
The team is being led by junior Meleah Reinhart who averages 15.6 points (6^th NSIC) and 5.0 rebounds a game. In the last game against Wayne State, Reinhart had 15 points and eight rebounds. Sophomore Jenna Borchers is the second leading scorer averaging 11.9 points per game. The leader on the boards is Abuk Akoi who grabs 8.5 rebounds a game (3^rd NSIC) while averaging 8.3 points per game.
 
The Mustangs are shooting 35.6% from the field (15^th NSIC), 30.2% from beyond the arc (12^th NSIC), and 81.5% from the free throw line (1^st NSICI) while averaging 68.3 points on the scoreboard each contest (9^th NSIC).
 
 USF SERIES HISTORY
The Golden Bears head into Saturday's meeting with Sioux Falls with a record of 10-6 record against the Cougars. The two teams have a tight record as USF has taken six of the last ten games played. Concordia is 5-4 against the Cougars while on the road
 
LAST MEETING WITH THE COUGARS
Concordia last battled Sioux Falls for the conference season opener back in December. The Golden Bears lost after a competitive game with a final score of 62-57.
 
It was a back and forth game for the majority of the first half.  Sidney Wentland was fierce on the defensive end for the Golden Bears in the first half with six rebounds and a block to go along with a swish from the three-point line. Wentland ended the night with four blocks, four assists, and 12 points.
 
In the second half, CSP outscored USF 17-14 in the third quarter and the Cougars were forced into a timeout after the Bears went on a 7-0 run to bring the score within four points. Sophomore Meghan DuBois responded to the timeout with a layup to bring it within two but as the Bears started dropping shots, so did the Cougars and the teams went back and forth again for a series of shots.
 
Riley Wheatcraft and Sydney Schultz were a dynamic duo, each dominant on the boards for CSP and strong in the paint. Wheatcraft led the team tonight with 18 points and shot 50% from the field. The junior also grabbed seven rebounds and put up one block against the Cougars. Schultz finished the night with a career-high of 16 points and 11 rebounds, three of which were on the offensive end. In addition to her double-double, Schultz also contributed an assist and two blocks and went 58% from the field (7-12).
 
Wheatcraft brought the game within three points in the fourth quarter after hitting a three-pointer and forcing the Cougars into another timeout. Despite the efficiency by the Golden Bears, the Cougars came out strong after their short timeout and their defense kept the Bears in a deficit from then on.
 
ABOUT SIOUX FALLS
Sioux Falls is sitting in first place for the NSIC South Division with a conference record of 6-2. The Cougars have fallen to Minnesota Duluth and St. Cloud State this season, two teams CSP has yet to see.
 
Kaely Hummel has been the strong guard for USF as she averages 17.7 points a game with 41.7% shooting from the field, making her the third leading scorer in the NSIC. In their last two wins over Wayne State and Augustana, Hummel accumulated 32 points on the weekend in her 70 minutes of play.
 
The team's top rebounder has been Jacey Huinker who picks up 8.6 rebounds a game and ranks second in the NSIC. Huinker averages 5.9 points a game, shooting 54.7% from the field this season.
 
The Cougars are ranked third in the conference for three-point percentage, shooting 36.5% from the arc. The squad also has the highest assist-to-turnover ratio (1.34) and is ranked fifth in steals per game (8.00).
 
NSIC LEADERS
Concordia has been a strong team from beyond the arc, ranking first in the NSIC with a three-point percentage of 37.3% and second with 8.1 three-pointers made per game. Their blocked shots also rank first with 4.50 per game and their steals rank sixth with 7.79 per game.
 
Individually, Sidney Wentland is among the top ten in the conference in five different categories. Her 15.4 points per game and 44.3% field goal percentage ranks her eighth in scoring and FG%. The junior also ranks fifth in blocks per game with 1.6 and has an assist-to-turnover ratio that ranks ninth at 1.4. In minutes per game, she ranks third averaging 34.0 minutes on the court during each match up.
 
Danielle Schaub has been an efficient shooter from the three-point line and is ranked fifth in the NSIC, putting up an average of 2.1 three's each game. Riley Wheatcraft is right behind her in ninth place averaging 2.0 three-pointers per game. Meghan DuBois is that the top for assists ranking fourth with 4.0 a game and ranks second in steals with 2.1 a game.