ST. PAUL, Minn. – The Concordia-St. Paul women's basketball team (15-14, 12-11 NSIC) fell 72-68 to Northern State (14-15, 9-13 NSIC) in overtime on Wednesday night at the Gangelhoff Center in the first round of the NSIC Tournament.
 
Concordia will now await the NCAA Women's Basketball Selection Show, which is set to air on NCAA.com at 10 p.m. (CT) on Sunday, March 8^th. Eight teams from the Central Region will qualify for the NCAA Tournament.
 
Until well into the third quarter of the game, it was an even playing field between the two teams. The night started for the Golden Bears and the Wolves with identical shooting percentages, both going 35.7% from the floor (5-14) in the first quarter to tie it up 13-13.
 
After five possession changes with zero action at the hoop, Sidney Wentland drove the lane hard for a layup to give the Bears their first 3-2 lead. Wentland's layup jump started the active night of one-point lead changes and ties, which continued up to the five minutes of overtime.
 
With the statistical categories one and the same on both ends of the court, it was Northern State's 8-0 run in the early seconds of overtime that gave them the edge. The Wolves kicked off OT with an and-one layup to tie the game for the final time at 58-58. They followed up with another quick layup and a three-pointer to take a five-point lead.
 
Despite the Bears responding with an immediate three-pointer from Riley Wheatcraft, NSU's strong post players continued to drive the lane and hit six of seven of their attempts. A battle until the end, Danielle Schaub swished a three-pointer in the final five seconds of the game to bring the final score within four points.
 
Wheatcraft was the leading scorer for CSP with 18 points and was a key part of the Golden Bears scoring stretch in the fourth quarter that sent them into overtime. Concordia struggled to find their stance on the scoreboard and the junior guard put up seven consecutive points to bring back the momentum for the Bears. Wheatcraft was 7 of 16 (43.7%) from the floor and hit three of CSP's four three pointers. She also had three steals, two rebounds, and an assist in her 43:46 minutes of play.
 
The Wolves had a hard time getting around Wentland in the paint as she put up five blocks for the second time in her career. The junior forward was the second leading scorer with 13 points along with four rebounds and three steals.
 
Ayla Lemke and Sydney Schultz each contributed nine points for the Bears. Lemke was the most efficient shooter at 57.1% (4-7) along with five rebounds, two steals, and a block. Schultz was in foul trouble early on, but was able to grab five rebounds for CSP, three of which were under Concordia's hoop, and drain two big layups in the fourth quarter while having four fouls.
 
Concordia had their best shooting performance in overtime, going 60% from the field (3-5) and 100% (2-2) from three. As a team, they hit 35.4% from the floor on the night (23-65) while the Wolves went 39.7% (27-68). Rebounds were sparse for CSP, grabbing 37 to NSU's 54. The leader on the boards was Sydney Zgutowicz with eight and three on the offensive end.
 
CSP's defense made it difficult for Northern State to handle the ball. The Bears caused 20 turnovers and had 15 steals against the Wolves for a season high, while CSP gave up just 12 turnovers and NSU had four steals.
 
Brianna Kusler was the leader for Northern State with 19 points and 10 rebounds, along with three assists and two steals. Kusler is the leading free throw shooter in the NSIC and she hit 9 of 12 from the stripe against the Bears. Lexi Wadsworth also collected a double-double with 13 points and 11 rebounds. The 5-11 sophomore forward also hit three of NSU's four three-pointers.
 
By the end of the night, the game saw 15 lead changes and 17 ties and the score was stagnant until the second half. Neither team shot above 46% until the fourth when the Golden Bears outscored the Wolves 14-11. NSU's efficiency from the floor in overtime gave them the final edge and Concordia's efforts to regain the lead fell just short as they exited the NSIC Tournament.