ST. PAUL, Minn. – The Concordia-St. Paul women's basketball team (11-12, 8-9 NSIC) faced the Bemidji State Beavers (7-14, 4-13) on Friday night at the Gangelhoff Center for a contest sponsored by Summit Orthopedics. In all pink to support Breast Cancer Awareness, the Golden Bears defeated BSU 75-61 after a powerful night on the floor.
 
The Golden Bears efficient shooting is what kept them ahead in the game as they went 50% from the field while holding the Beavers to 39.6%. Both teams ended the night on 41.7% shooting from three, but in an aggressive game CSP dominated from the free-throw line to go 80% (20-25) while BSU finished just 66.7% (14-21) of their attempts.  
 
The Beavers had the lead for a little over two minutes during the first quarter and shot 70% from the floor while holding CSP to 56.3%. The Bears were still able to put up more shots and were up by five (23-18) going into the second and would keep that lead until the end of the game.
 
 A 14-0 run in the second quarter is what solidified the comfortable lead for CSP. With five minutes to go, the Golden Bears went on a shooting rampage and led by 16 at the half. The burst started with a three-pointer from Cassidy Byrd and was followed by a couple jumpers and layups from four different women on the roster. The opportunities came from 11 Bemidji State turnovers, which Concordia scored 19 points off of.
 
CSP struggled in the third quarter and finished three of ten attempts from the floor, allowing BSU to outscore them 19-16. The Beavers went on a 7-1 run in the first four minutes until the Bears found their energy again as Sidney Wentland finished a set of jumpers and her teammates drew fouls to get to the line.
 
Roles reversed in the fourth quarter and the Golden Bears were back to their efficient game, shooting 40% from the floor while defending BSU to shoot their lowest at 20%. By the end of the night, CSP scored 20 of their points from free throws after Bemidji committed 23 fouls.
 
There were two Golden Bears to lead the offensive charge as Danielle Schaub and Riley Wheatcraft each put up 13 points. Schaub shot 60% (6-10) from the field for her sharpest shooting of the season and led the team with six rebounds. The junior guard also dished out four assists to lead the Golden Bears in scoring contributions.
 
Wheatcraft returned to the floor tonight after being out due to injury for four games and shot 50% from the floor and the arc, finishing three of the teams five three pointers. She also had two assists and a steal in her first post-injury appearance.
Sydney Zgutowicz and Ayla Lemke were also top scorers, both adding 12 points to the board for the Golden Bears. Zgutowicz stayed foul-free throughout the game while drawing six from BSU to go 6-of-6 from the line. She also shot 75% (3-4) from the floor. Lemke grabbed five rebounds and three assists to add to her buckets.
 
Sidney Wentland was the fifth Bear to score double-digits, collecting 11 points for CSP along with three rebounds and a career-high of five blocks. Her solid defense against the Beavers ties her for 11^th place in CSP school history for single game blocks. For total blocks, the junior sits in 19^th at CSP with 52.
 
In addition to shooting percentage, the Golden Bears led in all other statistical categories. CSP outrebounded BSU 32-30 and caused 15 turnovers to their 11. Concordia also shared the ball more, dishing out 15 assists while the Beavers handed out 12.
 
The strong scorer for Bemidji State was Brooklyn Bachmann who put in 15 points along with 10 rebounds, four of which were on the offensive end. The junior also had five assists, two steals, and a block. The teams second leading scorer was Trinity Myer who was active when it came to drawing and-one's. The sophomore guard drew five fouls and went 4-6 from the line, ending with 14 points, five rebounds and four assists.
 
Concordia will return to the court tomorrow afternoon, February 7^th, at 3:30 p.m. to face Minnesota Crookston. The Bears will look to build upon their wins with a victory over the Golden Eagles, head to the Gangelhoff Center to see the action!