ST. PAUL, Minn. – The Concordia-St. Paul women's basketball team (5-0) defeated the visiting Augustana Vikings (2-3) 74-60 on Friday evening to keep their perfect season alive.
The Golden Bears were slow to get rolling in the game, missing their first five attempts from the floor. The Vikings took advantage of Concordia's early struggles, quickly jumping out to a 10-2 lead. Freshmen forward
Lindsey Becher gave the Bears their first made field goal over four minutes into the contest. The Bears continued to claw their way back through the rest of the quarter, eventually taking their first lead of the game with 59 seconds remaining in the first.
The momentum continued to swing in Concordia's favor in the second quarter as the Bears slowly added on to their lead. CSP closed out the quarter on a 14-0 run spanning over three minutes to take a commanding 40-28 lead into halftime.
The third quarter was much tighter with Augie edging out the Bears 21-20 behind nine free throws and two three-pointers. Despite being outscored in the quarter, the Bears shot 52.9% from the field compared to the Vikings 35.7%.
The Golden Bear defense stepped up big in the fourth, holding Augie to just 11 points on 4-15 shooting from the floor. CSP closed out the game on a 7-1 run to seal the win.
CSP fixed many of the turnover issues that gave them trouble early in the season, committing just eight compared to Augie's 17. The Golden Bears also won the battle in the paint, outscoring the Vikings 42-28. It was another strong defensive effort for Concordia as they held the Vikings to just 31.7% shooting from the floor in the game.
Meghan DuBois and
Riley Wheatcraft topped the score sheet for the Bears as each of them finished with 13 points. DuBois notched nine rebounds in the game, falling just one short of a double-double. Becher finished in double figures once again, contributing ten points and three blocks.
Danielle Schaub led the team with five assists, also adding six points and four rebounds.
Sydney Schultz was a key contributor off the bench, recording nine points on a perfect 4-4 shooting.
Lauren Sees led the Vikings in scoring with 14 points on 5-13 shooting.
The Golden Bears and Vikings will meet again on Saturday at 2 p.m. at the Gangelhoff Center.
