ST. PAUL, Minn. – The Concordia-St. Paul women's basketball team (5-1, 3-1 NSIC) is set to host the Sioux Falls Cougars (4-0, 4-0 NSIC) in a pair of conference games at the Gangelhoff Center this weekend.

ATTENDANCE POLICY
As the state of Minnesota has eased restrictions on attendance at indoor sporting events, CSP athletics has adapted to allow limited Will Call only attendance at this weekend's games. There are no ticket sales to the general public or additional pass list options available outside of the CSP family will call list. Policies will continue to be revisited as national, state, local and campus guidance and regulations shift. Institutional Ticket Policy (1/12) 
 
WATCH ONLINE - NSIC NETWORK
Powered by the NSIC Network, all Northern Sun home and away basketball games will be broadcast online, free of charge. Visit www.nsicnetwork.com/cspbears to watch the Golden Bears. Away games will feature production and commentary by the host institution, while home games are broadcast by Keemotion technology with the play-by-play call of Dan Flanagan, voice of the Golden Bears for over a decade. Flanagan is a St. Paul native who professionally trained in broadcasting at Fordham University in New York where he was the voice of the basketball and football teams, among other sports. NSIC Network Announcement & FAQ
 
WATCH ON YOUR TV
The NSIC Network, supported by BlueFrame Technology, is available to download on your favorite OTT providers like Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV and Android TV. Simply search for "NSIC" or "NSIC Network" and download the app for a full listing of Northern Sun action on your TV.  NSIC Network Announcement & FAQ
 
WATCH ON THE GO
Download the NSIC Network app in the Google Play Store or the App Store on your Apple device to watch on your smartphone, a new feature from BlueFrame Technology.  NSIC Network Announcement & FAQ
 
FOLLOW ON SOCIAL MEDIA
Not able to watch or keep an eye on live stats? Check in on social media by following our Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram feeds. Each platform will have different levels of engagement. Twitter will offer scoring updates, Instagram will feature live look-ins and engaging content and Facebook is a great place to get links to previews, recaps and more. Simply search for CSP Bears on any of the platforms and remember to #BeGolden!

LAST TIME OUT
Last weekend, the Golden Bears returned home to the Gangelhoff Center for a pair of games against Augustana. CSP won the first game 74-60 and lost the second 80-70.

In the first game, the Golden Bears offense was slow to get rolling in the opening quarter. The momentum swung in Concordia's favor in the second quarter as the Bears closed out the quarter on a 14-0 run spanning over three minutes to take a commanding 40-28 lead into halftime.

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.

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 notching six points and four rebounds. Sydney Schultz was a key contributor off the bench, recording nine points on a perfect 4-4 shooting.

Saturday's contest went the opposite way for CSP as the Bears started the game hot but faltered down the stretch. 

Despite outrebounding the Vikings and winning the battle in the paint, the Bears never fully clicked on offense throughout the game. As a whole, the team shot 40.3% from the floor in the contest, tied for their lowest this season. Turnovers also became an issue for Concordia as they committed 17 to Augie's 9.

Senior guard Riley Wheatcraft led the way for the Bears, putting up 19 points and nine rebounds. Freshman guard Sarah Kuma had a strong game off the bench with 10 points, two rebounds, and two assists. Sophomore guard Jadyn Hanson also put up a solid performance with nine points, two rebounds, and three assists.

SIOUX FALLS SERIES HISTORY
The Golden Bears have a 10-7 all-time record against the Cougars. The Bears' record in home games against USF is 5-3. Sioux Falls holds the advantage in recent years as they have won six of the last 10 against the Bears. Sioux Falls won both matchups with CSP last season by an average of 9.5 points.

LAST TIME AGAINST USF
When the teams last met on Jan. 11 last year at the Stewart Center in Sioux Falls, S.D., the Cougars came away with a tight 74-68 victory.

It was a tough first quarter for both teams in the game as neither team shot better than 25% from the field. The Bears were finding their way to the basket and creating ample shot opportunities as they attempted 14 shots in the first ten minutes, but CSP couldn't find the traction they needed and trailed 15-7 going into the second.

The scoreboard lit up for Concordia in the second quarter after Danielle Schaub hit a pair of three's and Sydney Schultz grabbed a couple of offensive boards to earn points off the put backs. There were eight offensive boards in the first half, but only six points off second chances for the Bears which caused a significant scoring deficit going into the second half.

The Golden Bears dominated the second half and outscored Sioux Falls 41-32 to bring the game back within five points. Riley Wheatcraft and Sydney Zgutowicz were a solid duo in the second half to score a total of 26 points between the two.

Wheatcraft was the scoring leader for the Bears with 14 points along with five rebounds, three assists, three blocks, and a steal. The junior shot 40% (2-5) from the three-point line and 38.5% (5-13) from the field. Zgutowicz scored a career high of 12 points after shooting 55.6% (5-9) from the field. The red-shirt freshman was a strong force on the court and grabbed six rebounds for CSP. 

Schaub also ended the night with 12 points and six rebounds and was efficient from beyond the arc for 80% (4-5) shooting. Schultz put up 11 points and led the squad in rebounding with seven, including two on the offensive end. The sophomore finished 5-7 layups to shoot 71.4% from the field.

Sioux Falls was led by Kaely Hummel with 19 points along with nine rebounds. The guard had two assists and one steal and went 100% (10-10) from the free-throw line. As a team, USF had a 34.8% (23-66) field goal percentage and a 26.7% (4-15) three-point percentage. They had nine turnovers and collected seven steals from the Bears.

SCOUTING THE COUGARS
Sioux Falls boasts a balanced roster with three different players averaging at least 13.0 points and 6.0 rebounds per game.

Anna Brecht anchors the Sioux Falls scoring attack, averaging 19.5 points per game (2nd NSIC) to go along with 6.3 rebounds and 1.25 assists.

Anna Goodhope is another key player for the Cougars, averaging 13.8 points and 6.0 rebounds per game so far. The redshirt senior is fresh off earning NSIC South Player of the Week honors last week following her stellar performances against Winona State.

Hannah Jones is also a player to watch for USF as she scored 17 points in her lone appearance for the Cougars this year.

The Cougars are undefeated so far this season, sweeping Upper Iowa on the road and Winona State at home.

The squad is shooting 40.9% from the floor (8th NSIC) and 37.8% from beyond the arc (3rd NSIC) while holding their opponents to 41.5% from the floor (9th NSIC).

KEY STATS
Through the first six games of the season, the Golden Bears rank first in the NSIC in five different key statistical categories. CSP leads the conference in scoring offense (80.3), defensive field goal percentage (31.6%), 3-point percentage (42.7%), blocked shots per game (6.6), and assists per game (16.1). The Bears also rank second in the NSIC in scoring margin (+18.5) and field goal percentage (47.9%).

On the individual side, five Golden Bears rank in the conference top-ten in different statistical categories. Lindsey Becher ranks first in the NSIC in blocks per game (3.3), third in field goal percentage (58.2%), and fourth in field goals made with 32.

Riley Wheatcraft ranks second in the conference in field goals made with 34 and eighth in scoring with 15.3 points per game. Sidney Wentland is currently fourth in blocks per game with 1.2 and eighth in steals per game with 1.8.

Meghan DuBois sits sixth in the NSIC with 4.0 assists per game and ninth in assist to turnover ratio (1.3). Danielle Schaub ranks seventh in the conference with an assist to turnover ratio of 2.0.