MARSHALL, Minn. – The Concordia-St. Paul women's basketball team (7-3, 5-3 NSIC) narrowly defeated Southwest Minnesota State (6-2, 4-2 NSIC) 68-63 on Sunday afternoon behind 18 points each from freshman forward Lindsey Becher and sophomore guard Jadyn Hanson.

The Mustangs were a step ahead of the Golden Bears for much of the first quarter as CSP continually had to come from behind to keep the score close. Concordia continued to claw their way back as they went on a 9-0 run to close out the first, giving them a 15-11 advantage.

Things remained tight in the second quarter, but the Golden Bears held the Mustangs to 5-19 shooting and carried a 26-23 lead into the half.

Both teams shot better in the third quarter with the Bears shooting 56.3% and the Mustangs shooting 60.0%. SMSU connected on three three-point shots compared to the Golden Bears one, effectively cutting the deficit to 50-48 at the end of three.

Concordia's defense stepped up big in the final frame, holding the Mustangs to just 4-15 shooting. The Golden Bears connected on 8-18 from the floor and outscored the Mustangs 18-15, preserving the lead and delivering their seventh win of the season.

The Bears bounced back after a tough shooting day yesterday, shooting 43.1% through the game and holding the Mustangs to just 31.4% shooting. CSP also outrebounded SMSU 44-39 in the game and won the battle in the paint 36-30.

Lindsey Becher put on a show as she notched her first career double-double with 18 points and 10 rebounds. She also had another strong defensive performance as she blocked 6 SMSU shots. Jadyn Hanson tied her career-high of 18 points as she connected on 6-11 shooting from the floor and made all five of her free throw attempts. Junior guard Meghan DuBois was the only other Golden Bear to finish in double figures as she put up 14 points, five rebounds, and six steals.

Jenna Borchers led all SMSU scorers with 14 points on 4-13 shooting. Sadie Stelter and Meleah Reinhart also hit double figures with 12 points and 11 points, respectively. 

The Golden Bears will head to Fayette, Iowa next weekend to take on the Upper Iowa Peacocks on Friday and Saturday.