ST. PAUL, Minn. – The Concordia-St. Paul women's basketball team defeated St. Kate's 64-40 behind a triple-double from freshman Lindsey Becher in a season-opening exhibition game at the Gangelhoff Center on Saturday afternoon.

Becher was dominant throughout the duration of the contest, notching 19 points on six of 10 shooting from the floor and seven of nine from the free throw line while adding in 10 rebounds and 10 blocks for the triple-double.

Concordia's starting guards each nearly reached double digits in scoring with both junior Meghan DuBois and sophomore Jadyn Hanson scoring nine points while connecting on 3 of 11 attempts from the floor. Freshman forward Megan Gamble had a solid collegiate debut off the bench, putting up six points on 3-6 shooting from the floor.

As a team, the Bears dominated most statistical categories during the game. CSP outrebounded the Wildcats 56-36, won the battle in the paint 36-16, and committed 20 turnovers to the Wildcats' 25. The Bears connected on 20 of their 65 shots from the floor for a field goal percentage of 30.8% and held the Wildcats to 11-53 (20.8%).

The first quarter was a  relatively tight affair but Concordia was more effective from the floor, with the Bears connecting on 8-23 from the floor as compared to the Wildcats' 2-11. CSP got into foul trouble early, giving St. Kate's 10 opportunities at the free throw line in the opening frame. The first quarter closed with the Golden Bears leading 16-12.

The Concordia defense was strong again in the second quarter, holding the Wildcats to 15.4% from the floor (2-13 shooting). The Bears hit five of their 14 shots and put up 16 points in the quarter to take a 32-22 lead into the half.

CSP continued to push the lead coming out of halftime, with Lindsey Becher scoring the first five points of the half to extend the lead to 15. The Wildcats shot the ball better in the third as they went 5-16 (31.3%) but the Bears capitalized on their opportunities at the charity stripe and went 11-13. Through three quarters of play, CSP held a 53-35 lead.

Neither team was particularly effective shooting the ball in the final frame with CSP going 2-14 (14.3%) and St. Kate's connecting on 2-13 (15.4%) from the floor. Ultimately, the Bears still outscored the Wildcats 11-5 in the quarter to secure the 24-point win.

CSP will head to Brookings, S.D. for an exhibition game against South Dakota State on November 4 before returning home to the Gangelhoff Center for their first regular season game against North Central on November 16.