ST. PAUL, Minn. - Concordia-St. Paul opened the 2021-22 season with a 97-65 victory over North Central (3-1) on Tuesday night at Gangelhoff Center. The Golden Bears continue their early non-conference season at home with a 2 p.m. game against Northern Michigan.

After a sluggish start, trailing by seven in the opening minutes and by one (23-22) at the quarter break, the Golden Bears claimed a modest lead with a 23-17 edge in the second quarter.

It was the third quarter where Concordia blew the game open, scoring 37 points and hitting 16-of-18 from the field, holding North Central to 4-of-14 shooting while pulling ahead by as many as 28 points.

Senior guard Riley Wheatcraft scored 15 of her game-high 20 points in the third quarter, connecting on three 3-pointers while collecting four steals to spark an 11-0 quarter in fastbreak scoring.

It was key for Concordia as Wheatcraft was held to just four minutes of playing time in the first half after picking up her second foul. She finished the game 8-of-11 from the field and 4-of-7 from three in just 19 minutes of work.

While Wheatcraft was the headline of a high-powered quarter, the Golden Bears finished the night with a balanced team effort in the win, leading by as many as 34 late in the contest.

Five players scored in double-figures, with junior guard Meghan DuBois flirting with a triple-double with 16 points, nine assists, seven rebounds and adding two steals. She was an efficient 7-of-9 from the field, adding 2-of-4 from the arc.

Sophomore forward Sydney Zgutowicz came just short of a double-double, as well, with 14 points and nine rebounds.

Adding another strong shooting night for the team was junior guard Jadyn Hanson, making 7-of-11 including a three-pointer for 15 points in 17 minutes.

Like Wheatcraft, Hanson also picked up her second foul in the first half, playing eight minutes. Freshman Sarah Kuma stepped up, scoring nine of her 11 points in the first half and securing all five of her rebounds early on while producing a team-best +9 in the first half off the bench.

On the final line, Concorida shot 51.9 pecent (41-79) from the field and knocked down 10 three-pointers. CSP also held North Central to 32.3 percent (20-62) shooting and held a 52-31 rebounding margin including 20-10 on the offensive glass, a notable figure with the shooting disparity in the contest. It led to a 21-8 margin in second chance points.

After a first half in which Concordia turned the ball over 12 times while forcing eight, the Golden Bears flipped it in the second half, taking care of the ball with seven second half turnovers while creating 13 to force 21 for the game, converting it to a 28-11 scoring margin off turnovers including 19-3 in the second half.

The Rams were led by Emily DiGiorgio with 19 points and 11 rebounds, adding four blocked shots.