ST. PAUL, Minn. – Concordia-St. Paul women's basketball (10-4, 6-4 NSIC) aims to bounce back against the NSIC North Division this weekend, returning home to host Minnesota Crookston (1-14, 0-9 NSIC) for a Friday night game at 7:30 p.m. before welcoming Bemidji State (8-5, 6-3 NSIC) on Saturday at 5:30 p.m.
 
MASK POLICY
In accordance with the City of St. Paul mask requirement for licensed businesses, mask usage is required in all public spaces on campus regardless of vaccination status. Concordia-St. Paul thanks you for your cooperation with the local and campus requirements.
 
GLOW OUT ON FRIDAY
The Concordia-St. Paul Bear Brigade student section is excited to host the GLOW OUT event this Friday night against UMC. The student section is encouraged to wear neon to the game, and encourages the general fan base to join in the fun for the evening.
 
CANCER AWARENESS DAY
Saturday's meeting with the Beavers represents Cancer Awareness Day at Gangelhoff Center and the Golden Bears will be sporting pink uniforms to match the occasion. During both the men's and women's games, we will be accepting donations to the Minnesota Breast Cancer Coalition.
 
BASEBALL SIGNS SAMSON ON SATURDAY
On Saturday, Concordia head baseball coach Neil Lerner and the baseball team will have a public signing ceremony to welcome Samson, a third grader from Shirley Hills Elementary in Mound, Minnesota who joins the Golden Bears via the program's relationship with Team IMPACT. Samson loves swimming, biking, fishing and watching sports, with his favorite sports being football, basketball, hockey and baseball. His dream job is to be a sports announcer.


 
Team IMPACT provides a safe, supportive and encouraging environment for a child and their family to connect with a college athletic team and local campus community. Team IMPACT can fill the void left when traditional support systems are lacking or have negative implications for children living with a chronic or life-threatening illness. More information about Team IMPACT can be found on its website.
 
WATCH ONLINE – NSIC NETWORK
All Golden Bear football games will be available to watch online, free of charge, powered by the NSIC Network, supported by BlueFrame Technology. Visit nsicnetwork.com/cspbears on a laptop or desktop computer, download the NSIC Network app on your mobile device or watch on your supported OTT provider such as Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV and Android TV. Search "NSIC Network" and download the app for the league's full sport and team lineups. NSIC NETWORK FAQ
 
All home games will feature the play-by-play broadcasting provided by Dan Flanagan, the voice of the Golden Bears for over a decade. The St. Paul, Minnesota native studied broadcasting at Fordham University (N.Y.) where he was the voice of the Rams' football and basketball teams in the NCAA Division I Patriot League. Learn more about Flanagan on the latest CSP Bears Podcast
 
DOWNLOAD THE APP
Fans can download the CSP Bears fan app, free of charge and available in the App Store or on Google Play. The app contains rosters, schedules, scores, stats, news, social media and more! Customize your options to get notifications to your favorite teams, as well. Search "CSP Bears" in the app store to stay up-to-date on Golden Bear athletics.
 
SERIES HISTORY: CSP 27, UMC 9
Entering the 37^th meeting between the programs, Concordia holds a strong 27-9 advantage including a 4-game winning streak against the Golden Eagles, winning the last three meetings played at Gangelhoff Center where CSP is 16-4 all-time against UMC dating back to the 1999-2000 season when Concordia moved from the UMAC and NAIA ranks to the NSIC and NCAA Division II membership.
 
In the mid-2010's, UMC captured five out of seven wins against CSP. Prior to that stretch, Concordia had won 13 in a row and has picked up four straight wins since, as well.
 
Since head coach Amanda Johnson has taken the reins of the program (2016-present), CSP is 6-2 against UMC with a 4-2 record at home.
 
LAST MEETING, 2021: CSP SWEEPS UMC
A delayed start to the 2020-21 season didn't stop the Golden Bears from bursting out for 95 points against UMC in a 63-point win over the Golden Eagles on January 2 at Gangelhoff Center. But the Golden Eagles came back strong the next day in the unusual back-to-back format of the 2021 season, with CSP hanging on for a 54-53 win and the weekend sweep.
 
Concordia scored the first eight points of the game and utilized a 19-0 run from late in the first quarter into the second quarter in building a 47-16 lead at the break. Late in the third quarter, another 13-0 spurt pushed the margin to a 64-22 lead with one quarter to play and ended the game on an 11-0 run.
 
CSP forced 27 turnovers and held UMC to 22.4 percent shooting while 12 different Golden Bears scored led by a near-triple-double by Meghan DuBois with 14 points, 10 assists and eight rebounds. Danielle Schaub scored nine of her 11 points in the first quarter and freshmen Lindsey Becher and Sarah Kuma had strong debuts as Becher had 12 points, seven rebounds and four blocks with Kuma adding 10 points, four rebounds, four assists and four steals.
 
In the second game, Becher continued the strong start to her career with 13 points and seven blocked shots. But the game had the opposite feel from the opener, as UMC scored the game's first seven points, forced eight first quarter turnovers and held leads at the quarter (18-13) and half (30-24). CSP finally claimed its first lead with just over a minute to play before Kylie Post put UMC back on top. The freshmen connected in response, as Kuma found Becher for the eventual game-winner in the paint as Becher's defense produced a game-saving block.
 
Riley Wheatcraft added 12 points and four steals in the win as CSP moved to 2-0 on the season.
 
ABOUT THE GOLDEN EAGLES
The Golden Eagles had a productive trip to Hawaii in November, scoring a 56-32 win over Chaminade to snap a four game skid to open the season before finishing non-conference play 1-5 against a full lineup of Division II opposition.
 
The success in Hawaii didn't translate to league action, though, as UMC has dropped its first nine NSIC games as part of a current 10-game losing streak.
 
Although UMC is last in the league in scoring (55.2), they are in the middle of the pack in scoring defense, allowing 65.6 points per game and separated from the top-3 in the league by under five points.
 
Post players Abi Fraaza and Bren Fox spark the Golden Eagles, ranking among the league leaders with 13 and 10 blocked shots on the year, respectively. Fraaza is second on the team with 10.2 points per game and 5.4 rebounds per game while Fox leads UMC with 5.7 rebounds per game, adding 7.5 points. Kylie Post leads the team in scoring with 10.3 points per game and shoots 51.1 percent from the floor while Mary Burke is the top perimeter threat with 21 three-pointers made on the season, averaging 8.8 points.
 
SERIES HISTORY: CSP 32, BSU 13
Concordia and Bemidji State will play for the 46^th time this Saturday with Concordia having won 29 of the last 33 games between the programs dating back to the 2000-01 season, and holding a 29-4 all-time record in NSIC league games (1999-present). But the Beavers have won two of the last three meetings, with both wins being NSIC Tournament contests, ending CSP's seasons in 2019 (73-70) and 2021 (71-70).
 
The Golden Bears are 17-2 all-time at home against BSU, winning the last home game on February 7, 2020 by 14 points (75-61). The Golden Bears had won 16 straight home games against the Beavers between 2001 and 2019 before BSU snapped the streak in the NSIC Tournament first round later in 2019.
 
Under head coach Amanda Johnson (2016-present), Concordia is 5-2 against the Beavers overall and 3-1 at Gangelhoff Center.
 
LAST MEETING, 2021: BSU 71, CSP 70 (NSIC Tournament quarterfinals)
The Golden Bears claimed their largest lead of the game, 55-50, in the third quarter and held a slim 1-point lead (57-56) entering the fourth quarter at Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls before Bemidji State swung the lead to five in its favor late in the fourth quarter.
 
Concordia narrowed it to a one point game with the ball late, but the potential game winner was off the mark in the closing seconds.
 
Sidney Wentland led CSP with 16 points on 7-17 shooting with four assists and three rebounds while Lindsey Becher added 14 points and six rebounds. The Golden Bears had four in double-figures as Riley Wheatcraft had 11 points and seven rebounds and Meghan DuBois had 10 points and eight rebounds.
 
BSU was led by Trinity Meyer with a game-high 22 points while Rachel Heittola had 20 points.
 
ABOUT THE BEAVERS
After BSU's first round upset of CSP last year in the NSIC Tournament, the Beavers fell in the semifinals to Minnesota Duluth to conclude a 10-6 overall season, a strong turnaround from the 2019-20 squad that finished 9-18 overall.
 
This year, BSU is continuing on the same upward trajectory, third in the NSIC North at 6-3 in league play and carrying an 8-5 overall record. The Beavers have won three in a row, and six of their last seven games with the only loss being a three point defeat at UMary. The strong stretch of play comes on the heels of the team's four game losing streak in November and early December, as BSU fell to USciences (Pa.) and Southeastern in Florida before opening league play with losses to NSIC North leaders Minnesota Duluth and St. Cloud State.
 
The Beavers have excelled this year with scoring efficiency, ranking second in the NSIC with a 44.5 team shooting percentage and 13^th in the nation with a league-high 8.5 three-point field goals made per game, hitting at an efficient 36.3 percent as a team, good for second in the NSIC and 17^th nationally.
 
Trinity Yoder is among the best at setting her teammates up, averaging 5.2 assists per game, second in the NSIC behind CSP's Meghan DuBois and ranking 19^th in the nation. From the arc, it's Sydney Zerr at 45.6 percent and Maddie Schires at 44.3 percent to rank second and third in the league and both among the nation's top-25 in three-point shooting percentage.
 
While the Beavers have excelled from the perimeter, the team is led overall by the inside presence of Rachel Heittola, averaging 16.4 points and 7.3 rebounds per game while shooting 52.1 percent from the field. Yoder is the only other player averaging in double-figures with 11.5 points per game, adding 5.6 rebounds to her 5.1 assists along with a team-high 25 steals.
 
CSP TEAM STATS: GOLDEN BEARS AMONG NATION'S BEST IN BLOCKS
The Golden Bear defense has been strong all season, with its best coming from inside where the team is leading the league and 16^th in the country with 4.8 blocked shots per game.
 
The Golden Bears set a school record with 15 blocked shots in the December 17 win over Southwest Minnesota State, the second-most in Division II basketball this year and a league single-game high.
 
BECHER A TOP BLOCKER
Second year freshman forward Lindsey Becher, the 2020-21 NSIC Freshman of the Year, is second in the country with 48 blocked shots including an 11-block performance to set a CSP record and falling one block shy of the NSIC record while establishing the top mark in Division II women's basketball.
 
The big performance helped her earn NSIC South Division Player of the Week honors, the second of the year for the program as she joins Meghan DuBois who earned the nod after the team's first two games of the year.
 
That weekend before the holiday break, Becher averaged 16.0 points, 6.5 rebounds, 6.0 blocks, 3.5 assists and 3.0 steals as CSP swept a big NSIC weekend from Southwest Minnesota State and Sioux Falls. She was two rebounds shy of a triple-double against the Mustangs, going for 21 points, 11 blocks and eight rebounds before putting up 11 points, five rebounds, five steals and a block the next night against USF.
 
She has continued her strong inside play after the New Year, blocking five shots in a road win at #21 Minnesota State while adding 12 points and eight rebounds. She added four more blocks in a road win the next time out at St. Cloud State, giving her 21 blocks in a four game stretch of play.
 
She is four shy of reaching 100 for her career and already ranks among the program's top-10 (8^th) with 96 in her first 31 career games.
 
She's one of three players on the team averaging between 12.4 and 12.6 points per game, currently ranking third on the squad with 12.4 while adding 5.1 rebounds per game, one of four players to average least five rebounds per game.

Becher has scored in double-figures in 11 of 14 games and has scored at least eight points in every game this year. She's had four or more blocked shots seven times, had a block in 12 of 14 games and multiple blocks in nine games.
 
She's a career 11.7 scorer with 5.2 rebounds and 96 blocks in 31 games (30 starts), averaging over three blocks per game while shooting just under 50 percent from the field (47.3) and 75.7 percent from the line (81-107).
 
DUBOIS A TOP DISTRIBUTOR
Junior point guard Meghan DuBois leads the Northern Sun with 5.4 assists per game which ranks 15^th in the country, is fourth in the NSIC in assist-turnover ratio (1.77), is fifth in the league in defensive rebounding (5.6) and seventh in the league in steals (2.21).
 
The point guard can also score, currently second on the team with 12.4 points per game, second on the team with 22 three-pointers at a 36.7 percent clip. She's also second on the team with 5.9 rebounds per game and presides over an offense that has five players scoring at least 9.8 points per game.
 
DuBois has scored at least eight points in 13 of 14 games and reached double figures in 11 of 14 contests. She's had at least three assists in every game and had five or more rebounds 10 times. She's had a steal in 13 of 14 games and multiple steals 10 times.
 
She had her first double-double of the year in the second game of the season, a win over Northern Michigan with 11 points, 11 rebounds, five assists and three steals to secure NSIC Player of the Week honors after scoring 16 points with nine assists and seven rebounds in the season opener earlier in the week.
 
She had a season-high 18 points, adding nine rebounds, six assists and two steals while shooting 6-11 from the field and 3-4 from the arc in a road win at #21 Minnesota State in early January as part of a stretch when she scored 17, 18 and 17 points in three straight games.
 
She is durable, having played 40 minutes in a game six times this year and playing at least 30 minutes in all but one game.
 
As a Golden Bear, DuBois has 633 points, 271 rebounds, 245 assists and 117 steals in 75 games (53 starts) while her 2021-22 averages of 12.4 points, 5.9 rebounds, 5.4 assists and 2.2 steals are all career-highs.
 
WHEATCRAFT FOR THREE
Two-time All-NSIC senior guard Riley Wheatcraft is the top perimeter scoring threat in a balanced Golden Bear offensive attack where all five starters average at least 9.8 points. Her 12.6 season scoring average leads the team, she's third on the team with 5.9 rebounds per game and ranks seventh in the NSIC with 2.1 three-pointers made per game for 30 on the year at 39.5 percent while nabbing 1.6 steals per game.
 
She's the team's top 20-point threat, with four 20-point games with a season-high 27 points in the team's road win at NAIA nationally-ranked Southeastern in Florida and more recently scoring 20 points including four three-pointers in a road win at #21 Minnesota State. She had back-to-back 20-point outings on the road, following up the MSU game with 20 points at St. Cloud State.
 
She's had eight games in double-figures, collected at least three rebounds in 13 of 14 games and had multiple steals eight times this year. She's knocked down three or more three-pointers six times this year, and made at least one three-pointer in 12 of 14 games.
 
She has made 11 of her last 22 three-point attempts across the last four games.
 
She picked up her first double-double of the year with 11 points and 11 rebounds in the loss at Wayne State.
 
In her career in 79 games (53 starts), she's scored 854 career points with 318 rebounds, 127 assists, 109 steals and 56 blocked shots while making 138 three-pointers at a 37.9 percent rate. She's averaged in double figures three years in a row while her 5.9 rebounds is on a career-best pace this year.
 
She ranks among the program's top-10 for career three-pointers made (8^th) and percentage (7^th).
 
ZGUTOWICZ ATTACKS THE GLASS
Sophomore forward Sydney Zgutowicz is the league's third leading rebounder with 8.1 per game and is also among the league's top-25 in assists, ranking 25th with 2.3 per game.
 
Her 9.8 points and 8.1 rebounds is nearly a double-double per game and she had registered a double-double in three four games from December 11 to January 2, averaging 15.5 points and 9.3 rebounds during CSP's four game winning streak.
 
She has reached double digits in rebounds in five games with a high of 13 at Southeastern and has 10-plus rebounds in four of the last six games.
 
Now in her third year on the floor and fourth in the program, Zgutowicz has 348 points, 260 rebounds, 76 assists and 46 steals in 53 games (27 starts). She's putting up career-highs in points, rebounds and assists this year.
 
HANSON SCORING THREAT
Third year sophomore guard Jadyn Hanson has scored in double-figures eight times in 14 games this season including five of the last seven games.
 
She had a career-high of 19 points in the loss at Wayne State. In CSP's win at #21 Minnesota State on January 2, she had 10 points, five assists and the game winning shot in the closing seconds of an 85-83 win to hand MSU its first loss.
 
In 60 career games (14 starts), Hanson has scored 386 points with 140 rebounds, 80 assists and 44 steals.
 
BENCH NOTES: MEGAN GAMBLE
Freshman Megan Gamble has become a stable presence off the bench in her first year as a Golden Bear. She scored 9-plus points three times in a four game stretch in December including 10 points, four assists and three rebounds in the road win at Augustana where she clocked a season-high 31 minutes.
 
She had her third double-digit scoring effort with 10 points on 3-6 shooting and 4-4 foul shooting, adding three rebounds, a block and a steal in 22 minutes in an 85-83 win at #21 Minnesota State on January 2.
 
She has pulled down at least three rebounds seven times this year. She established a career-high of 11 points and nine rebounds in a home win over Winona State in December.
 
On the year, she is averaging 4.7 points, 3.2 rebounds and is shooting 52.9 percent (18-34) from the floor.
 
BENCH NOTES: SYDNEY SCHULTZ
Fourth year junior Sydney Schultz continues to provide a steady veteran presence, averaging 5.2 points, 3.0 rebounds and 50.0 percent shooting (23-46). She's clocked at least 11 minutes in 11 of 13 games this year and scored four or more points nine times with a pair of 10-point performances.
 
Schultz has played 66 career games in four years with 414 points (6.3) and 227 rebounds (3.4) while shooting 57.0 percent (151-265) from the field. Her career field goal percentage ranks fifth in team history.
 
BENCH NOTES: ALYSSA DAUGHERTY
Redshirt freshman Alyssa Daugherty, now in her third year as a Golden Bear, had her top career performance at Augustana. With CSP facing a double-digit second quarter deficit, Daugherty scored a career-high eight points in the quarter to spark a 36-12 stretch of play for the team across the second and third quarters in a road victory.
 
She had a career-high 17 minutes against SMSU with six points (all at the FT line, 6-7) and clocked 11 minutes the next night in a win over Sioux Falls. She's played double-digit minutes three times this year and has set a new career-high with 21 points on the season.
 
BENCH NOTES: SARAH KUMA
Second year freshman guard Sarah Kuma opened the year in a key reserve role, clocking 24, 12 and 33 minutes while reaching double-figures in scoring twice, scoring 11 points with five rebounds in the season opening win over North Central before notching her first career double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds against Minnesota State.
 
She earned her first start of the season in the fourth game, a win at Southeastern (Fla.), but was injured eight minutes into the game after grabbing three rebounds and dishing three assists. She did not return, and missed the next seven games before returning for the win at #21 Minnesota State in early January.
 
In her disrupted season, she is averaging 4.6 points, 3.4 rebounds, has 10 assists and five steals in seven games while clocking 14.9 minutes per game.
 
Across her first two years, she has averaged 4.7 points, 2.7 rebounds, has 36 assists and 16 steals in 23 games while hitting 40.0 percent from the arc (14-35) and 82.4 percent (14-17) from the stripe.
 
HOT START TO 2021-22
The Golden Bears got out to a 6-1 start to the season, their best seven game start since the 2009-10 team opened the year 10-0 en route to a 26-6 finish and NCAA Central Region Tournament runner-up finish (Sweet Sixteen).
 
The start continued and swelled to 10-2 following the road win at #21 Minnesota State (more below) and is the best start through 12 games since that same 2009-10 squad opened the year 13-1.
 
BIG RANKED WIN
The Golden Bears entered the New Year with their first road win against a WBCA Top-25 team in head coach Amanda Johnson's career, securing an 85-83 win at undefeated #21 Minnesota State on January 2 in Mankato. Coach Johnson holds a 3-11 record against nationally-ranked teams in her career since 2016, winning one on the road, one at home and one at a neutral site.
 
CSP's last win over a ranked team was on November 11, 2017, a neutral floor victory over Harding (Ark.) in Kansas City, Missouri. Coach Johnson is 1-6 against ranked teams on the road, 1-1 against ranked teams at a neutral site and 1-3 against ranked teams at home.
 
This season also includes a win over current #25 Sciences (Pa.), however they were unranked and receiving votes at the time of the game; as well as a win over the #5 team in NAIA on the road against Southeastern (Fla.).