ST. PAUL, Minn. – Concordia-St. Paul women's basketball (10-5, 6-5 NSIC) looks to snap a three-game losing streak against the NSIC North Division, traveling to North Dakota for a pair of games against the University of Mary (10-10, 4-7 NSIC) on Friday night at 5:30 p.m. in Bismarck before heading further north to Minot State (6-10, 4-5 NSIC) on Saturday afternoon at 3:30 p.m.
 
NSIC SOUTH STANDINGS: GOLDEN BEARS REMAIN IN THE HUNT
Despite three consecutive losses, Concordia's strong start to the season still has the squad in the hunt at the top of the NSIC South Division standings. At 6-5 in league play, CSP is in third place and only a half game behind second place Sioux Falls (6-4) and trails Minnesota State (8-3) by two games with 10 games left on the schedule. CSP is also a half game ahead of SMSU and Augustana (5-5) as the teams continue to vie for NSIC Tournament seeding and a division championship down the stretch.
 
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
 
Away games will feature the production of the home school, with Brian Larson handling play-by-play for UMary on Friday at McDowell Activity Center including a radio broadcast on Fox Sports 710 AM locally in Bismarck and also available online.
 
On Saturday at the Minot State Dome, Minot State's production by BEK Sports Network with the play-by-play call from Mick Tidrow on Saturday.
 
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SERIES HISTORY: CSP 13, UMary 7
The Golden Bears will meet the Marauders for the 21^st time, with all but one of those games coming after UMary joined the Northern Sun in 2006-07. CSP won the first four and five of the first six through the 2008-09 season before UMary won three of the next four. After Concordia won five straight games from 2012-13 to 2016-17, the Marauders have won two of the most recent three head-to-head.
 
Concordia has been strong against UMary at home, winning eight of nine; but have struggled in Bismarck with a 4-5 record all-time including two straight losses.
 
Under head coach Amanda Johnson (2016-present), Concordia is 3-2 against UMary and 1-2 on the road against the Marauders, last winning in Bismarck in February of 2016.
 
LAST MEETING, 2020: CSP 91, UMary 72
In a 19-point victory, junior Sidney Wentland had a career night, scoring 34 points on 11-15 shooting, knocking down all four three-pointers and shooting perfect from the stripe in eight attempts. She added six rebounds and two assists.
 
CSP trailed 15-9 early before a 10-2 run gave CSP a 19-17 lead at the quarter break. Concordia led 36-28 at the break behind 11 first half points from Wentland while the defense forced 12 turnovers and held UMary to 1-8 three-point shooting.
 
In the third quarter, CSP blew the game open, scoring 32 points to open up the largest lead of the game at 21 points late in the quarter following a 12-2 scoring run. Concordia finished the game shooting 66.7 percent (10-15) from the arc and 91.3 percent (21-23) at the foul line.
 
Meghan DuBois added 15 points, nine assists and four steals and Danielle Schaub had 12 points, seven rebounds and five assists. The Marauders were led by Cassie Askvig's 20 points and five rebounds, but she fouled out in 28 minutes and had four turnovers, as well, while Macy Williams had 12 points and eight assists.
 
ABOUT THE MARAUDERS
After going 5-7 in league play in the truncated 2021 season, the Marauders are off to a similar 4-7 start in league play in 2021-22. After a three game winning streak to close out December, the Marauders have dropped three of the first four games after the New Year with another canceled.
 
The Marauders lead the league and are third in the nation with 30.3 assists per game, fourth in the country and leading the league in three-point field goal percentage (38.8%) and second in the league in three-pointers made with 7.8 per game.
 
They've already played 20 games on the season with a busy non-conference slate that included nine contests, allowing Megan Voit to lead the country with 152 three-pointers attempted and second in the nation with 57 three-pointers made. Voit connects for 2.85 three's per game and hits at a 37.5 percentage. She's one of three averaging double-figures for UMary with 10.8 points per game, trailing Lexie Schneider with 12.4 points while ranking third in the league with 8.3 rebounds per game. Megan Zander is the other averaging in double-digits with 11.3 points, adding 5.3 rebounds and shooting 85.1 percent at the stripe.
 
SERIES HISTORY: CSP 7, MINOT STATE 2
The series between the Golden Bears and Beavers began when Minot State joined the Northern Sun in the 2012-13 season, with Concordia winning the first four between the programs. CSP has won the last two contests, including its last trip to the Minot State Dome in 2019, where Concordia holds a 2-2 record in away games.
 
Head coach Amanda Johnson carries a 3-2 record against the Beavers and the Golden Bears are 1-2 in three trips to the Minot State Dome under Coach Johnson.  Minot State's last win over CSP was in January of 2018 on the road.
 
LAST MEETING, 2020: CSP 84, MINOT STATE 74
Boosted by a big 24-13 edge in the second quarter, Concordia was able to hold off a 29-point surge by Minot State in the third for a 10-point win at home.
 
Junior forward Ayla Lemke had a career night with 21 points on 8-14 shooting, collecting eight rebounds and a pair of blocks. She was paired inside with Sidney Wentland who also had 21 points, adding seven rebounds and four blocks. Four players scored in double-figures for Concordia as Danielle Schaub had 16 points including four three-pointers and four assists and Riley Wheatcraft had 13 points, eight rebounds and four steals.
 
Concordia forced 19 turnovers and only committed eight, although Minot State received a big performance from Mariah Payne who had 35 points on 11-18 shooting with 6-7 from three. She also turned the ball over a team-high seven times in the game.
 
ABOUT THE BEAVERS
The Beavers won their first two conference games before dropping four of the next five heading into the holiday break. Coming out of break, Minot State had three straight games canceled and dropped another game for a 1-5 stretch of play that came to a close on Saturday with a 71-70 win at home over Wayne State. The Beavers are top-5 in the NSIC in field goal percentage (42.2), three-point field goal percentage (32.1) and are second in the NSIC and 18^th nationally with 13.8 fouls committed per game.
 
Floor general Kate Head keeps the team on pace, leading the league and ranking 30^th in the country with a 2.05 assist-turnover ratio while clocking the eighth-most minutes per game in the nation with a league-high 37.6 per night. She's second on the team with 10.3 points per game and a team-best 78 assists and 18 steals. Amber Stevahn leads Minot in scoring (17.2) and is the second-leading rebounder with 5.6 per game while shooting 54.5 percent from the field and 76.9 percent at the foul line with a team-high 52 attempts. Anna Counts leads the team on the glass with 6.1 rebounds per game, adding 9.4 points.
 
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 4.9 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 third in the country with 50 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 two shy of reaching 100 for her career and already ranks among the program's top-10 (8^th) with 98 in her first 32 career games.
 
She leads five players averaging in double-figures with 12.9 points per game while adding 5.4 rebounds per game, one of four players to average least five rebounds per game.

Becher has scored in double-figures in 12 of 15 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 13 of 15 games and multiple blocks in 10 games.
 
She's had a pair of 20-plus point games, scoring 21 points two times, the first with her 21 points and 11 blocks against SMSU, and the second most recently with 21 points and nine rebounds against Bemidji State.
 
She's a career 12.0 scorer with 5.3 rebounds and 98 blocks in 32 games (31 starts), averaging over three blocks per game while shooting just under 50 percent from the field (47.3) and 75.2 percent from the line (82-109).
 
DUBOIS A TOP DISTRIBUTOR
Junior point guard Meghan DuBois is second in the Northern Sun with 5.5 assists per game which ranks 14^th in the country, is fifth in the NSIC in assist-turnover ratio (1.67), is fourth in the league in defensive rebounding (5.5) and seventh in the league in steals (2.13).
 
The point guard can also score, currently third on the team with 12.3 points per game, second on the team with 22 three-pointers at a 33.8 percent clip. She's also second on the team with 6.0 rebounds per game and presides over an offense that has five players scoring in double figures.
 
DuBois has scored at least eight points in 14 of 15 games and reached double figures in 12 of 15 contests. She's had at least three assists in every game and had five or more rebounds 11 times. She's had a steal in 14 of 15 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 644 points, 278 rebounds, 251 assists and 118 steals in 76 games (54 starts) while her 2021-22 averages of 12.3 points, 6.0 rebounds, 5.5 assists and 2.1 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 in double figures. She's one of three to score at least 12 points per game with 12.7, she's third on the team with 5.7 rebounds per game and ranks fourth in the NSIC with a 39.7 three-point percentage, ranking seventh in the league with 2.1 three's made per game while delivering 1.8 steals per game, also top-15 in the NSIC.
 
She's the team's top 20-point threat, too, 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 nine games in double-figures, collected at least three rebounds in 14 of 15 games and had multiple steals nine times this year. She's knocked down three or more three-pointers six times this year, and made at least one three-pointer in 13 of 15 games.
 
She has made 12 of her last 24 three-point attempts across the last five games.
 
She picked up her first double-double of the year with 11 points and 11 rebounds in the loss at Wayne State in December.
 
In her career in 80 games (54 starts), she's scored 868 career points with 321 rebounds, 130 assists, 113 steals and 58 blocked shots while making 139 three-pointers at a 38.0 percent rate. She's averaged in double figures three years in a row while her 5.7 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 second leading rebounder with 8.3 per game and is also among the league's top-20 in assists, ranking 19th with 2.5 per game.
 
Her 10.1 points and 8.3 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's coming off a double-double with 14 points, 11 rebounds and six assists while shooting 6-9 from the field against Bemidji State on Saturday. She has double-doubles in four of the last seven games while reaching double-digits rebounds and scoring at least 10 points five times each during that same seven game span.
 
Overall, she has reached double digits in rebounds in six games with a high of 13 at Southeastern and has scored in double figures seven times on the year.
 
Now in her third year on the floor and fourth in the program, Zgutowicz has 362 points, 271 rebounds, 82 assists and 46 steals in 54 games (28 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 4.6 points, 3.1 rebounds and is shooting 51.4 percent (19-37) from the floor.
 
BENCH NOTES: SYDNEY SCHULTZ
Fourth year junior Sydney Schultz continues to provide a steady veteran presence, averaging 4.9 points, 2.9 rebounds and 48.9 percent shooting (23-47). She's clocked at least 11 minutes in 11 of 14 games this year and scored four or more points nine times with a pair of 10-point performances.
 
Schultz has played 67 career games in four years with 414 points (6.2) and 228 rebounds (3.4) while shooting 56.8 percent (151-266) from the field. Her career field goal percentage ranks fifth in team history.
 
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.
 
She returned to the starting lineup last Saturday against Bemidji State, clocking 32 minutes and scoring seven points.
 
In her disrupted season, she is averaging 4.9 points, 3.3 rebounds, has 11 assists and six steals in eight games while averaging 17.0 minutes per game.
 
Across her first two years, she has averaged 4.8 points, 2.7 rebounds, has 37 assists and 17 steals in 24 games while hitting 38.5 percent from the arc (15-39) and 82.4 percent (14-17) from the stripe in 24 games (two starts).
 
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.
 
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.).