ST. PAUL, Minn. – Concordia-St. Paul women's basketball (11-6, 7-6 NSIC) returns home for the final weekend of NSIC cross-divisional play, hosting Northern State (10-8, 7-6 NSIC) on Friday at 5:30 p.m. and MSU Moorhead (6-8, 5-5 NSIC) on Saturday at 3:30 p.m. at Gangelhoff Center.
 
It's a big weekend for promotional events, bringing students and alumni to the arena, more information about the weekend is below.
 
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.
 
FRIDAY: PACK THE GC NIGHT
Friday night marks Pack the GC Night as CSP hosts Northern State. The first 50 students get a CSP Bears t-shirt and at halftime of the men's game, a randomly selected student has a chance to win $10,000 by hitting a lay-up, free throw, three-pointer, and half-court shot in 30 seconds.
 
SATURDAY: ALUMNI DAY
CSP basketball alumni are invited to attend Saturday's contest with MSU Moorhead. RSVP here by Friday at 12 p.m. to receive a free ticket. Alumni and their guests are welcome to join the alumni social in the Hall of Fame Room upstairs at Gangelhoff Center from approximately 4-6 p.m. with light appetizers provided, overlapping the women's game, time between games, and the start of the men's game.
 
WEEKEND: IT'S A SLAM DUNK, DON'T DRIVE DRUNK
This weekend's games will be centered around the Northern Sun's "It's a Slam Dunk, Don't Drive Drunk" campaign in which all spectators will be encouraged to pledge not to drive drunk. At both the men's and women's halftimes on Saturday, there will be a brief presentation about the initiative.
 
BUY TICKETS TO HOME GAMES ONLINE
New this year to Golden Bears is online ticketing. Buy tickets in advance and bring your QR code to the gates to skip the line! Friends and families who utilize the pass list will also be utilizing the online ticketing service while all students, faculty & staff will access their free CSP tickets through the service. Fans do not need to create a login, remember a username or password or download an app to purchase tickets, and tickets can still be purchased with cash at the gates. Find out more in the partnership announcement between CSP Athletics and HomeTown Ticketing.
 
NSIC SOUTH STANDINGS: GOLDEN BEARS REMAIN IN THE HUNT
Despite a rough road against the NSIC North Division, where the Golden Bears (7-6) have stumbled following their best start in over a decade with a 1-4 record in cross-divisional play, the squad is still in the hunt for an NSIC South Division title, trailing division-leading Minnesota State (9-4) by two games but with percentage points in-hand as MSU has had a nullification applied to one contest, meaning anyone who ties the Mavericks will pass them in the final standings for playoff seeding.
 
CSP, in third place in the NSIC South, also trails Sioux Falls (8-4) by 1.5 games and holds a half game lead over SMSU (6-6) in fourth place.
 
This weekend, CSP welcomes a pair of NSIC North teams in the thick of a heated race in the opposite division as Northern State is in fourth (7-6), a game behind Bemidji State (8-5) for third, and sixth place MSU Moorhead (5-5) with the Dragons a half game behind Minot State (6-5) for fifth and 1.5 games behind Northern State.
 
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 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: NSU 22, CSP 17
The programs will square off for the 40^th time this Friday night, with all but one of the previous meetings coming in Concordia's Division II-era starting in the 1999-2000 season, with one lone meeting in 1994 in favor of the Wolves.
 
NSU won the first five matchups as Concordia adapted to its new status as a Division II program and NSIC membership from 1999-2000 to December of 2001. Since, Concordia holds a winning record in the series, 17-16 and has also won two of the last three contests although the Wolves have won two of their last three visits to Gangelhoff Center despite Concordia holding an 11-8 all-time home record against the Wolves.
 
Since head coach Amanda Johnson has been at the helm of the program (2016-present), Concordia is 3-3 against the Wolves overall and 2-2 at home.
 
LAST MEETING, 2020: NORTHERN STATE 72, CSP 68 (OT) – NSIC TOURNAMENT
The NSIC Sanford Health Tournament first round matchup between the No. 4 seed from the South, Concordia-St. Paul and the No. 5 seed from the North, Northern State, did not disappoint. Neither team led by more than five points through a regulation that featured 16 ties and 14 lead changes with the teams deadlocked at 55 at the end of four quarters.
 
In overtime, Concordia grabbed the quick upper-hand with a free throw from Sydney Schultz on CSP's opening possession, and the defense forced a pair of stops, setting up a Sidney Wentland jumper in the lane for a 3-point lead, 58-55 with 3:42 to play.
 
Northern State took over from there, though, scoring the next eight points in a minute and a half of play to claim a 5-point 63-58 lead with 2:12 to go. They would hold the lead for the remainder of the contest. Concordia had two possessions trailing by 2-points, but committed turnovers on each, the first with 2:32 to play and the second with 1:44 to go.
 
Concordia was led by Riley Wheatcraft's 18 points including sinking three from three-point range and Wentland had 13 points and five blocked shots with CSP holding a 9-1 advantage in blocked shots.
 
In the overtime, Brianna Kusler had seven points, three rebounds, an assist and a steal for the Wolves. Kusler finished with 19 points and 10 rebounds while Jessi Marti scored seven of her eight points in the game in overtime after a cold start. Two other Wolves also had double-doubles, Lexi Wadsworth with 13 points and 11 rebounds and Sara Tvedt with 11 points and 11 rebounds.
 
ABOUT THE WOLVES
The Wolves' four-game winning streak came to a close with a 10-point loss at home to Winona State last Saturday, as NSU has produced a 4-1 record so far against the NSIC South Division. The winning streak followed a four-game losing streak against NSIC North Division foes as the Wolves have had an up-and-down season, that also included a four-game winning streak to start the year 4-1.
 
As a team, Northern State has been strong on the interior, ranking second in the NSIC and 26^th in the nation with 4.6 blocked shots per game, led by Laurie Rogers who is the new NSIC leader and second in the country with 3.33 per game. The Wolves are also leading the league with a +6.8 rebound margin, rank second in the NSIC with 11.9 offensive rebounds per game and third with 39.8 total rebounds per contest. Rogers also leads the team on the glass with 7.8 per game, fourth-best in the NSIC while scoring 10.0 points and shooting 46.8 percent from the field.
 
Also like Concordia, the Wolves have a balanced scoring attack with four players averaging 9.1 points per game with four in double-figures led by Kailee Oliverson's 13.9 points per game, adding 6.6 rebounds on a team that has four players averaging at least 6.4 rebounds per game. Rianna Fillipi is second on the team in scoring with 12.5 points while leading the team with 88 assists, 41 steals and 22 three-pointers made.
 
SERIES HISTORY: CSP 23, MSUM 17
Concordia and MSU Moorhead will meet for the 41^st time with Concordia winning the first four games in the series played prior to its entrance as a Division II and NSIC member in 1999-2000. After MSU Moorhead snapped CSP's 4-game streak when Concordia became the Golden Bears in 1999-2000 by winning four in a row, the Golden Bears went 18-5 against the Dragons from the 2001-02 season to the 2010-11 season, spanning 10 years of dominance in the series.
 
But the Dragons have flipped the series again by winning seven in a row with Concordia's last win against MSUM on January 11, 2013 at Gangelhoff Center.
 
Head coach Amanda Behnke is 0-5 against MSU Moorhead including 0-3 at Gangelhoff Center, where Concordia is 12-8 all-time against MSUM.
 
LAST MEETING, 2020: MSUM 67, CSP 66
The Golden Bears claimed a 66-64 lead late in the fourth quarter as Sydney Schultz muscled her way through the Dragon defense to finish in the paint, but MSUM secured the game-winning three-pointer from Brooklyn Liegel with 6.5 seconds to play. It was a comeback attempt for CSP, who had trailed by as many as nine points and had outscored MSUM 31-22 in the second half before Liegel's game-winner.
 
Danielle Schaub made five three-pointers (5-7) and scored 15 points while playing all 40 minutes while Jadyn Hanson poured in 15 points on 6-11 shooting off the bench, her breakout game of the season in 32 minutes. Schultz finished with a double-double, scoring 12 points and securing 11 rebounds.
 
Concordia out-shot the Dragons from the field 41.7 percent (25-60) to 39.7 percent (25-63), from three-point range with 47.1 percent (8-17) to 30.0 percent (6-20) and at the foul line 88.9 percent (8-9) to 68.8 percent (11-16), but MSUM held a slight 40-36 rebounding margin and the extra point scored at the foul line proved to be more than the difference.
 
Megan Hintz led MSUM with 23 points and 11 rebounds while Peyton Boom had 16 points.
 
ABOUT THE DRAGONS
The Dragons returned to the floor last weekend at home against Winona State and Upper Iowa following four straight game cancellations and have only played two games against the NSIC South Division so far, falling to WSU before topping Upper Iowa on Saturday. The Dragons started the year 0-4 before winning four-of-six in NSIC North Division play.
 
MSUM has excelled at taking care of the ball, committing the 11^th fewest turnovers per game, ranking second in the NSIC with 12.4 while ranking third in the league with a 1.02 assist-turnover ratio. They've also played stout defense, limiting opponents to 62.0 points per game, ranking fourth in the NSIC.
 
Peyton Boom, the league's fifth leading scorer with 16.1 points per game, is also second in the NSIC in field goal percentage at 53.8 percent and leads the league on the offensive glass with 3.4 offensive rebounds per game and a team-high 6.6 total rebounds per game.
 
Natalie Jens also averages in double-figures with 10.7 points per game, leading the team with 19 three-pointers made while Natalie Steichen does a little bit of everything, scoring 5.0 points, averaging 6.0 rebounds and leading the team with 52 assists and 15 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 third in the league and 29^th in the country with 4.5 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 an NSIC 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 54 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, joining 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 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 on January 2. 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 surpassed 100 for her career last weekend at UMary and already ranks among the program's top-10 (8^th) with 102 in just 34 career games.
 
She holds the top-two single season blocked shots per game totals, averaging a program record 3.2 this year after averaging 2.8 per game last year in her debut season. Her 54 total blocked shots is fourth most in a single season, one shy of Shandrell Duncan's 55 blocks in 2008-09 for third, but just over half way to the single season record of 104 set by Kionda Nicks in 2013-14.
 
She leads five players averaging in double-figures with 13.5 points per game while adding 5.5 rebounds per game, one of four players on the team to average least five rebounds per game.

Becher has scored in double-figures in 14 of 17 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 15 of 17 games and multiple blocks in 11 games.
 
She's had three 20-plus point games, scoring 21 points two times, the first with her 21 points and 11 blocks against SMSU, and the second with 21 points and nine rebounds against Bemidji State.
 
Most recently, Becher had a season-high 22 points and career-high 12 rebounds for her second double-double of the year and first points-rebounds double-double, adding three assists and three blocks in a road win at UMary last weekend.
 
She's a career 12.3 scorer with 5.4 rebounds and 102 blocks in 34 games (33 starts), averaging three blocks per game while shooting just under 50 percent from the field (48.5) and 73.3 percent from the line (85-116).
 
DUBOIS A TOP DISTRIBUTOR
Junior point guard Meghan DuBois is second in the Northern Sun with 5.5 assists per game which ranks 13^th in the country, is fourth in the NSIC in assist-turnover ratio (1.84), is fourth in the league in defensive rebounding (5.4) and fourth in the league in steals (2.53).
 
The point guard can also score, currently third on the team with 11.8 points per game, second on the team with 24 three-pointers at a 33.3 percent clip. She's also second on the team with 5.8 rebounds per game and presides over an offense that has five players scoring in double figures.
 
DuBois has scored at least eight points in 15 of 17 games and reached double figures 12 times. She's had at least three assists in every game and had five or more rebounds 12 times. She's had a steal in 16 of 17 games and multiple steals 12 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.
 
Defensively, she produced the third-most steals in a single game in Concordia's Division II-era (1999-present) with eight in a win at UMary, adding five assists and seven points in the win.
 
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 660 points, 287 rebounds, 263 assists and 129 steals in 78 games (56 starts) while her 2021-22 averages of 11.8 points, 5.8 rebounds, 5.5 assists and 2.5 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 second on the team in scoring with 12.9 points per game, she's fourth on the team with 5.4 rebounds per game and ranks second in the NSIC with a 39.3 three-point percentage, ranking seventh in the league with 2.1 three's made per game.
 
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, also 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 11 games scoring in double-figures, collected at least three rebounds in 16 of 17 games and had multiple steals nine times this year. She's knocked down three or more three-pointers seven times this year, and made at least one three-pointer in 14 of 17 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 82 games (56 starts), she's scored 898 career points with 328 rebounds, 133 assists, 114 steals and 58 blocked shots while making 143 three-pointers at a 37.9 percent rate. She's averaged in double figures three years in a row while her 5.4 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 8.1 per game and has six 10-plus rebound games and at least five rebounds in all but one game this year.
 
Her 10.3 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 registered her fourth double-double of the year two weeks ago with 14 points, 11 rebounds and six assists while shooting 6-9 from the field against Bemidji State, giving her double-doubles in four of the seven games during the stretch while reaching double-digits rebounds and scoring at least 10 points five times each during that same seven game span.
 
Her scoring has picked up as the season has progressed, reaching double-digits in points seven of the last nine games, lifting her season scoring average from 7.8 on December 2 to its current 10.3 average.
 
Now in her third year on the floor and fourth in the program, Zgutowicz has 386 points, 284 rebounds, 88 assists and 47 steals in 56 games (30 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 10 times in 16 games this season including seven of the last nine 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.
 
She's coming off a big weekend at UMary and Minot State, averaging 14.5 points, 5.0 rebounds, 3.5 steals and 3.0 assists and had a career-high six steals at Minot State on Saturday.
 
In 62 career games (16 starts), Hanson has scored 415 points with 150 rebounds, 86 assists and 51 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 eight times this year. She established a career-high of 11 points and nine rebounds in a home win over Winona State in December and matched the nine rebounds most recently on Saturday at Minot State, also grabbing a season-high three steals.
 
On the year, she is averaging 4.4 points, 3.4 rebounds and has 13 steals with eight blocked shots off the bench.
 
BENCH NOTES: SYDNEY SCHULTZ
Fourth year junior Sydney Schultz continues to provide a steady veteran presence, averaging 4.4 points, and 2.6 rebounds in a key reserve role. She's clocked at least 11 minutes in 11 games this year and scored four or more points nine times with a pair of 10-point performances.
 
Schultz has played 69 career games in four years with 416 points (6.0) and 229 rebounds (3.3) while shooting 56.3 percent (152-270) from the field. Her career field goal percentage ranks sixth 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 two weeks ago on Saturday against Bemidji State, clocking 32 minutes and scoring seven points.
 
In her disrupted season, she is averaging 4.3 points, 2.6 rebounds, has 11 assists and seven steals in 10 games while averaging 14.6 minutes per game.
 
Across her first two years, she has averaged 4.6 points, 2.5 rebounds, has 37 assists and 18 steals in 26 games while hitting 38.5 percent from the arc (15-39) and 82.4 percent (14-17) from the stripe in 26 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.
 
After missing multiple games, she returned to the rotation last weekend at UMary and Minot State, picking up 13 and 10 minutes while scoring each night.
 
She's played double-digit minutes five times this year and has set a new career-high with 25 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.).