ST. PAUL, Minn. – The Golden Bears wrapped up their exhibition schedule this week and will get ready to hit the road for three straight away games to begin their non-conference slate. Concordia-St. Paul will open the 2022-23 season in Houghton, Mich. against Michigan Tech on Tuesday, November 15, at 6 p.m. The CSP women head out of state again on November 19, to Kenosha Wis. for a Saturday afternoon tip-off against Parkside.
 
BUY TICKETS ONLINE – AVOID THE LINE!
Fans are encouraged to 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.
  
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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.
 
CONFERENCE OUTLOOK: NSIC TOP 5
#5 Concordia-St.Paul- The Golden Bears enter the 2022-23 season picked fifth overall in the 16 team Northern Sun and fourth in the NSIC South Division. The Concordia women finished second in the NSIC South (14-7) during the 2021-22 season, good for fourth in the league overall on their way to an 19-8 overall finish. After an opening round victory against Bemidji State (85-58), the CSP women's season came to an end in the semifinals against St. Cloud State (78-49)..

#4 Sioux Falls-  The Cougars finished third in the South Division in 2021-22 with a record of 16-12 (11-9), before being knocked out of the NSIC tournament by UMary 55-52. The Golden Bears handled the Cougars fairly easily last year, winning game one by 20, 71-51 followed by a 74-65 road win. Sioux Falls returns their top four scorers from 2021-22 including their leading scorer and NSIC Second Team All-Conference selection Megan Fannin. The Golden Bear's first matchup against Sioux Falls is December 17, at Sioux Falls.

#3 Augustana- The Vikings made the biggest jump in the preseason polls compared to last year's final NSIC standings. Augustana finished seventh in the conference with a record of 13-11 overall and 9-10 in the conference. The Golden Bear's took two close games from Vikings in 2021-22, a two point victory at home (73-71), and a one point victory at Augustana (65-64). The Vikings made the conference playoffs as the seventh seed, but were bounced by Northern State 76-66. Augustana is led by First Team All-Conference forward Aislinn Duffy. She had an incredible all-around season in 2021-22 and averaged a double-double in points and rebounds while also leading the team in assists. The Golden Bears will have their first matchup against the Vikings on December 10, in Sioux Falls.

#2 Minnesota Duluth- The 2021-22 NSIC Conference Tournament Champion Bulldogs finished last season 19-2 and 11-2 in the conference, putting them second overall in the season standings behind regular season champions St. Cloud State. On their way to the conference title, the Bulldogs dominated UMary 87-60, survived Minnesota State in the semifinals 69-66, and then took down the #1 seed St. Cloud State 62-39 for the championship. UMD advanced to the NCAA DII Central Region Tournament, but fell in the first round to Nebraska-Kearney 77-70. The Bulldogs are bringing back graduate senior Brooke Olson, the 2021-22 NSIC North Division Player of the Year and WBCA All-American. Olsen averaged 18 points and 6.7 rebounds a game and led UMD to their third conference championship. The Bulldogs travel to St. Paul January 6, for their sole matchup of the season against Concordia.

#1 Minnesota State- Minnesota State was the top team in the South Division in 2021-22, and enter this season ranked #1 in the NSIC in the preseason polls. They lost in the semifinals of the NSIC tournament to the eventual champion Minnesota Duluth 69-66, and fell in the first round of the NCAA DII Central Regional to Fort Hays State 66-61. The Concordia women split the series with Minnesota State last year, losing on the road 84-74, before taking the second match at home 85-83. The Mavericks return three of their top four scorers from last year, including First Team All-Conference selection Joey Batt and 2021-22 NSIC Freshman of the Year, Destinee Bursch. The CSP women will not have to wait long to face Minnesota State, opening up their conference slate against the Mavericks on November 22, in Mankato.
   
NEW YEAR BRINGS STAFF CHANGES
After two seasons as assistant women's basketball coach at Concordia, Madison McKeever is moving on to the University of St. Thomas to serve as their Director of Basketball Operations. 

The Erksine, Minn., native spent the 2021-22 season as the program's top assistant after joining the Golden Bears in 2020-21. During her time at CSP, the women's basketball team averaged 15 wins per season, including a COVID-19 shortened 2020-21 season, while the team finished her two-season stint with a .682 winning percentage. McKeever coached five student-athletes to all-conference honors. She joined CSP after a successful four-year playing career at the University of South Dakota.

The new addition to the coaching staff for 2022-23 is Mallie Doucette. Prior to joining Concordia's staff, she spent two years assisting the girls' basketball program at Minnetonka High School and also spent a year as the assistant women's basketball coach and assistant sports information director at the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire.

The Colfax (Wis.) High School graduate played collegiately at St. Cloud State University for five seasons and earned a degree in psychology and marketing in 2019. Doucette was an All-NSIC Second Team selection as a senior for the Huskies, leading the squad in scoring and finishing her career ninth all-time at SCSU in three-point field goals made.

Coach Johnson is excited to have Doucette as a part of the staff in 22-23. "Mallie was a 4 year player in the NSIC so she brings a lot of experience and familiarity with our conference which was a big factor in her hiring process. She also loved  playing in the NSIC and was very excited to be back coaching in it."

With the Golden Bears, Doucette will focus on recruiting, scouting reports, fundraising and on-court development working with the guards.

The program also brings back assistant coach Dean Stambaugh for his second year. Stambaugh brings over 25 years of coaching experience to the sidelines. His life-long appreciation of sports and the benefits of participation serve as a cornerstone for the values-based coaching philosophy he now shares at Concordia.
 
"He is a more experienced coach and brings a lot to the table behind the scenes, he brings a tremendous work ethic and truly cares about these girls and this program" said Johnson. "Having a male on the staff is an asset, he brings a different perspective to bounce ideas off. He has a great heart and pushes the girls to be the best they can be."

MEET THE BEARS: RETURNERS
Coach Amanda Johnson has eight returners coming back this season, highlighted by the two returning starters Lindsey Becher and Jadyn Hanson. In 2021-22 Becher was a First Team All-Conference selection and was named to the NSIC All-Academic Team of Excellence. She started all 27 games and averaged 14.3 points per game on 46.7 percent shooting She tied the NCAA Division II record and set a new school record for blocks in a game with 11 against SMSU and set a new CSP record (breaking her covid-year record) by averaging three blocks a game.

Hanson started 24 games in 2021-22 averaging 9.6 points per game and shooting 33% from the 3-point line. She was second on the team in assists with 70. The Junior was named to the NSIC All-Academic Team of Excellence for the second year in a row. 

"Becher and Hanson have been very valuable with having so many new faces," said Coach Johnson. "They have done a great job so far leading and being impactful on and off the court. They also know what it takes to be playing at the pentagon at the end of our season and their competitiveness really rubs off on the rest of the team. Having a great culture is very important for us at CSP and I will continue to stress that every year and make sure our upperclassmen are leading in a positive manner. We talk about being good people on and off the court and this year's team has one of the best cultures I have seen here at CSP within our women's basketball program which makes it very enjoyable to be around and coach them,"
 
Sophomores Sarah Kuma and Megan Gamble both played valuable minutes off the bench for the Golden Bears in 2021-22. Kuma appeared in 19 games last year including two starts. The guard averaged 3.2 points per game and shot 33% from behind the arc. 

"Sarah Kuma came off of a pretty intense shoulder surgery after last season. So the main thing for her was getting that surgery taken care of and getting her back and healthy for this season. She is back and ready to go and we will definitely be utilizing her as much as we can. She will also be a very impactful returning player for us on the court this season." Said Coach Johnson

In 2021-22, Gamble appeared in 26 games averaging 3.7 points per game and corralled 83 rebounds, fourth most on the team. Gamble has been working on a position change over the summer and Coach Johnson is excited about her development so far. 

"Megan Gamble last year had good minutes playing as a freshman for us. Ideally we want her to become more of a guard compared to a forward which she was last year. She really has improved her ball handling and 3 point shot over the summer which makes her harder to guard and helps in transitioning her into a guard." 

Shawna Mell, Allyssa Daugherty, and Makayla Johnson all saw playing time in 2021-22 and will look to expand their roles while competing with the talented class of freshman and transfers.

The final returner is forward Faith Alberts. It will be the first season for Alberts to be able to compete at Concordia after redshirting her freshman year in 2021-22.
 
MEET THE BEARS: TRANSFERS
The Concordia women are joined this season by three transfers, Ally Gietzal, Jalyn Shaw, and Raegan Alexander. Gietzel joins CSP after her time at Illinois State University and University of Illinois-Springfield. The junior guard put up solid numbers in her final year at Illinois-Springfield, starting 20 games and averaging 9.6 points, 6.5 rebounds and totalling 32 steals and head coach Amanda Johnson is happy to finally get her on campus. 
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"I have been trying to get her at CSP for the last 2 years. After she left Illinois state I had her on campus but we did not have the undergrad major that she needed. Luckily after she finished her undergrad she came back for a visit and is now working on her masters program at CSP. I was very happy when we were able to get her back on campus for another visit. We lost a few really good guards from last year's team and Ally has come in and really helped fill those shoes. She is so impactful on both ends of the floor which makes her a hard player to take off the court. She also brings such a great work ethic which is very admirable by both coaches and players." 

Shaw played for Salt Lake Community College in Utah for two years before transferring to play at Division I school Binghamton in 2021-22. She started 17 games and racked up 131 rebounds, third best on the team. She scored a season high 16 points against Vermont in the America East Conference quarterfinals. The forward also led the team in free throw percentage at 87.5%.

"Shaw fits in so well within this culture. She brings so much maturity and leadership to this team which is huge when you have 6 freshmen," said Johnson. "You can see how respected she is on our team and how the younger players really look up to her. She also has a great basketball IQ which also helps playing with a new team when you can catch on so quickly and understand." 

The third transfer coming in for CSP is Raegan Alexander from MSU Moorhead. She redshirted during her year at MSU Moorhead before joining Concordia so the redshirt freshman will keep her four years of eligibility. Alexander was part of the 1,000 point club in high school, scoring 1,214 points total in her career at St. Louis Park. During her senior year made all-conference and won team MVP.

"Alexander was at a school in the NSIC before transferring to CSP and she is also from the cities so I think her transferring to CSP was a pretty easy decision," said coach Johnson. "She is also coming off of a tough surgery from last season but she has such a great work ethic and attitude and that has helped her coming back for this season and I have been very impressed with her so far on the court. Her ceiling is very high." 

MEET THE BEARS: FRESHMEN
Coach Johnson's freshman recruiting class includes a good mix of athletes at several positions. All four freshman guards come from the Twin Cities or surrounding area and will be staying closer to home for their education, while the incoming front court freshman hail from out of state. Coach Johnson anticipates the group making a impact on the team in multiple ways,

"Their work ethic, love for the game of basketball, and togetherness. They are so much fun to be around and all get along so well. Our upperclassmen truly enjoy being around the freshmen and they also push the upperclassmen to get better and not take any reps off.  There is a lot of talent within those 6 players in every position and I couldn't be more thrilled to have them here at CSP for the next few years."

Leah Dengerud joins the Golden Bears from Totino-Grace High School after lettering and being named to the all-conference team multiple times in both basketball and track and field. 

Ella Campbell lettered in basketball and track while at Edina High School and was a three time all-conference selection for basketball. While at the school she set the single season 3-point record (58) and the career 3-point record (113).

Lauren Feddema was a four year varsity athlete at Buffalo High School, competing in basketball, soccer, and track and field. Two time all-conference selection in basketball and soccer. Three time All-State selection in track and field including track MVP as a junior. 

Coming up to Concordia-St. Paul from the south of the city is guard Ally Schultz. The Lakeville South High School alum was a two sport athlete competing in basketball and volleyball. Two time team captain and two time all-conference selection in basketball.

Forward Lauren Wilson is one of two freshmen joining the Golden Bears from out of state. Wilson was a four sport athlete at Springville High School in Iowa, earning four letters in basketball, four letters in volleyball, one letter in golf, and competed in track & field for two years. Was named All-State, All-Region, and All-Conference in basketball three times.

Rounding out the recruiting class is Emma Mommsen, from Menomonie, Wis. The center completed the trend of multi-sport athletes recruited by Concordia as Mommsen earned nine letters across three different sports: cross country (4), basketball (3), and track and field (2). She was an All-Big River Conference selection and All-Big River Defensive Team pick as well as a two-time state qualifier in cross country.

RECORD WATCH
Sophomore center Lindsey Becher has been on a historic pace with blocked shots. She currently ranks fourth in school history in career blocks with 129. She is only seven blocks away from matching 2008 alumni Whitney Smetana's mark of 136 and 17 away from moving into second place ahead of 2004 graduate Jill Kalvik's 145. The career blocks record is owned by 2016 graduate Kionda Nicks. Her 264 career blocks are more than double Becher's 129 and 119 ahead of second place Kalvik. 

The incredible part of Becher's total is the fact she has only played 44 games compared to Nick's 125, Kalvik's 107, and Smetana's 122! Becher has averaged 2.9 blocks per game in her career, the best mark in school history for players with a minimum of 40 games. With Bechers current pace, she would break Nick's record in approximately 47 games. In the meantime, there are several season records to watch for Becher.r. 

She has set the Concordia women's blocks per game average record for two seasons in a row. During the covid shortened year she averaged a record 2.8 blocks in 17 games and then broke her own record in 2021-22 with an average of 3.1 blocks in 27 games. She also had the second most blocks in a single season in 2021-22 with 81. The single season block's record is also held by Kionda Nicks with 104, set in 37 games on CSP's 2014 DII NCAA Tournament run to the Elite Eight.

EXHIBITION SCHEDULE RECAP
Concordia opened its preseason hosting a pair of exhibition contests, defeating St. Kates 78-51 and falling to UW-Eau Claire at the buzzer 72-70. In the two games the CSP women shot 43.4 percent from the field, 31.2 percent from 3-point range, and 67.7 from the freethrow line.
 
In the exhibition season, Lindsey Becher led the team with 14.0 points, 5.5 rebounds and 5.5 blocks per game. Ally Gietzel showed what she can bring to the team this season as the transfer averaged 13.5 points and 4.5 rebounds per game while shooting 11-19 from the field and 4-4 from the foul line.

Sophomore guard Sarah Kuma had a great performance in game one, with 14 points, six assists, four steals and three blocks. Transfer forward Jalyn Shaw was a steady presence on the court in both games averaging 9.5 points to go along with five rebounds against St. Kate's and three assists against UW-Eau Claire.

MICHIGAN TECH PREVIEW

Series History: CSP 3, Michigan Tech 7

The Concordia women face off with Michigan Tech for the first time in three years. Prior to that, the Golden Bears and Huskies had met 10 times between 2009 and 2019. MTU has held the advantage in the series, especially at home, beating CSP in their first four games at SDC Stadium in Houghton, Mich. The Golden Bear's broke through in their last matchup at Michigan Tech in 2019, winning 65-59.
 
Michigan Tech finished up the 2021-22 season with an 18-11 record. They were the fourth seed in the GLIAC tournament last season, defeating fifth seed Northwood (87-77), before falling to top seeded Grand Valley State (71-57). 

MTU is ranked third in the GLIAC's preseason polls to start the 2022-23 season, behind Ferris State and DII preseason #1 Grand Valley State. The Huskie bring back nearly their entire roster from 2021-22 including all five starters. All-Conference first team selection Ellie Mackay is expected to lead the team after averaging 17 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 1.1 steals per game during her junior season.