ST. PAUL, Minn. – The Concordia-St. Paul women's basketball team open up the 2022-23 season this week with two non-conference road matchups. The Golden Bears travel to Houghton, Michigan this Tuesday, November 15 to open the season against Michigan Tech (2-0). The CSP women will be back on the road Saturday, November 19 to take on Parkside University (1-1) in Kenosha, Wisconsin.
LAST TIME OUT
The Golden Bears completed their exhibition schedule this past week, splitting games with a 78-51 win over St. Kate's and a 72-70 loss to UW-Eau Claire. 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 free throw 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 UNIVERSITY HISTORY
Concordia has a 4-7 all time series history record with Michigan Tech going into their 12th matchup. The CSP women were victorious in their last matchup with MTU 65-59 in 2019. It was the first win over the Huskies for Concordia since 2015 and their first win in the series in Houghton. CSP's last loss in the series came in 2017, when the Bears fell 83-76 to the #10 Michigan Tech Huskies at home.
ABOUT THE HUSKIES
The Huskies have a 2-0 record after their first week of games to start the 2022-23 season. Michigan Tech took on William Jewell and Lewis University over the weekend in the GLVC/GLIAC Crossover on November 11 and 12. In game one, the Huskies blew out the William Jewell Cardinals 63-32 to secure their first win. MTU then topped the Lewis University Flyers the following day, 95-83.
Michigan Tech finished their 2021-22 season 18-11 overall and 12-7 in the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. They claimed their 16th GLIAC North Division/Conference title and were the number
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 Huskies bring back nearly their entire roster from 2021-22 including all five starters and a very deep bench.
MTU PLAYER TO WATCH
Ellie Mackay- Two time All-Conference first team selection, Mackay has led the team so far in their two games, averaging 17 points, three rebounds and 1.5 assists per game. She looks to be on pace for another consistent season, nearly matching her 2022-23 stat line of 17 points, 5.4 rebounds, and 1.1 steals per game during her junior season.
PARKSIDE UNIVERSITY HISTORY
Saturday's matchup will be the sixth meeting between Concordia and Parkside, with the Golden Bears holding a 3-2 lead in the series. In their last matchup, the Parkside Rangers were victorious in a game that featured numerous twists and turns with four ties and eight lead changes and Concordia clawing back from a pair of 9-point deficits before the Rangers pulled away to win 88-75.
ABOUT THE RANGERS
Parkside will come into the matchup with CSP with a 1-1 record. The Rangers competed in the Nexus Classic and won their first game 77-52 against Missouri S&T and then dropped a close game with Rockhurst University on Saturday, 79-74. Over the two games, UWP averaged 75.5 points per game, had a .381 field goal percentage, totaled 79 rebounds, and accumulated 31 assists. Per game, the Rangers averaged 17 turnovers and 12.5 steals.
The Rangers went 15-14 in 2021-22, with a conference record of 12-9. UWP returns three of their top five scorers last year including the 2021-22 GLIAC Player of the Year Alyssa Nelson, but loses GLIAC All-Defensive Team selection Hannah Plockelman. Plockelman led Parkside in rebounds and blocks and was second on the team in points, assists, and steals.
UWP will take on fellow NSIC Conference member Minnesota Duluth on Wednesday before taking on CSP. UMD is coming off a (1-1) weekend at the D2CCA Women's Basketball Tip-Off Classic, splitting games with a 79-65 win over Missouri Western State and a close lose to #6 Missouri Southern 54-51.
PLAYER TO WATCH
Alyssa Nelson- The 2021-22 GLIAC Player of the Year and WBCA Honorable Mention All-American, has picked up where she finished 2021-22, averaging 25.5 points, five assists, five rebounds, and four steals in the first two games. Including a 38 point explosion in the Ranger's loss to Rockhurst.
