ST. PAUL, Minn. - The Concordia-St. Paul women's basketball team (4-1, 1-0 NSIC) finishes out non-conference play on Tuesday, Nov. 27 in their home opener against Michigan Tech (4-2, 0-0 GLIAC). Tip-off is scheduled for 6 p.m. in the Gangelhoff Center.
The Golden Bears will then return to conference play at home over the weekend against Augustana (1-2, 1-0 NSIC) at 2 p.m. on Saturday, Dec. 2. CSP will return to action on Sunday, Dec. 3 against Wayne State (3-1, 0-1 NSIC) at 4 p.m.
BUY TICKETS TO HOME GAMES ONLINE – AVOID THE LINE!
Fans are encouraged to buy tickets in advance and bring your QR code to the gates to skip the line! New for 2023, Concordia will be a cashless ticket experience for fans, so if you don't purchase ahead, make sure to bring your card to make your purchase at the gate.
Friends and families who utilize the pass list will also be utilizing the online ticketing service, while faculty & staff will access their free CSP tickets through the service. CSP students will have their all-sport season passes sent directly to their csp.edu email address.
Fans do not need to create a login, remember a username or password or download an app to purchase tickets. BUY ONLINE
WATCH HOME GAMES ONLINE – NSIC NETWORK
All Golden Bear NSIC basketball games will be available to watch online, free of charge, powered by the NSIC Network, and 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.
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.
LAST TIME OUT
Concordia-St. Paul defeated Winona State (0-5, 0-1 NSIC) on Tuesday, Nov. 21 by a score of 53-52 for the team's first conference victory. Senior guard Ally Gietzel scored the last 10 points for the Golden Bears, including the buzzer-beating iso shot from the left elbow to win the game.
Gietzel led all scorers in the game with 21 points, which was her second-highest total of the season. She tied her season-high in rebounds with eight. Gietzel drew 12 fouls in the game and went 13-18 from the charity stripe. This was also Gietzel's second straight buzzer-beater after hitting one against Truman State on Nov. 18.
Junior center Lindsey Becher finished with 18 points and a season-high nine rebounds. She shot 50% from the field and had a team-high +8 point differential. Sophomore guard Leah Dengerud tallied six points and three rebounds. Freshman guard Ashley Schulke made the team's lone 3-pointer. Lauren Wilson and Emma Mommsen each finished with two points.
Both teams struggled to shoot the ball as the Golden Bears went 18-54 shooting and Winona State finished 20-60. Winona State went 4-17 from 3-point range compared to the Golden Bears going 1-11. CSP went 16-27 from the free throw line while Winona State went 8-9.
SEASON LEADERS
Gietzel now leads CSP in scoring averaging 17.2 points per game. If Gietzel holds this pace, it would tie her for 12th in school history, which would be head coach Amanda Johnson's record from back in her playing days. Gietzel also leads the Golden Bears in rebounds per game with 6.2 and minutes per game with 38.0.
Becher is second on the team averaging 16.2 points per game and 5.6 rebounds per game. She is also averaging two blocks per game. Wilson is averaging 13.4 points per game and 5.6 rebounds per game. Mikayla Kanenwisher leads the Golden Bears in assists averaging 3.2 per game. Leah Dengerud is averaging 2.0 steals per game for CSP.
Gietzel is sixth in the conference in points per game and 10th in rebounds per game. She leads the conference in minutes per game. Becher is seventh in points per game and fifth in blocks per game. Kanenwisher is seventh in the conference in assists per game. Dengerud is eighth in steals and fifth in minutes per game.
MICHIGAN TECH SERIES HISTORY
Series History: CSP 4, Michigan Tech 8
The Golden Bears first played the Huskies during the 1978-79 season winning the first-ever matchup 83-37. The teams have met 11 times since 2009, with Michigan Tech winning eight of the matchups.
Both teams played each other every year from 2009-2017 with the Huskies winning four straight from 2011-14.
LAST MEETING WITH THE HUSKIES
Both squads met last season with Michigan Tech getting the 64-54 home victory. The Golden Bears trailed by nine at the half after being outscored 20-13 in the second quarter. Sarah Kuma led the scoring efforts for CSP with 17 points. Becher added 10 points and four rebounds. Jalyn Shaw finished with nine points and Gietzel had eight points.
The Huskies were led by Alex Rondorf with 19 points and Katelyn Meister with 13 points. The Golden Bears outscored Michigan Tech in the paint 30-22. The Huskies scored 12 fast break points compared to zero for the Golden Bears.
ABOUT THE HUSKIES
Michigan Tech comes into the game with a 4-2 record all in non-conference games. Their two losses have come to No.1 Ashland (Ohio) by a score of 74-67 and Minnesota Duluth by a score of 69-59. They defeated other NSIC competition in Southwest Minnesota State and St. Cloud State.
Freshman Alyssa Wypych leads the Huskies with 16.2 points per game. She leads Michigan Tech in 3-pointers per game averaging 2.7 per game. Junior guard Isabella Lenz is second on the team averaging 13.3 points per game and leads the team in assists with four per game.
Rondorf and Meister return for their senior seasons. Rondorf is averaging 12.2 points per game and leads the team in rebounds per game with 6.8. Meister is averaging 10.7 points per game, 4.8 rebounds per game and three assists per game. Senior Sara Dax is the fifth starter for the Huskies averaging 7.8 points per game and five rebounds per game.
Head coach Sam Clayton is in her sixth season with the Huskies with two NCAA Tournament appearances. She was a standout player for the Huskies, leading the program to the NCAA DII National Championship game in 2010-11. Michigan Tech has made 33 straight GLIAC tournament appearances and the Huskies were the conference runner-ups last season. Clayton has a 99-47 career record and is looking for her 100th win with the Huskies against CSP.
AUGUSTANA SERIES HISTORY
Series History: CSP 16, Michigan Tech 21
The Golden Bears have faced the Vikings every season since 2004. The largest win streak was by Augustana with four wins from 2015-2016. Augustana has won the last two matchups, but the series is even 5-5 in the last 10 matchups.
The closest margin of victory was one point by CSP in 2014 with a 78-77 win. CSP also won the matchup in the season prior against Augustana 81-79 in overtime. The largest margin of victory was Augustana's 32-point victory in December last season.
LAST MEETING WITH THE VIKINGS
Augustana defeated Concordia-St. Paul on Feb. 10, 2023 by a score of 95-67. The Golden Bears trailed by seven at the half, but were outscored 28-15 in the third quarter. Augustana's Lauren Sees led all scoring with 30 points and Aislinn Duffy added a double-double with 23 points and 12 rebounds.
Kuma led the scoring efforts for the Golden Bears with 18 points, followed by Gietzel with 17 points. Raegan Alexander scored 13 points and Megan Gamble added 11 points.
The Vikings shot 59.7% from the field compared to 33.8% from the Golden Bears. Augustana outscored Concordia 68-30 in the paint. They made 18 more shots than the Golden Bears in the game as well.
ABOUT THE VIKINGS
Augustana was picked sixth in the Preseason NSIC Coaches' Poll, one spot ahead of the Golden Bears. The Vikings have only played three games this season, losing the opener to No. 5 Central Missouri 83-66. They won their conference opener against Sioux Falls on Nov. 21 by a score of 73-56 before losing to Dakota Wesleyan on Saturday, 63-50.
The Vikings are led this season by senior Michaela Jewett, who was an All-NSIC Second Team Selection last season. She's averaging 18.7 points per game, 4.7 rebounds per game and three assists per game. Jewett is the fourth highest scorer in the NSIC so far this season.
Junior forward Jennifer Aadland is averaging 12.7 points per game and leads the team with nine rebounds per game. Sees returned for her fifth season after an All-NSIC First Team Selection last season averaging 14.9 points per game. Through the first three games this season, she's averaging 6.3 points per game.
Head coach Jillian Flores Bennett is in her first season at the helm of the Vikings' program after Dave Krauth retired last year after 34 seasons at Augustana. She was announced as the seventh head coach in program history on April 15, 2023. She went 26-5 with Iowa Western in 2022-23 and they were ranked as high as No. 4 in the NJCAA.
WAYNE STATE SERIES HISTORY
Series History: CSP 26, Wayne State 25
The Golden Bears have played the Wildcats every season since 2000. Wayne State opened the series with four consecutive wins, but CSP won six straight from 2003-05. CSP is 12-12 at home against the Wildcats and 6-4 in the last 10 matchups.
The series has featured three one-point victories and CSP has the largest margin of victory with a 36-point win back in 2021.
LAST MEETING WITH THE WILDCATS
The Golden Bears won a thriller back on Feb. 11, 2023 by a score of 63-62. Gietzel hit two free throws with 11 seconds left to take the lead, then she stole the ball on the last possession to secure the CSP victory.
Gietzel led the team with a double-double scoring 18 points and tallying 13 rebounds. Shaw scored 16 points making a team-high four 3-pointers. Dengerued added 10 points with nine rebounds.
Wayne State's Kassidy Pingel led the Wildcats with 26 points shooting 8-12 from the field. Lauren Zacharias scored 12 points with five assists. Both teams shot less than 40% from the field.
CSP held the advantage in the paint 30-24. Wayne State outscored CSP in points off of turnovers 15-10 and in fast break points 12-6. The game featured five lead changes and seven ties.
ABOUT THE WILDCATS
Wayne State opened the year tied for 10th in the NSIC Preseason Coaches Poll. They've won all three of their non-conference games against Buena Vista, Bellevue University and Emporia State. They lost their conference opener on Nov. 21 to Southwest Minnesota State, 75-68.
Wayne State has the highest average point total in the NSIC at 81 points per game. Their defense is averaging the third-lowest points at 56.8. They have the best margin in the NSIC at 24.3, which is 13 points higher than second place St. Cloud State.
Graduate transfer Britney Ho is leading the Wildcats in points per game this season with 15.5 per game, which is eighth in the NSIC. Ho transferred from Newman (Kan.) and earned All-MIAA Third Team honors last season averaging 17.8 points per game.
Junior guard Jordan Heckert is Wayne State's second-leading scorer averaging 12.5 points per game. Heckert is another transfer from Newman (Kan.) as well. Junior guard Deleny Clark is averaging 11.4 points per game.
Junior guard Carsyn Boswell is playing for the Wildcats after three seasons at Idaho State. She leads Wayne State in minutes played averaging 27 per game and she's averaging 8.3 points per game. Junior forward Maya Fitzpatrick is averaging nine points per game after appearing in 27 games last season.
Head coach Brent Pollari is in his sixth season at the helm for Wayne State. He holds a 60-70 record with the Wildcats and is 38-63 in NSIC games.
