HOUGHTON, Mich. - The No. 21 Concordia-St. Paul women's basketball team (7-0, 1-0 NSIC) outscored Michigan Tech (2-5) 26-14 in the fourth quarter to pick up a 63-60 win on Saturday afternoon. The Golden Bears were led by junior guard Lydia Haack with 19 points and senior center Lindsey Becher with 16 points and a career-high 15 rebounds. 

Trailing 48-39 in the final quarter, junior guard Leah Dengerud hit a 3-pointer and a pair of free throws to cut the lead to four. After the Golden Bears got back-to-back field goals from Becher and Haack, MTU hit a 3-pointer to extend the lead to 53-48. 

After that shot, Concordia went on a 10-0 run starting with a bucket by Megan Gamble followed by a steal and score by Dengerud, cutting the lead to one point. Haack hit her lone 3-pointer on the ensuing possession to give CSP a 55-53 lead. This was Concordia's first lead in the game since 2-0 in the first quarter. 

Haack didn't stop there, scoring five of the final eight points for Concordia to seal the 63-60 win. Gamble added a steal and a block while Becher grabbed two key rebounds and a layup with 1:04 left to secure the victory.

CSP had a rough shooting day in the first three quarters at 14-48 (29.2%) before shooting 8-18 (44.4%) from the field in the fourth quarter. After the Golden Bears scored the first basket of the game, Michigan Tech went on an 11-0 run to take control. CSP was outscored 18-6 in the opening quarter. 

The Golden Bears responded in the second quarter outsourcing the Huskies 15-8 to trail 26-21 at the half. Once CSP got within five, every shot the team made was matched with a shot by Michigan Tech to keep the lead.

The Huskies were able to extend the lead to 11 twice in the third quarter, but Becher did her best to keep CSP in it. She played all 10 minutes in the quarter scoring six points with three rebounds and two blocks. Michigan Tech led by nine at the end of the third quarter.

Concordia finished the game shooting 22-66 (33.3%) from the field, marking the worst shooting performance of the season. Michigan Tech shot 23-60 (38.3%) and 5-14 (35.7%) from behind the arc. The Huskies led for 36:50 compared to 2:59 for the Golden Bears. 

Becher's 16 points and 15 rebounds tallied her second double-double of the season and 10th of her career. She also recorded three blocks, two assists and a season-high three steals. Two of her steals came in key moments in the fourth quarter. Her 15 rebounds beat her previous-best career mark of 12 that she's hit three times. 

Haack scored 12 of her 19 points in the fourth quarter while playing with four fouls. She also totaled seven rebounds, two assists and a block. Haack finished the game a perfect 8-8 from the free-throw line after drawing a team-high seven fouls. 

Dengerud scored 14 points for her fifth double-digit performance of the season. She scored eight of her 14 points in the fourth quarter. The junior guard also tallied two assists, two steals and a rebound. 

Sophomore guard Ashley Schuelke scored five points with a steal. Senior Julia Bengtson hit a 3-pointer and grabbed two rebounds. Emma Mommsen and Mikayla Kanenwisher each added two points. 

The Huskies were led by Maja Kozlowska off the bench with 14 points and eight rebounds. Isabella Lenz scored 11 points and Kendall Standfest added nine points with seven rebounds. 

Michigan Tech outscored CSP 30-28 in the paint, marking the first time CSP has been outscored in the paint this season. CSP held a 14-4 advantage on fast break points and both teams scored 12 points off of turnovers. 

The Golden Bears slightly outrebounded Michigan Tech, 42-40. Michigan Tech had 18 turnovers while CSP had 13. Concordia went 15-18 (83.9%) from the free throw line while Michigan Tech went 9-9 (100%). 

Concordia-St. Paul now finishes 6-0 in nonconference play this season. CSP last hit this mark in the 2021-22 season going 4-0 against nonconference opponents. The Golden Bears continue to match the best start since 2009-10. That team started the season 10-0 before suffering its first loss to No. 1 Michigan Tech in Houghton. 

The Golden Bears will be in action on Friday, Dec. 6 for their first NSIC road game against Sioux Falls (S.D.) (5-3, 1-0 NSIC) at 5:30 p.m. CSP will then play on the road on Saturday, Dec. 7 against Southwest Minnesota State (6-0, 1-0 NSIC) at 3:30 p.m.