ST. PAUL, Minn. - The No. 13 Concordia-St. Paul women's basketball team (9-0, 3-0 NSIC) faces Wayne State (Neb.) (4-3, 1-2 NSIC) and Augustana (S.D.) (1-7, 0-3 NSIC) this weekend in the Gangelhoff Center. Tip-off is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. on Friday vs. the Wildcats and 3:30 p.m. on Saturday vs. the Vikings.

The Golden Bears have the opportunity to surpass the second-best start in school history of 10-0 set by the 2009-10 squad. Concordia started 18-0 in 2007-08 which is the best in program history. 

BUY TICKETS TO HOME GAMES ONLINE
Fans are encouraged to buy tickets in advance and bring their 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 a credit card at the gate.

WATCH 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.

WBCA RANKINGS
The Golden Bears moved up six spots to No. 13 in this week's WBCA Coaches' Poll. Concordia received 252 total votes in the poll. This is the fourth straight week CSP has been featured in the poll. 

Minnesota State (7-2, 3-0 NSIC) is one spot ahead of the Golden Bears at No. 12, moving up four spots from last week. The Mavericks received 265 points in the poll. CSP and Minnesota State are scheduled to play on Dec. 19. Southwest Minnesota State (8-1, 2-1 NSIC) received 31 votes but did not make the top 25. 

LAST TIME OUT
The Golden Bears started their first NSIC road weekend on Friday, Dec. 6 with a 79-63 win vs. Sioux Falls (S.D.) (6-4, 2-1 NSIC). Senior guard Julia Bengtson scored a career-high 28 points in the victory shooting 9-14 from the field. 

CSP outscored Sioux Falls 30-18 in the third quarter, which was aided by 10 points from Bengtson. Senior center Lindsey Becher also added eight points while Concordia shot 10-18 (55.8%) from the field as a team in the quarter. 

Becher finished with 14 points with a team-high 10 rebounds to earn her third double-double of the season. Lydia Haack scored 11 points and grabbed eight rebounds. The junior guard also added a team-high four assists and two steals to her totals. 

It was a battle of unbeatens when Concordia met Southwest Minnesota State on Saturday. The Golden Bears stole the ball 14 times and outscored the Mustangs 22-10 off of turnovers to get the 72-58 victory. 

After SMSU led 34-30 at halftime, CSP opened the second half on a 15-2 run aided by seven Mustang turnovers. Four of those turnovers were on steals by Haack, who finished the game with a career-high six steals. The Golden Bears outscored the Mustangs 24-15 in the third quarter. 

Junior guard Leah Dengerud led the team with a career-high 18 points after shooting 7-14 from the field. Becher finished with 15 points, nine rebounds and three blocks. Bengtson scored 13 points with a career-high four steals. 

Haack scored 10 points with seven rebounds and three assists. Senior forward Megan Gamble tallied seven points, nine rebounds and tied her career-high in assists with five. CSP surpassed 1975-76's 8-0 start with the win to jump to third all-time. 

SEASON LEADERS
Haack leads the Golden Bears averaging 15.9 points per game ranking sixth in the NSIC. Her 4.6 assists per game leads the conference and is 25th in the nation. She's also averaging 6.1 rebounds and 1.8 steals per game which ranks 15th and t-6th in the NSIC respectively.

Becher is averaging 13.6 points per game, tying for 14th in the NSIC. The senior center leads the team in rebounds averaging 8.7 per game, which leads the NSIC and is 53rd in the nation. She's averaging 2.4 blocks per game ranking second in the conference and ninth in the nation. 

Dengerud's 10.9 points per game average ranks 23rd in the NSIC. She's adding 2.2 assists per game and 1.7 steals per game. She's also averaging 1.8 3-pointers per game, which ranks ninth in the conference. 

Bengtson upped her season point average from 5.0 ppg to 8.4 ppg after her weekend performances. She's the 15th-leading scorer in NSIC play and ranks third in field goal percentage in conference play shooting 55.6%.

Gamble is the second-leading rebounder on the team grabbing 8.4 per game, which ranks fourth in the NSIC. Sophomore guard Ashley Schuelke is averaging 6.7 points per game and senior guard Mikayla Kanenwisher is averaging 5.0 points per game. 

CSP is second in the NSIC in offensive points per game averaging 76.3 and first in points allowed per game giving up 56.3. This 20.0 margin ranks second in the conference just behind Minnesota State at 20.3. 

The Golden Bears are second in the conference in combined team rebounds averaging 43.7 per game. They hold teams to the second-lowest field goal percentage in the league at 34.1%. CSP leads the NSIC in assist/turnover ratio at 1.58. They are also second in assists averaging 17.33 per game and in steals averaging 10 per game. 

Concordia-St. Paul ranks sixth in the nation averaging 5.4 blocks per game. The team also ranks 16th in the nation in rebounds per game. 

MILESTONES
Head coach Amanda Johnson picked up her 150th career win after the victory vs. Southwest Minnesota State. She ranks third in program history in wins and has bumped her win percentage up to 61.2% this season. 

RECORD WATCH
After Becher's four blocks this weekend, the senior sits at 249 career blocks. This is 15 behind the school-record 264 set by Kionda Nicks from 2012-16. 

CSP's current nine-game win streak is tied for 11th in program history. With two wins this weekend, the Golden Bears would tie for the sixth-best win streak of all time. CSP's longest win streak in school history is 18 games in 2007-08 and 1975-76.

IN THE NSIC STANDINGS
No. 13 Concordia-St. Paul and No. 12 Minnesota State are tied for the conference lead, each sitting at 3-0 in NSIC play. St. Cloud State and MSU Moorhead are both 2-0 in conference play. 

Southwest Minnesota State, Sioux Falls and Minnesota Crookston are each 2-1 in NSIC play. Northern State is currently 1-1. Wayne State, Winona State and Minot State each are 1-2. 

WAYNE STATE SERIES HISTORY
Series Record: CSP 28, WSC 25

The Golden Bears have a three-game advantage over the Wildcats all-time after winning the past three matchups. CSP owns the longest win streak in the series winning six games from 2003-04. Wayne State's longest win streak was in the first four matchups from 2000-01. 

Concordia-St. Paul is 13-12 all-time at home vs. Wayne State. CSP is 12-13 all-time on the road and 3-0 at neutral sites. CSP is 7-3 in the last 10 matchups. 

LAST MEETING WITH THE WILDCATS
CSP won both matchups vs. Wayne State last season including a double overtime victory in Wayne. The Golden Bears picked up their third NSIC victory of the season with a 65-58 win on Dec. 3, 2023, in the first matchup. 

Wilson led the team scoring 18 points shooting 8-10 from the field. Ally Gietzel tallied her second double-double of the weekend with 14 points and 10 rebounds. Kanenwisher added a career-high 12 points in the win. 

Concordia outscored the Wildcats 20-11 in the first quarter, while every other quarter's margin was within three points. Wayne State was led by Maya Fitzpatrick and Britney Ho each scoring 16 points. Fitzpatrick also added five steals to her total. Brooklyn Kruse scored 10 points with four rebounds. 

In the second contest on Feb. 2, CSP needed a career-high 19 points from Schuelke to earn the double overtime victory. Trailing 61-58 in the first overtime, Schuelke hit a 3-pointer in the left corner on an in-bounds play to tie the game with 14.2 seconds left. 

The Golden Bears went on to outscore the Wildcats 12-5 in the second overtime. Becher scored the first four points and then Wilson went on to score the next four. Kanenwisher and Schuelke sealed the victory with three late free throws. 

Wilson tallied a double-double with 21 points, 10 rebounds, four assists and three steals. She played a career-high 41:25 in the game. Becher also had a double-double with 16 points, 11 rebounds and five blocks. Wilson, Becher and Schuelke combined to shoot 23-47 (48.9%) from the field. 

Ho led Wayne State with 23 points and nine rebounds. Fitzpatrick scored 12 points with three steals and two blocks. Guard Carsyn Boswell totaled 11 points and Kylah vanDonkersgoed added eight points. 

ABOUT THE WILDCATS
The Wildcats have alternated wins and losses all season, most recently winning on Saturday in overtime against Winona State, 66-63. In the other two NSIC games this season, Wayne State lost 75-71 to Southwest Minnesota State and 85-68 to Minnesota State. Wayne State is 2-0 against Nebraska foes this season picking up victories vs. Nebraska Kearney and Chadron State.

Ho graduated after being last season's leading scorer for the Wildcats. This season, Wayne State returns the other four of their top five leading scorers from 2023-24. vanDonkersgoed leads the Wildcats averaging 13.6 points per game, 6.3 rebounds per game and 2.3 assists per game. The junior forward is tied for 14th in the NSIC in scoring and 13th in rebounding. 

Fitzpatrick is averaging 11.6 points and 5.4 rebounds during her senior campaign. The forward from Brooklyn Park leads the team defensively in steals averaging 1.9 and in blocks averaging 1.7. She's fourth in the conference in steals per game and fifth in blocks per game. 

Senior guard Tate Norblade is averaging 11.4 points per game and 1.6 steals per game, tying for 10th in the NSIC in steals per game. Boswell is averaging 9.7 ppg and 2.1 assists per game. Senior Delaney Clark is averaging nine points per game and Kruse is averaging seven points per game. 

Wayne State has the fourth-highest scoring average in the NSIC at 72.7 points per game. They are giving up the 11th most points in the conference at 70.1 points per game. This 2.6 margin ranks sixth in the conference. 

The Wildcats have the third-highest shooting percentage in the NSIC at 42.9% and the highest 3-point percentage at 38.1%. They average the most blocked shots per game with 6.0 and the most assists per game with 16.57. 

Head coach Brent Pollari is in his seventh season coaching the Wildcats. He has a career record of 68-90 and 43-82 in NSIC games. Pollari is the 11th head coach of the program in school history. 

AUGUSTANA SERIES HISTORY
Series Record: CSP 17, AU 22

The Golden Bears are 4-6 in the last 10 matchups vs. Augustana and 1-3 in the last four. Augustana owns the longest winning streak in the series at four games from 2015-16. CSP has won three games twice for their longest win streak. The Golden Bears are 11-6 all-time at home vs. the Vikings, but 4-13 on the road in Sioux Falls. 

LAST MEETING WITH THE VIKINGS
Concordia went 1-1 vs. the Vikings last season, winning the first matchup in the Gangelhoff Center on Dec. 2, 2023. Gietzel scored a career-high 36 points in the 83-73 victory, earning her NSIC Player of the Week.

The senior guard made 21 out of 22 free throws for the most in a game in school history. She also added 11 rebounds to her total. Wilson added 19 points shooting 7-10 from the field. 

Trailing by seven in the third quarter, CSP went on an 11-0 run to retake the lead where they held Augustana to 0-8 from the field. Concordia held a 73-68 lead with 2:25 left in the game and Gietzel was able to secure the victory by making free throws. 

The Vikings were led by Lauen Sees and Michaela Jewett scoring 25 and 20 points respectively. Jewett added 11 rebounds for a double-double. CSP outscored Augie in the paint, 44-22. 

In the second matchup, Concordia's late 6-0 run came up just short in the 61-60 loss in Sioux Falls. Becher and Wilson were unable to convert on the final possession after each player made contributions with steals and scores during the final run. 

The game featured many long scoring runs by both teams, as Augustana used an 8-0 run in the first quarter to take an early seven-point lead. Trailing 29-20 in the second quarter, Concordia used a 17-0 run to take an eight-point lead. In the third quarter, the Vikings used a 7-0 run to tie the game at 40-40.

Wilson finished the game with 20 points, five rebounds and three steals. Becher scored 12 points with six rebounds. Kanenwisher added 10 points with six rebounds while Dengerud scored eight points. 

Sees led the Vikings once again with 15 points and seven rebounds. Jewett added 14 points and nine rebounds. Kenzie Rensch and Johanna Miller scored eight points each. 

ABOUT THE VIKINGS
The Vikings are 1-7 this season with a lone win against Hastings College (Neb.). Augustana has suffered double-digit conference losses to Sioux Falls, Winona State and Minnesota State.

Augustana returned six players from last year's team, losing their top six scorers as Sees graduated. Jewett and Izzy Moore transferred to Northern State, Jennifer Aadland transferred to Idaho and Aby Phipps transferred to Sioux Falls. 

This season, Augustana is led by Missouri Southern transfer Hannah Burg averaging 12 points per game. The senior guard is tied for third in the conference in assists averaging 4.6 per game. 

Sophomore guard Payton Hardy is one of the six returners from last year's team averaging 10.6 points per game. She also leads the team in rebounds per game averaging 6.4 and in steals averaging 1.5. 

Minnesota West transfer Olivia Hayenga is averaging 9.9 points per game. The 5-10 junior was named NJCAA Division III Player of the Year in both 2022-23 and 2023-24. She led Minnesota West to back-to-back National Championship games and won it in 2023-24. 

Junior guard Brinlee McRae is averaging 8.8 points after transferring from Utah State Eastern. Forward Paige Grant is averaging eight points and 4.9 rebounds per game after transferring from Southern Nevada. 

Augustana is 12th in the NSIC in points per game averaging 64.1 and 15th in defensive points per game giving up 80.8. The -16.6 margin is 15th in the NSIC. The Vikings have the fifth-best turnover margin in the NSIC and are fourth in steals averaging 9.25 per game. 

Head coach Nate Vogel is in his first season coaching the Vikings after the school parted ways with former head coach Jillian Flores Bennett this past offseason. Vogel led Texas A&M International to a program-best 25-7 record last season.