ST. PAUL, Minn. - Lydia Haack scored 25 points and Lindsey Becher scored 22 points in No. 13 Concordia-St. Paul's (10-0, 4-0 NSIC) win over Wayne State (4-4, 1-3 NSIC). The Golden Bears tied 2009-10 for the second-best start in school history following the 75-62 victory.
Becher's 22 points marked a season-high, surpassing the 18 points she scored against Winona State on Nov. 26. She finished one rebound short of a double-double for the second straight game. Over the last four games, Becher is averaging 16.75 points and 10.75 rebounds. The senior also added four blocks and two steals on Friday night.
Haack's 25 points were her second-most of the season. She shot 3-3 from behind the arc and 8-8 from the charity stripe. The junior guard also grabbed seven rebounds and dished out a team-high six assists.
The Golden Bears turned the ball over a season-low six times. In comparison, Wayne State turned the ball over 16 times, 10 of which were forced by Golden Bear steals. Concordia-St. Paul outscored Wayne State 26-6 off of turnovers.
The Golden Bears started the game on a 9-0 run with Becher scoring the first six points. The run was capped off with a steal by Haack leading to a 3-pointer at the other end by Julia Bengtson. After WSC cut the lead to 11-6, CSP finished the quarter on a 6-2 run to lead 17-8 at the end of the opening period.
Wayne State outscored CSP 14-12 in the second quarter to trail 29-22 at halftime. In the third quarter, Haack exploded to score 16 of her 25 total points. After leading 47-41, Concordia finished the quarter on an 11-1 run with Haack assisting or scoring on nine of the 11 points.
The Golden Bears extended the lead 22 points in the fourth quarter, marking the largest of the game. A 10-0 run by Wayne State cut that lead to 12 points before CSP shot 5-6 on free throws down the stretch. Concordia never trailed in the game.
Senior guard Mikayla Kanenwisher was the third Golden Bear to reach double digits with 10 points shooting 3-5 from the field. This tied a season-high after she's scored 10 points vs. Truman State and Winona State earlier this season. She also added four rebounds, four assists and two steals.
Megan Gamble totaled six points shooting 3-3 from the field. She also added five rebounds and blocked a shot. Sophomore guard Ashley Schuelke finished with five points making a 3-pointer and two free throws.
Concordia finished the game shooting 27-59 (45.8%) from the field, going 10-16 (62.5%) in the third quarter. The team also finished 6-12 (50%) on 3-pointers and 15-18 from the free-throw line. Wayne State finished 21-56 (37.5%) from the field, 6-20 (30%) on 3-pointers and 14-20 (70%) from the free-throw line.
CSP outscored Wayne State 36-30 in the paint, and the Golden Bears have only been outscored once in the paint this season. Wayne State held a 39-33 rebounding advantage with eight offensive rebounds to help outscore CSP 15-0 on second-chance points. Concordia outscored the Wildcats 10-1 on fast breaks.
Concordia's 10-game win streak is in a five-way tie for seventh in program history. The last time the Golden Bears accomplished this feat was in 2016-17.
The Golden Bears return to action on Saturday, Dec. 14 against Augustana (1-7, 0-4 NSIC). The Vikings lost to Minnesota Duluth (3-6, 1-3 NSIC) by a score of 61-48 on Friday night. Tip-off is scheduled for 3:30 p.m. in the Gangelhoff Center.
