ST. PAUL, Minn. - The No. 21 Concordia-St. Paul women's basketball team (14-2, 8-2 NSIC) is back at home in the Gangelhoff Center this weekend to face Minnesota Crookston (6-10, 4-6 NSIC) and Bemidji State (4-10, 2-8 NSIC). Tip-offs are scheduled for 7:30 p.m. on Friday, Jan. 17 vs. the Golden Eagles and 5:30 p.m. on Saturday, Jan. 18 vs. the Beavers.  

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.

LAST TIME OUT
CSP won 72-55 on Wednesday, Jan. 8, in a midweek match against St. Cloud State (9-6, 6-4 NSIC). The Golden Bears stole the ball a season-high 16 times in the victory and held SCSU to 19-55 (34.5%) from the field.

CSP used an 11-2 run to end the first half and started the second half on an 8-2 run to lead 45-31. The Golden Bears eventually extended that lead to 22 points with 2:30 left to play. Concordia finished the game outscoring SCSU 42-18 in the paint and 24-6 off of turnovers. 

Senior guard Julia Bengtson scored a team-high 23 points and stole the ball a career-high six times in the victory. She shot 10-15 (67.7%) from the field which also marked a career-high in field goals made for the senior.

Lydia Haack added 19 points, eight assists, three steals and a career-high three blocks. The Golden Bears scored 20 points on her eight assists. Leah Dengerud totaled 14 points after tying her career high making four 3-pointers. 

WBCA RANKINGS
The Golden Bears jumped three spots to No. 21 in this week's WBCA rankings. CSP is tied for No. 21 with Belmont Abbey (N.C.). Both teams earned 98 points in the poll.

Minnesota State (15-2, 9-0 NSIC) jumped up one spot to No. 10 earning 361 points in the poll. Southwest Minnesota State (14-2, 8-2 NSIC) also jumped up two spots to No. 23. The Mustangs earned 83 points in the poll. 

SEASON LEADERS
Haack leads the Golden Bears in scoring average at 15.9 points per game. That ranks seventh in the NSIC. She's averaging 4.9 assists per game which ranks second in the conference and 22nd nationally. Her 1.6 steals per game is tied for 10th in the NSIC. 

Senior center Lindsey Becher is averaging 13.2 points per game and a team-high 8.1 rebounds per game. She is 14th in the conference in scoring and fifth in rebounding. Her 2.4 blocks per game ranks second in the NSIC and 10th in the nation. She is sixth in the nation in total blocks with 39 on the season. 

Dengerud is averaging 10.3 points per game which is her best average in three seasons with CSP. She's also adding 2.8 rebounds, 2.5 assists and 1.2 steals per game. Her 41.6% 3-point percentage ranks second in the conference and 23rd in the nation (minimum 50 attempts). 

Bengtson has bumped her averages up to 9.4 points per game and 1.6 steals per game. She's shooting 44.7% from behind the arc in 47 attempts. Her 1.6 steals per game is tied with Haack for 10th in the NSIC. 

Ashley Schuelke is scoring 6.5 points per game. Megan Gamble and Lauren Wilson are each adding 5.1 points per game. Gamble's 7.3 rebounds per game ranks sixth in the NSIC. 

As a team, the Golden Bears are third in the NSIC in scoring offense averaging 74.3 points per game. CSP remains at the top of the conference in scoring defense, allowing an NSIC-low 60.9 points per game. The team's +13.4 point margin ranks third in the NSIC.

CSP is fourth in shooting percentage in the NSIC at 42.5% this season. The Golden Bears are holding opponents to 36.2% from the field, which leads the conference. Concordia is shooting 35.8% from the 3-point line, which ranks third in the NSIC and 20th in the nation. CSP leads the NSIC in free-throw percentage at 79.2%, which also ranks 11th in the nation. 

The Golden Bears are second in turnover margin in the NSIC at +2.31. CSP's 1.11 assist/turnover ratio leads the conference and is 23rd in the nation. CSP leads the NSIC in blocked shots at 5.31 per game and assists at 16.38 per game. The Golden Bears are second in the NSIC in steals per game averaging 9.81.

MILESTONES
After her 23-point performance, Bengtson surpassed 500 career points. The senior guard has now totaled 503 points in her career after scoring 150 this season with the Golden Bears.

The Golden Bears enter this weekend 8-0 in the Gangelhoff Center this season. With two wins this weekend, CSP will match the third-best home start since 1999-2000. This would tie the 2007-08 team that started 10-0 in the Gangelhoff Center. 

RECORD WATCH
Becher broke the program record for blocks in a career at the 5:14 mark in the first quarter against the Huskies. This marked 265 career blocks for the CSP senior, breaking the school record previously held by Kionda Nicks from 2012-16. 

This season, Dengerud is currently eighth all-time in 3-point percentage in a season. In her career, she has the eight-highest free-throw percentage for a Golden Bear at 80.1%. Haack's 85.9% free-throw percentage is currently the fifth-best in a season.

IN THE NSIC STANDINGS
After having this past weekend off, the Golden Bears remain in second place but are now tied with No. 23 Southwest Minnesota State at 8-2 in NSIC play. CSP defeated the Mustangs earlier this season on Dec. 7, 2023, by a score of 72-58.

No. 10 Minnesota State leads the NSIC with a perfect 11-0 conference record. Northern State is in fourth place with a 7-3 record. UMary and St. Cloud State are tied for fifth place with 6-4 records. 

Sioux Falls is in seventh place with a 5-5 record after winning its last three games. Wayne State is in eighth with a 5-6 record. Minnesota Crookston and MSU Moorhead are tied for ninth with 4-6 records. The Dragons have lost their last six games after starting 4-0 in NSIC play. 

MINNESOTA CROOKSTON SERIES HISTORY
Series Record: CSP 29, UCM 9

The Golden Bears have won the last six matchups against the Golden Eagles and are 8-2 in the last 10. Minnesota Crookston last won in 2018 at the Gangelhoff Center. 

Concordia's longest win streak is 13 games from 2005-13. Crookston's longest win streak is three games from 2014-15. The Golden Bears are 17-4 all-time at home against the Golden Eagles. 

LAST MEETING WITH THE GOLDEN EAGLES
Concordia-St. Paul defeated the Golden Eagles 82-65 last season on Jan. 27, 2023. CSP tied the school record for blocks in a game, tallying 15 as a team. Wilson led the team with a career-high 31 points, 10 rebounds and a career-high seven blocks. This was her first career double-double. 

CSP scored the first seven points of the game which was highlighted by a Becher block that led to a Dengerud 3-pointer. After a back-and-forth second quarter, the Golden Bears outscored Minnesota Crookston 25-11 in the third quarter to take a game-high 31-point lead. 

Dengerud scored 17 points shooting 4-6 behind the arc. This was a career-high for her before she broke it earlier this season vs. Southwest Minnesota State. Kanenwisher added 10 points and Becher scored nine points. 

Minnesota Crookston was led by Emma Miller scoring 29 points. Janie Tormanen added 10 points. Olivia Walsh and Nicole Hernandez combined for eight total blocks. 

ABOUT THE GOLDEN EAGLES
Minnesota Crookston enters the game after going 1-1 this past weekend with an 80-79 win over Winona State and a 95-56 loss to No. 10 Minnesota State. The Golden Eagles have won two of their last five games. 

UMC is seventh in the NSIC in scoring offense averaging 67.7 points per game and 15th in the NSIC in scoring defense giving up 75.6 points per game. Crookston's -7.9 points margin is 12th in the NSIC. The Golden Eagles average the third-most blocks in the conference at 4.31 per game.

Miller is the leading scorer in the NSIC this season averaging 21.3 points per game. She's seventh in the NSIC in 3-point percentage at 29.4%. The junior guard is also averaging 5.1 rebounds, 2.6 assists and 1.4 steals per game. 

Sophomore Riley Jenkins is averaging 11 points per game for the Golden Eagles. She's also adding 5.8 rebounds, 2.8 assists and 1.3 steals per game. Jenkins is shooting 43% from the field and 28% from behind the arc this season.

Hernandez leads the NSIC in blocks per game averaging 3.0. The senior forward is also averaging a team-high 8.3 rebounds per game. She's averaging 6.4 points per game. 

Hope Dudycha returns for her sophomore season averaging 8.6 points per game. Freshman Willow Thiel has entered the mix for the Golden Eagles this season averaging 7.1 points per game. 

Natalie Moynihan is in her second season as the head coach of Minnesota Crookston. She has a 15-29 record with the Golden Eagles.

BEMIDJI STATE SERIES HISTORY
Series Record: CSP 34, BSU 15

The Golden Bears are 6-4 in the last 10 matchups against the Beavers. CSP won last year's matchup 74-30 after losing 2023's matchup, 70-67. 

The Golden Bears' longest win streak is 2001-06. CSP won 23 of 24 games from 2001-13. Bemidji State's longest win streak is six games from 1985-2000. The Golden Bears are 18-3 all-time at home.

LAST MEETING WITH THE BEAVERS
CSP held the Beavers to a season-low 30 points in last season's win at the Gangelhoff Center on Jan. 26, 2023. Lauren Feddema led the Golden Bears with a career-high 12 points after shooting 4-6 from the field. 

The Golden Bears led 21-4 after the opening quarter where Bemidji State shot 1-15 from the field. Bemidji State ended up finishing the game shooting 12-55 (21.8%) from the field. The 44-point margin of victory was Concordia's largest of the season.

Becher and Ally Gietzel each scored 10 points. Schuelke and Emma Mommsen scored nine points each. Mommsen's nine points marked a career-high. Gamble and Wilson each scored eight points. Mikayla Kanenwisher dished out a team-high seven assists. 

Bemidji State was led by Alyssa Hill with 10 points. Hill also blocked two shots. Ashlynne Guenther added seven points and four rebounds. 

ABOUT THE BEAVERS
Bemidji State went 0-2 this past weekend, losing 96-64 to No. 10 Minnesota State and 75-57 to Winona State. The Beavers have picked up conference wins this season against Augustana (S.D.) and St. Cloud State. 

In the NSIC, the Beavers are tied for 13th in scoring offense averaging 60.9 points per game, and 10th in scoring defense giving up 69.4 points per game. Their -8.6 point margin is 13th in the NSIC. 

Sophomore guard Tieryn Plasch leads the Beavers averaging 10.2 points per game. She's shooting 30-74 (45.3%) from behind the arc this season. She's also adding 4.0 rebounds per game and 2.4 assists per game to her totals.

Junior forward Rachel Koenig is averaging 9.1 points per game. Senior guard Erin Barrtte is averaging 8.8 points per game and a team-high 2.7 assists per game. Ella Giorgi is averaging 6.2 points per game and a team-high 1.1 blocks per game. 

Finland native Janette Hanni is averaging 6.4 points per game. Freshman Aubrey Heyer leads the Beavers in rebounds averaging 5.2 per game while adding 5.4 points per game. Guenther returns for her sophomore season averaging 5.9 points per game. 

Head coach Chelsea Stoltenberg is in her 10th season coaching at Bemidji State. She has a 75-170 record as the head coach of the Beavers.