ST. PAUL, Minn. - The No. 11 Concordia-St. Paul women's basketball team (24-2, 18-2 NSIC) goes for a regular season NSIC Championship this weekend. The Golden Bears are on the road facing Bemidji State (6-18, 4-16 NSIC) on Friday, Feb. 21 at 7:30 p.m. and Minnesota Crookston (9-17, 7-13 NSIC) on Saturday, Feb. 22 at 5:30 p.m. 

The Golden Bears enter the weekend tied for first place in the NSIC with No. 17 Southwest Minnesota State (24-2, 18-2 NSIC). The Mustangs have won 16 straight games while CSP has won 11 straight games. This would be CSP's first regular-season conference championship since 2012-13. 

WBCA RANKINGS
The Golden Bears moved up one spot in this week's WBCA Division II rankings to No. 11. CSP moved up one spot after Coker (S.C.) fell from No. 9 to No. 13. 

Southwest Minnesota State remains at No. 17 and Minnesota State (21-5, 17-3 NSIC) remains at No. 25. In the region, Pittsburg State (23-2, 15-0 MIAA) stays at No. 5 and Fort Hays State (22-2, 13-2 MIAA) moved up one spot to No. 7. The Gorillas and the Tigers play each other this upcoming weekend. 

CENTRAL REGION RANKINGS
The Golden Bears were featured in the first edition of the NCAA Central Regional rankings. In this initial ranking, the top 10 teams in the region are unranked and put in alphabetical order. CSP was one of four NSIC teams featured in the rankings. You can read more about the regional rankings here. 

LAST TIME OUT
The Golden Bears were at home against Northern State (16-10, 13-7 NSIC) on Friday, Feb. 14 for a rematch of CSP's, 66-60, loss in Aberdeen. Sophomore guard Ashley Schuelke scored a career-high 22 points while shooting 8-11 (72.7%) from the field in the 75-69 win. 

Concordia-St. Paul was up 45-23 late in the second quarter. The Wolves stormed back in the second half, using a 15-2 run to cut the lead to 59-56 with 8:05 left. On the following possession, Schuelke drained a 3-pointer to start a 10-1 CSP run which led to the victory.

Lydia Haack scored 15 points while dishing out eight assists. She scored 11 of her 15 points from the free-throw line. Lauren Wilson added 11 points, all scored in the first half. 

Haack scored a career-high 35 points in CSP's 62-53 win over MSU Moorhead (12-14, 10-10 NSIC) on Saturday, Feb. 15. Concordia-St. Paul held the Dragons to two points in the fourth quarter while Moorhead shot 0-11 from the field. 

CSP trailed 49-37 with 5:29 left in the third quarter. The Golden Bears then outscored MSU Moorhead 25-4 the rest of the way with Haack scoring 16 of the last 25 points. Schuelke drove baseline and found Lindsey Becher for the go-ahead layup at 54-53 with 4:05 left. 

Haack's 35 points tied for the fifth most in a game in program history. Bengtson added 10 points shooting 4-7 (57.1%) from the field. Becher scored five points while grabbing a team-high nine rebounds. 

With the win, the Golden Bears finished unbeaten in the Gangelhoff Center this season at 14-0. This marked the second time CSP has finished undefeated at home, matching 2003-04's 14-0 record. 

SEASON LEADERS
Haack's average is now up to 17.2 points per game, which is tied for fifth in the NSIC. She also ranks 50th in the nation with this average and her total points ranks 25th in the country. Haack is averaging 24.2 points per game in the past five games. 

Her 4.7 assists per game is second in the NSIC and 20th in the nation. She's also averaging 4.9 rebounds per game and 1.6 steals per game. Haack has a 2.03 assist/turnover ratio which ranks second in the conference and 21st nationally. 

Becher is averaging 12.2 points per game, ranking 18th in the conference. She now leads the conference in blocked shots, averaging three per game. Becher is third in the nation in total blocks with 77 and with her blocked shot average. Her 7.8 rebounds per game ranks fifth in the NSIC. 

Leah Dengerud is scoring 10.2 points per game, which is the highest average of her career. She's adding 2.3 assists and 1.2 steals per game. Dengerud is shooting 42.2% from behind the arc, which leads the NSIC and is 13th in the nation. 

Julia Bengtson is adding 9.2 points per game, 1.6 steals per game and 1.6 assists per game. She's shooting 45.9% from the field this season. Schuelke bumped her average up to 7.3 points per game after this past weekend.

Lauren Wilson is averaging 5.5 points per game. Megan Gamble is averaging five points and 7.3 rebounds. She's sixth in the NSIC in rebounds per game. Mikayla Kanenwisher is scoring 4.6 points per game and Emma Mommsen is scoring 4.1 points per game. 

The Golden Bears are averaging 74.8 points per game, ranking third in the conference. CSP leads the NSIC in defensive ppg average, giving up 59.7 points per game. This 15-point margin is third in the conference. 

Concordia is shooting 43.4% from the field while allowing opponents to shoot an NSIC-best 36.3% from the field. The Golden Bears are shooting 35% from behind the arc, which is third in the NSIC. 

CSP leads the NSIC in assists, averaging 16.54 per game. This ranks 19th in the nation. Concordia's 1.18 assist/turnover ratio is second in the conference and 13th in the nation. The Golden Bears average 10.23 steals per game. 

The Golden Bears are averaging 5.77 blocked shots per game, leading the NSIC by 1.25 blocks. This also ranks third nationally.

MILESTONES
Haack surpassed 1,400 career points after her performances this weekend. She's now scored 1,446 points in her career and 446 points overall this season. 

Becher surpassed 300 career blocks, now totaling 304. This continues to add to her program-leading total. 

Dengerud reached 100 career steals this past weekend. Gamble grabbed her 500th career rebound, now with 503 total. Bengtson grabbed her 200th career rebound, now with 204 total. 

RECORD WATCH
Haack's scoring average is currently tied for 12th in a season in program history. She's tied with head coach Amanda Johnson's scoring average in 2006-07. An average higher than 17.7 ppg would get Haack into the top 10 all-time scoring averages in a season. 

Becher's 3.0 block average ties her own record in 2021-22 for first in program history. Her 77 total blocks this season ranks third in program history. She's four blocks behind her 81 blocks in 2021-22 for second place.

Dengerud's 42.2% 3-point percentage ranks eighth in a single season in program history. She's 2.3% away from being top five in program history. Dengerud has made 54 3-pointers this season, which is t-19th in a single season. 

The Golden Bears have won 15 straight home games dating back to last season. This surpassed 2004-06's 14-game winning streak for third place in program history. 2006-08's 23-game home winning streak ranks first and 2001-03's 18-game home winning streak is second. 

Concordia-St. Paul is on its second 11-game winning streak of the season. This is tied for sixth in program history. With two wins this weekend, the Golden Bears will tie 2010-11's 13-game winning streak for fifth in program history. 

CSP's 24-2 record is the second-most wins in a regular season in program history. This is behind 2003-04 and 2007-08, both with a 25-2 record.

IN THE NSIC STANDINGS
Concordia-St. Paul and Southwest Minnesota State are both tied for the lead in the conference standings. If both teams go 2-0 this weekend, they will share the regular season conference championship. SMSU is on the road against UMary (14-10, 11-9 NSIC) and Northern State. 

If both teams are tied after this weekend, a tiebreaker will be used to determine conference seeding. The first tiebreaker is head-to-head if two games are played. CSP and SMSU only played each other once this season, nullifying this tiebreaker. 

After that, a point rating system will be used based on conference-only games. As things stand, the Golden Bears currently have a one-point lead in the point rating system if both teams win out. There is a chance for a tie in the point rating system. In that case, CSP has the head-to-head one-game tiebreaker as the Golden Bears defeated the Mustangs 72-58 earlier this season. 

No. 25 Minnesota State (21-5, 17-3 NSIC) is one game behind in third place and has clinched a first-round bye in the NSIC Tournament. Northern State (16-10, 13-7 NSIC) is in fourth place and Sioux Falls (16-11, 12-8 NSIC) is in fifth place. The Wolves and Cougars play each other this weekend to potentially determine who receives the conference bye. 

UMary (14-10, 11-9 NSIC) is in sixth place. St. Cloud State (13-12, 10-10 NSIC) and MSU Moorhead (12-14, 10-10 NSIC) are tied for seventh place. Wayne State (11-14, 8-13 NSIC) is in ninth place.

Minnesota Crookston (9-17, 7-13 NSIC) and Minot State (8-19, 7-13 NSIC) are tied for 10th place. Winona State (10-16, 6-14 NSIC) and Minnesota Duluth (8-17, 6-14 NSIC) are tied for the 12th and final spot in the NSIC Tournament heading into the weekend. 

BEMIDJI STATE SERIES HISTORY
Series Record: CSP 35, BSU 15

The Golden Bears have won three of the last four games against the Beavers. CSP is 6-4 in the last 10 matchups against the Beavers. Concordia has only played in Bemidji once since 2019, losing that game 70-67 in 2023. CSP is 12-4 all-time on the road vs. Bemidji State. 

Concordia's longest win streak is 14 games from 2001-06. CSP won 23 of 24 games from 2001-13. Bemidji State's longest win streak is six games from 1985-2000. 

LAST MEETING WITH THE BEAVERS
CSP defeated Bemidji State, 71-51, on Jan. 18 in the Gangelhoff Center. Gamble picked up her second career double-double with 11 points and a career-high 13 rebounds. Mommsen added a career-high 14 points.

Concordia struggled early going 0-10 from behind the arc. Leading 23-21 in the second quarter, Concordia went on a 13-3 run that included Gamble hitting CSP's first 3-pointer of the game. The Golden Bears kept that momentum rolling in the third quarter outscoring the Beavers, 23-7. 

Haack also scored 14 points while shooting 7-12 (58.3%) from the field. Becher added 12 points, five rebounds and five blocks. Dengerud scored 10 points and tied her career-high with six assists. 

Erin Barrette led Bemidji State with 10 points. Sydney White scored six points and grabbed six rebounds. Aubrey Heyer added six points and four rebounds.  

ABOUT THE BEAVERS
The Beavers went 1-1 this weekend, with a 70-64 win over Augustana (6-21, 4-17 NSIC) and a 58-55 loss to Wayne State. Bemidji State has lost four out of the last five games. 

Bemidji State is led by Tieryn Plasch averaging 10.3 points per game. The sophomore is also averaging 4.1 rebounds and 2.6 assists per game. She's tied for 13th in the NSIC in assists per game. 

Rachel Koenig is averaging 8.1 points and 2.7 rebounds per game. Barette is averaging eight points per game, 2.5 assists per game and 2.2 steals per game. In the NSIC, she's tied for 16th in assists and tied for fourth in steals per game. 

Ella Giorgi is adding 6.8 points per game. Ashlynne Guenther is scoring 6.2 points per game. Heyer leads the team in rebounds averaging 4.5 per game and is scoring 5.6 points per game. 

Bemidji State is 15th in the NSIC averaging 59.5 points per game and is ninth defensively giving up 69.3 points per game. That margin is 13th in the conference at -9.8. 

The Beavers cover the perimeter well, holding teams to 29.5% from behind the arc. This is the second-best percentage in the NSIC. Bemidji State blocks 3.92 shots per game, which is tied for fifth in the conference. 

Head coach Chelsea Stoltenberg is in her 10th season with Bemidji State. She has a 77-178 record with the Beavers. 

MINNESOTA CROOKSTON SERIES HISTORY
Series Record: CSP 30, UMC 9

Concordia-St. Paul has won seven straight games against Minnesota Crookston. This includes winning eight of the last 10. Minnesota Crookston last won in 2018 at the Gangelhoff Center. 

Concordia's longest win streak is 13 games from 2005-13. UMC's longest win streak is three games from 2014-15. The Golden Bears are 12-5 all-time on the road against Crookston. CSP's last loss in Crookston was in 2015. 

LAST MEETING WITH THE GOLDEN EAGLES
The Golden Bears outscored Minnesota Crookston 34-16 in the final 14 minutes to defeat the Golden Eagles, 81-69, on Jan. 17. Trailing 60-59 in the fourth quarter, Bengtson hit back-to-back 3-pointers. This sparked an 11-0 run that ultimately helped CSP seal the win.

Haack scored 18 points to lead the Golden Bears, all of which came in the second half. Dengerud tallied 17 points shooting 6-11 (54.5%) from the field and 3-6 (50%) from behind the arc. Becher added 12 points and 12 rebounds for a double-double. 

Minnesota Crookston shot 14-27 (51.9%) from the field in the first half, which was their best shooting first half of the season at the time. UMC finished the game 25-58 (43.1%) from the field, which is the third-highest percentage CSP has allowed this season.

Emma Miller scored a game-high 27 points shooting 10-20 (50%) from the field and 5-8 (62.5%) from 3-point range. Riley Jenkins added 16 points shooting 4-6 (66.7%) from behind the arc. Nicole Hernandez finished with nine points, seven rebounds, three blocks and three assists.

ABOUT THE GOLDEN EAGLES
The Golden Eagles went 0-2 this past weekend falling to Sioux Falls and Southwest Minnesota State. UMC had a 50-46 third-quarter lead over SMSU before losing, 88-74. The weekend before, Crookston picked up wins vs. Northern State and Bemidji State. 

Miller leads the NSIC in scoring averaging 22.7 points per game. She scored a career-high 41 points in Saturday's loss to the Mustangs. The junior guard is also dishing out three assists per game and grabbing 5.2 rebounds per game. She's 10th in the NSIC in assists.

In the nation, Miller ranks first in field goal attempts and second in field goals made. She's third in total points and fifth in points per game. She also leads the nation in 3-point attempts. 

Jenkins is averaging 11.2 points per game and 6.2 rebounds per game. She's tied for 14th in rebounds per game in the conference. Hope Dudycha is scoring 7.4 points per game and Willow Thiel is adding 7.3 points per game.

Hernandez is adding 7.5 points, 7.9 rebounds and 2.8 blocks per game. She ranks second in the NSIC in blocks per game behind Becher. Her 7.9 rebounds per game is fourth in the conference. 

The Golden Eagles are sixth offensively in the NSIC averaging 73.2 points per game. They are 15th defensively giving up 74.5 points per game. That -6.7 margin is 10th in the conference. UMC is fourth in the NSIC in blocks per game averaging 4.08. 

Head coach Natalie Moynihan is in her second season as the head coach of Minnesota Crookston. She has an 18-36 record with the Golden Eagles. She won nine games last season and is aiming to surpass that total this weekend with a victory.