BEMIDJI, Minn. - The No. 11 Concordia-St. Paul women's basketball team (25-2, 19-2 NSIC) picked up a 70-39 win over Bemidji State (6-19, 4-17 NSIC) on Friday night. This marked the second-lowest point total the Golden Bears have held a team to this season.
With the win, the Golden Bears remain tied for first place in the NSIC standings with No. 17 Southwest Minnesota State (25-2, 19-2 NSIC). The Mustangs picked up an 86-77 win over UMary (S.D.) (14-11, 11-10 NSIC) on Friday night. Southwest Minnesota State faces Northern State (S.D.) (17-10, 14-7 NSIC) on Saturday.
CSP trailed 12-5 to start the game. After a timeout, the Golden Bears regrouped and went on a 13-0 run to end the opening quarter. Lindsey Becher and Lauren Wilson started the run in the paint while Julia Bengtson hit the go-ahead 3-pointer.
The Golden Bears never trailed again in the game as they carried that momentum into the second quarter. After a 3-pointer by the Beavers, Ashley Schuelke responded with one of her own to spark a 20-2 run. The run featured a banked-in 3-pointer by Lydia Haack and was capped off by another 3-pointer by Megan Gamble.
Concordia outscored Bemidji State 20-7 in the quarter to lead 38-19 at halftime. Bemidji State had six turnovers while Concordia didn't turn the ball over once. CSP took 11 more shots in the period than the Beavers.
The game slowed down for both teams in the third quarter with Bemidji State taking an 11-9 advantage. The Golden Bears emerged once again in the fourth quarter sparked by a pair of Schuelke 3-pointers. CSP outscored BSU 23-9 in the period with nine different players scoring.
Becher led the Golden Bears with 15 points, four rebounds, two steals and two blocks. This is her 19th double-digit scoring game this season. She shot 6-10 (60%) from the field and 3-4 (75%) from the free-throw line.
Schuelke scored 12 points shooting 4-8 (50%) from behind the arc. She also added four rebounds, two assists and two steals. Haack added nine points, seven rebounds, three assists and three steals. She led the team in assists and steals.
Bengtson scored eight points with four rebounds and two assists. Emma Mommsen finished with six points and grabbed a team-high nine rebounds. Wilson added six points, four rebounds and two assists.
Gamble grabbed seven rebounds while scoring five points and tallying two steals. Mikayla Kanenwisher scored three points and Leah Dengerud scored two points. Lauren Feddema and Raegan Alexander each scored two points while Kierstin Kriewaldt picked up a steal.
CSP tied its season low in turnovers, only giving the ball away six times. The team's 14 steals tied for the fourth-most in a game this season. This is CSP's 13th game of the season with 10 or more steals.
Concordia finished the game shooting 26-69 (37.7%) from the field while Bemidji State shot 15-49 (30.6%). This was the sixth-lowest shooting percentage the Golden Bears have allowed this season. The Golden Bears tied their season high making nine 3-pointers. This is the fifth time that CSP has reached that mark.
The Golden Bears outrebounded Bemidji State 43-30 and out-assisted the Beavers 13-5. CSP outscored BSU 21-4 on turnovers, 19-0 on second chances, 15-2 on fast breaks and 30-24 in the paint. Concordia held the lead for 33:52.
Concordia-St. Paul's 25-2 regular season record ties 2003-04 and 2007-08 for the most wins in a regular season in program history. The Golden Bears have an opportunity to surpass that win total on Saturday vs. Minnesota Crookston (9-18, 7-14 NSIC).
CSP has now won 12 straight games, surpassing this season's 11-0 start. This is the sixth-longest winning streak in program history. The Golden Bears have the opportunity to tie 2010-11's 13-game winning streak on Saturday for fifth all-time.
If the Golden Bears and Mustangs remain tied for the conference lead after Saturday's games, the NSIC's point rating system tiebreaker will be used. In the current unofficial projection, both teams would be tied at 99 points with wins on Saturday. The next tiebreaker would be the head-to-head matchup this season on Dec. 7, 2024, where the Golden Bears picked up a 72-58 win in Marshall.
No. 25 Minnesota State (22-5, 18-3 NSIC) is one game behind CSP and SMSU in the conference standings. Northern State clinched the final first-round bye in the NSIC Tournament with a 75-72 win over Sioux Falls (S.D.) (16-12, 12-9 NSIC) on Friday night.
Concordia-St. Paul and Minnesota Crookston tip-off at 5:30 p.m. on Saturday in Crookston. The Golden Eagles fell to Minnesota Duluth (9-17, 7-14 NSIC) on Friday, putting them in a three-way tie for the 12th and final spot in the NSIC Tournament. Minnesota Crookston is led by the NSIC's leading scorer, Emma Miller, averaging 22.8 points per game.
