ST. PAUL, Minn. - Lydia Haack tied her career-high with 30 points as the No. 14 Concordia-St. Paul women's basketball team (21-2, 15-2 NSIC) defeated Sioux Falls (S.D.) (13-11, 9-8), 82-74. Haack added eight rebounds, four assists and three steals in Thursday's victory in the Gangelhoff Center. 

CSP trailed once in the game as Sioux Falls mounted a 45-40 lead in the third quarter, marking the Cougars' largest of the game. The Golden Bears went 4:20 without a field goal to allow Sioux Falls to take the lead. 

After that drought, Concordia went on a 16-2 run sparked by a Lindsey Becher and-1. Mikayla Kanenwisher added seven straight points of her own to end the run. The Golden Bears were stout defensively during the run as well with three steals and two Becher blocks. 

Becher scored 14 points while blocking a season-high seven shots. She also dished out four assists and grabbed four rebounds. Leah Dengerud added 14 points making four 3-pointers. Kanenwisher finished with 10 points and an assist. 

The Golden Bears started the game on a 15-2 run with Dengerud hitting two 2-pointers and Haack nailing one of her own. After that, Sioux Falls settled down with a 9-0 run of its own. Both teams went back and forth in the first half, with Haack making a jumper in the paint as time expired to give CSP a 33-28 halftime lead. 

After Concordia led 58-49 after the third quarter, the Golden Bears were able to maintain that lead in the fourth quarter behind 13 points from Haack. The junior guard shot 5-8 (62.5%) in the final period while playing all 10 minutes. CSP only turned the ball over once in the final period, a shot clock violation. 

Sioux Falls had 22 turnovers compared to only seven for the Golden Bears. The 22 turnovers tied the second most in a game for the Cougars this season. CSP outscored USF 31-7 on turnovers. 

Haack's 30 points ties her career-high that she set at Upper Iowa in 2021 vs. St. Cloud State. It broke her season-high of 27 points vs. Missouri Southern State on Nov. 8, 2024. This is the most points a Golden Bear has scored this season, surpassing Julia Bengtson's 28 points in the last matchup vs. Sioux Falls. 

Bengtson finished with six points, three assists and two steals. Megan Gamble tied Haack's rebound total with eight while scoring four points. Emma Mommsen and Lauren Wilson each scored two points. 

Sioux Falls was led by Kami Wadsworth with 25 points and seven rebounds. Alexis Rose added 16 points. Aby Phipps had a double-double with 11 points and 11 rebounds. Anna Vaaler also had a double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds. 

The Cougars outrebounded CSP 41-30. The Golden Bears outscored Sioux Falls 34-22 in the paint, 10-8 on second chances and 12-10 on fast breaks. CSP shot 28-65 (43.1%) from the field while Sioux Falls shot 27-56 (48.2%). 

Concordia-St. Paul remains undefeated at home with a 12-0 record this season. CSP has now won 13 straight home games, marking the fourth-longest home winning streak in program history. Concordia, No. 19 Southwest Minnesota State (21-2, 15-2 NSIC) and No. 21 Minnesota State (19-4, 15-2 NSIC) remain tied for first place in the NSIC after the win. 

The Golden Bears are back in action on the road Saturday against Wayne State (Neb.) (10-11, 7-10 NSIC). The Wildcats fell 96-56 to Minnesota State on Thursday night. Tip-off is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. at the Rice Auditorium in Wayne, Neb.