ST. PAUL, Minn. — After coming away with a two-game road sweep of Jamestown and Northern State, the Concordia-St. Paul women's basketball is back on the road this weekend for two more games against North Division Opponents.
On Friday the Golden Bears head north to Bemidji to take on the Bemidji State Beavers, with tip-off scheduled for 5:30 p.m. On Saturday CSP heads down Highway 2 for an afternoon matchup with the Minnesota Duluth Bulldogs, with tip-off set for 3:30 p.m.
The Golden Bears are currently riding a three-game winning streak after wins over Jamestown and Northern this past weekend, and have won six of their last seven games dating back to Dec. 20. CSP currently holds a 11-6 overall record and a 7-5 record in conference play, and are in sixth place in the NSIC.
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Last Time Out
The Golden Bears got their weekend road trip underway with a blowout win over Jamestown Friday night. 12 players found the scoresheet as CSP dismantled the Jimmies by a score of 83-50.
Avery Moeller was the leading scorer on the night, dropping a career high 13 points while hitting on 4-of-7 attempts from the field and 3-of-5 from beyond the arc. Two other Golden Bears tallied double digits in the win, with Ashley Schuelke and Ava Thompson scoring 10 points each.
The offensive onslaught was made possible by an efficient shooting performance from CSP, shooting 27-of-61 (44.3%) from the floor, while tying as season-high for three-point buckets with 14 and hitting at a 46.7% clip from beyond the arc.
The Jimmies led just once in the contest, taking a 4-2 lead early in the first quarter. CSP closed the quarter with a 18-4 and a 20-8 lead, never giving it back as the Golden Bears led for the remaining 38:01 of game time, en route to a 33 point win.
CSP wrapped up a winning road trip on Saturday afternoon in Aberdeen, taking down Northern State, 78-51.
The Golden Bear offense continued to stay hot, shooting 29-0f-57 (50.9%) from the field and 7-of-18 (38.9%) from beyond the arc. The offensive attack was led by a trio of scorers in Lydia Haack, Lauren Wilson and Emma Mommsen.
Haack scored a team-leading 15 points in the win, going 7-of-11 from the field, with 6 rebounds and 4 assists. Wilson tallied 14 points in the win, hitting at a 50% clip from the floor, while hitting 4-of-5 attempts at the free throw line, with 5 assists, 1 block and 1 steal.
Junior center Emma Mommsen collected 13 points in the win, hitting on 4-of-6 shots from the floor, with 3 blocks and 3 boards as well.
The Wolves held a 8-5 lead early on, with CSP leading 16-11 at the end of the first, thanks to a 9-3 run. The Golden Bears broke it open in the second outscoring Northern 24-16 to hold a 13 point lead at the break.
A quick 7-0 run by the Wolves to open the third cut the CSP lead to just six. The Golden Bears continued to answer with big buckets, growing the lead to double digits once more and holding a 60-46 lead at the end of three. Blowing it wide open in the final quarter, courtesy of a 16-3 run, holding the Wolves to just five points in the final period to win by 27.
Golden Bears by the Numbers
The Golden Bears are second in the NSIC in scoring offense this season, averaging 77.5 points per game, placing them 15th in Division II. CSP ranks eighth in the conference in scoring defense, allowing an average of 69.2 ppg this season.
On the glass, Concordia ranks third in the conference in combined team rebounds, averaging 39.9 per game. Opponents are averaging 37.9 rpg against CSP this season.
As a team the Golden Bears are shooting at a 42.9% clip this season, good for ninth in the NSIC in team field goal percentage. The CSP defense is holding opponents to a 39.2% shooting percentage, good for third in the conference.
From beyond the arc the Golden Bears are shooting at a 32.8% clip, good for 10th in the NSIC. Opponents are hitting at a 35.7% clip from three-point range against CSP this season.
On defense CSP leads the conference in blocked shots, averaging 4.88 per game, which ranks 12th in Division II. The Golden Bears are third in the conference in steals at 8.71 per game. CSP also leads the NSIC and ranks third nationally in assist/turnover ratio at 1.31.
Lauren Wilson leads the team and ranks third in the conference in scoring averaging 20.1 points per game, good for 13th in Division II. Lydia Haack is second on the team at 18.2 ppg, good for sixth in the NSIC and 31st in Division II.
Leah Dengerud is third on the team at 10.1 ppg, Ashley Schuelke is averaging 8.4 ppg. Lauren Feddema is the Golden Bears leading scorer off the bench at 6.1 ppg. Emma Mommsen and Avery Moeller are averaging 6.0 ppg as well.
Wilson leads the team and ranks second in the NSIC in rebounding at 9.4 per game. Lydia Haack is second on the team at 5.8 per game, Emma Mommsen is averaging 4.7 rpg and Leah Dengerud is averaging 4.4 per game.
The team leader in shooting percentage is Lauren Wilson, hitting at a 53.1% (121-of-228) clip this season, good for third in the NSIC. Lydia Haack is second on the team, going 109-of-249 (43.8%) from the floor this season. Leah Dengerud is third on the team in made and attempted field goals, going 56-of-147 (38.1%) from the field this season.
Ashley Schuelke is 54-of-131 (41.2%) shooting this season, Emma Mommsen is 41-of-99 (41.4%) and Lauren Feddema is 31-of-76 (40.8%).
Lydia Haack is CSP's leading three-point shooter, hitting on 34-of-84 (40.5%) of attempts from beyond the arc, good for second in the NSIC. Lauren Feddema is 16-of-42 (38.1%) from three-point range and Avery Moeller is 23-of-63 (36.5%) from three this season.
Lydia Haack leads the NSIC and ranks third in Division II in assists, averaging 6.6 per game. Haack also leads the conference and ranks sixth nationally in assist/turnover ratio at 2.80.
Lauren Wilson is second in the NSIC in blocked shots at 1.5 per game, Emma Mommsen is sixth at 1.1 per game. Lydia Haack is sixth in the NSIC in steals, averaging 2.2 per game.
Series History: Bemidji State
Series Record: CSP 36, BSU 15
The Golden Bears and Beavers are familiar foes, having faced off on 51 previous occasions, with CSP holding a 36-15 advantage dating back to February of 1978.
As NSIC opponents the series is more lopsided with CSP holding a 31-6 record against the Beavers in conference play since January of 2000. The Golden Bears have won four of their last five meetings with the Beavers including three in a row dating back to 2022.
Last season the Golden Bears took both meetings with the Beavers, winning in blowout fashion each time.
The first meeting took place Jan. 20 at the Gangelhoff Center, with CSP coming out in top, 71-51. Emma Mommsen scored a career-high 14 points in the win, shooting 7-of-10 from the field and grabbing 7 rebounds.
Lydia Haack provided 14 points as well, shooting 7-of-12 from the field and dishing out 3 assists.
Despite a shaky first quarter that saw the Golden Bears shoot 6-of-22 from the floor, CSP still held a four point lead. Holding a narrow two-point lead in the second, a 13-3 run to close out the half propelled the Golden Bears to a 36-24 halftime lead.
CSP poured it on from there, outscoring BSU 23-7 in the third, while shooting a collective 50% from the floor and cruising to a 20 point win.
On Feb. 21 the Golden Bears and Beavers met once more, this time in Bemidji. CSP once again came out on top in dominant fashion, earning a 70-39 win over Bemidji State.
Lindsey Becher led the way for CSP, scoring 15 points in the win, Ashley Schulke dropped 12 points on 4-of-9 shooting and Lydia Haack scored 9 points in the win.
CSP trailed 12-5 early in the first, storming back with a 13-0 run to lead by six at the end of the first. The Golden Bears led from there on out, outscoring the Beavers 20-7 in the second to lead 38-19 at the half.
After a low scoring third quarter, CSP got rolling again in the fourth outscoring Bemidji 23-9 in the final period to earn a 31 point win.
About the Beavers
Bemidji State has a 7-9 overall record and 4-8 record in conference play through 16 games this season. The Beavers currently sit in 12th place in the NSIC standings.
In terms of scoring offense, the Beavers are 13th in the NSIC, averaging 67.9 points per game. On defense the Beavers are allowing an average of 71.4 ppg, placing them 11th in terms of scoring defense.
Bemidji State ranks last in the NSIC in combined team rebounds, averaging 32.2 per game. Opponents are averaging 36.9 rpg against Bemidji, placing them 10th in combined opponent rebounds.
The Beavers are shooting at a 40.7% clip from the field this season, which ranks 12th in the NSIC in team field goal percentage. Opponents are shooting 41.1% against the Beavers this season, which places them sixth in the conference in opponent field goal percentage.
Kassandra Caron leads the Beavers in scoring this season, averaging 17.8 points per game, good for eighth in the NSIC. Evyn Eppinga is second on the team, averaging 15.1 ppg, Tieryn Plasch is averaging 9.0 ppg, Gabrielle Fineday averages 5.1 ppg for the Beavers this season and Aubrey Heyer is averaging 4.9 ppg.
Aubrey Heyer leads the Beavers in rebounding at 6.8 boards per game, good for ninth in the NSIC. Kassandra Caron is second on the team at 4.7 rpg, Evyn Eppinga is averaging 3.7 rpg, Tieryn Plasch is averaging 3.6 and Ashlynne Guenther is averaging 2.7 rebounds per game.
Caron leads the Beavers in field goals made and attempts, going 97-of-205 (47.3%) from the field, ranking seventh in the NSIC in field goal percentage. Eppinga is second on the team going 83-of-190 (43.7%) from the field this season. Plasch is 51-of-133 (38.3%) shooting this season as well.
Chelsea Stoltenberg is in her 11th season as head coach of the Beavers, in her 10 seasons at the helm Bemidji State has posted a 77-180 record and 50-159 record in conference play.
Series History: Minnesota Duluth
Series Record: CSP 25, UMD 27
The Golden Bears and Bulldogs have met 52 times dating back to 1976, with UMD holding a 27-25 advantage in that span. CSP has fared better since becoming conference foes,holding a 17-12 record in NSIC matchups dating back to 2000.
The Golden Bears have won three of the last four meetings with Bulldogs, taking both games last year to sweep the season series.
On Dec. 20 CSP took down UMD in lopsided fashion, 82-38 at the Gangelhoff Center. Five different Golden Bears tallied double digits in the 44 point win. Ashley Schuelke led the way with 18 points, going 7-of-10 from the field and 4-of-6 from beyond the arc.
Lydia Haack scored 11 points, falling just shy of the triple-double with 8 rebounds and 9 assists. Leah Dengerud recorded 13 points and Lauren Wilson scored 11 points in the win.
Concordia opened the game on an 18-3 run to lead 28-6 at the end of the first quarter. The scoring slowed in the second, but CSP still held a commanding 44-16 advantage at halftime. The Golden Bears continued to run away with it in the third scoring 29 points, to seal the 44 point win.
The two teams met again on Feb. 1 in Duluth, CSP once again came away with the win by a commanding 86-61 final score. On offense the Golden Bears were led by Lindsey Becher and Lydia Haack, who scored 22 and 21 points respectively in the win.
Haack grabbed 7 rebounds and dished out 5 assists, while shooting 8-of-13 from the field.
CSP trailed by two at the end of the first quarter, despite shooting 58% from the floor. In the second the Golden Bears continued to hit from the floor, scoring 25 points to lead by 10 at the half.
Lydia Haack scored 11 points in the third, shooting at an 80% clip as CSP held a commanding, 70-47 lead through three. CSP controlled play the rest of the way, going on to win, 86-61.
About the Bulldogs
Through 16 games this season UMD is 13-3 overall and 11-1 in conference play. The Bulldogs lone conference loss came last Friday against No.2-ranked Minnesota State, 81-78 in Mankato.
UMD currently sits in first place in the North Division and second place in the overall NSIC standings.
The Bulldogs are fourth in the NSIC in scoring offense, averaging 74.1 points per game this season. UMD ranks second in the NSIC in scoring defense, allowing an average of 62.9 ppg.
On the glass the Bulldogs rank 11th in the NSIC in combined team rebounds, averaging 36.9 per game. Opponents are averaging 35.3 rebounds per game against UMD this season, placing them seventh in the conference in combined opponent rebounds.
The Bulldogs are second in the NSIC and 21st in Division II on team field goal percentage, hitting at a 44.7% clip from the field this season. Opponents are shooting 39.4% against the Bulldogs, which is the third lowest opponent field goal percentage in the conference.
Claire Bjorge and Myra Moorjani lead the Bulldogs in scoring this season, averaging 13.8 points per game through 16 games this season. Lexi Karge is averaging 10.5 ppg, Grace Counts is averaging 10.0 ppg, Ashley Fritz is averaging 6.5 and Vanessa Bickford is averaging 6.2 ppg for UMD.
Karge leads the Bulldogs in rebounding, averaging 5.4 rebounds per game. Myra Moorjani is second on the team in rebounding at 4.1 rpg, Maria Counts is averaging 4.1 rpg as well.
Claire Borje leads the Bulldogs in made and attempted field goals this season, going 88-of-195 (45.1%) from the field, good for 12th in the NSIC. Grace Counts is UMD's most efficient shooter this season, going 65-of-125 (52%) from the floor, Lexi Karge is 64-of-127 (50.4%) shooting this season as well.
Myra Moorjani leads the Bulldogs in three-point shooting this season, going 37-of-92 (40.2%) from beyond the arc, good for third in the NSIC in three-point field goal percentage.
Mandy Peterson is in her 11th season as head coach of the Bulldogs. In her 10 seasons at the helm, Peterson has a 185-96 overall record and 140-67 record in NSIC play.
