ST. PAUL, Minn. — The No. 22-ranked Concordia-St. Paul women's basketball team opens play at the NCAA Central Region Tournament against Northwestern Oklahoma on Friday, March 13 at 2:30 p.m. at the Taylor Center in Mankato. The NSIC Champion Golden Bears will take on the GAC Champion Lady Rangers with the winner moving on to the Regional Semifinals against the winner of the Fort Hays State/Harding game on Sunday, March 15.
No.5-ranked Minnesota State is the top seed in the region and is serving as the host for the tournament, all games will be played at the Taylor Center in Mankato. The NCAA Regional Championship is set for Monday, March 16 at 7:00 p.m.
WBCA Rankings
The Golden Bears moved up to No.22 in the most recent Women's Basketball Coaches Association Poll. CSP moved into the rankings after winning the NSIC Tournament last week defeating Minnesota State, who moved down from No.3 to No.5 in this week's poll.
CSP began the season ranked No.11 in the poll, before dropping down to No.24 earlier this season. The Golden Bears received 82 votes in the poll, after being in the others receiving votes category for the last two weeks.
Two other Central Region teams appeared in the top 25, with Fort Hays State coming in at No. 14 and Harding coming in at No. 20. Northwestern Oklahoma and Central Missouri were both in the receiving votes category with nine and seven votes.
Last Time Out
CSP completed their title defense at the NSIC Tournament last week, knocking off No.3-ranked Minnesota State in the NSIC Championship Game, 79-71 to claim the conference crown for the second straight season and sixth time in program history.
Concordia opened up the tournament with a 70-66 win over MSU Moorhead in the quarterfinals on Saturday afternoon. Ashley Schuelke led the way dropping a season-high 22 points in the win, while going 7-of-11 from the field and 4-of-6 from three.
Leah Dengerud followed with 13 points, becoming the 32nd member of the CSP 1,000 point club with a three point jumper at the 6:36 mark of the second quarter. Lydia Haack also provided 15 points in the winning effort hitting at a 50% clip (5-10) from the field.
The first period ended with a 13-13 tie, before play bounced back-and-forth with three lead changes to open the second. CSP grabbed a 21-17 lead before the Dragons stormed back to lead 33-30 at half.
The game remained tied at 49 heading into the fourth, where a pair of layups by Schuelke and Haack gave CSP a four point cushion. They never looked back, securing a four point win and advancing to the semifinals.
After an off day on Sunday, the Golden Bears returned to the Sanford Pentagon for a Monday night semifinal matchup with Minnesota Duluth. Leah Dengerud turned in a standout performance, dropping 24 points as the Golden Bears took down the Bulldogs 81-65.
CSP opened up a 9-2 lead early and held a 24-13 advantage at the end of quarter one, they continued to control play in the second and held a 10 point lead at the half.
UMD rallied in the fourth, putting together a 10-0 run to get within two, but a key timeout allowed CSP to regroup, outsourcing the Bulldogs 21-7 the rest of the way to advance to the championship game.
Tuesday's championship was the third meeting of the season between MSU and CSP, with each having won a game on their home court this season. Lauren Wilson led the charge this time, putting together an 18 point, 17 rebounds double-double, falling one rebound shy of tying the NSIC Tournament record.
Lydia Haack and Ashley Schuelke each chipped in 17 points, while Leah Dengerud scored 13 in the win.
The Mavericks held a five point lead at halftime, after two closely contested quarters. It was CSP who came out firing in the third with a 12-2 run to take a six point lead. The Golden Bears eventually stretched their lead to 10 in the fourth on back-to-back Schuelke three balls, closing it out from there to win their second straight conference title.
Milestones & Record Watch
Lydia Haack and Lauren Wilson both surpassed the 500 point mark for the season at the NSIC Tournament. For Haack her 540 points are the most in a single season in her career, passing the 538 points she posted for CSP last season, good for fourth in program history in single season scoring.
Haack currently sits fifth all-time on the CSP career scoring average list at 17.4 points per game. The senior guard also ranks 11th all-time in assists with 329 and sixth all-time in assists per game at 5.3 per game.
For Wilson her 519 points are the most in a single season in her career and the first time she has passed 500 points in a season. Her 260 rebounds are also a single-season career high and place her 13th all-time in program history in single season rebounding.
The Golden Bears enter Friday's game riding a 16 game winning streak, marking the third longest streak in program history and matching last season's 16 game streak they entered the NCAA Tournament with. The longest win streak in program history is 18 games, which CSP has managed twice in 2007-08 and 1976-77.
Season Leaders
Haack leads the Golden Bears in scoring this season, averaging 18.0 points per game, good for 43rd in Division II, her 540 points rank 34th in the country. Haack is also averaging 6.2 assists per game, good for fourth in Division II, while ranking fifth in assist/turnover ratio at 2.67. Haack leads the team in steals, averaging 2.4 per game, which ranks third in the NSIC.
Wilson is second on the team averaging 17.3 points per game, while leading CSP in rebounding averaging 8.7 rebounds per game, good for third in the NSIC this season. Wilson leads the team in field goal percentage, hitting at a 49.2% clip (183-372) this season.
On defense Wilson leads the team in blocks, averaging 1.3 per game, good for fourth in the NSIC while averaging 1.6 steals per game.
Leah Dengerud is averaging 11.5 points, 4.4 rebounds and 1.3 steals per game this season. The senior is also shooting 40% from the field and 34.4% from beyond the arc this season and leads the team with 54 three point buckets.
Ashley Schuelke is averaging 9.2 points, 3.6 rebounds and 2.7 assists per game this season, while shooting 43.6% from the floor. Emma Mommsen is averaging 6.6 points, 5.4 rebounds and 1.0 blocks per game this season.
Avery Moeller leads the Golden Bears off the bench with 7.1 points per game this season while shooting 39.4% from beyond the arc.
As a team the Golden Bears are averaging 76.9 points per game, good for 17th in Division II, while allowing 65.9 points per game. Their scoring margin of 11.0 ranks second in the NSIC and 41st in Division II. CSP also ranks 28th nationally in field goal percentage, shooting at a 43.8% clip this season.
NCAA Tournament History
The Golden Bears have appeared in the NCAA Tournament 11 times while holding a 10-11 record across 21 games at the dance. CSP has made three trips to the NCAA Central Region Championship, with a 1-2 record in those games.
CSP's only win in the regional championship came during the 2013-14 season, when the seventh-seeded Golden Bears knocked off No.2 Harding and No.3 Central Missouri before defeating No.1 Emporia State in the championship game, 70-67. Earning a trip to the Elite Eight, before falling to Nova Southeastern.
2025-26 marks the second time the Golden Bears have earned the second seed in the region after earning the No.2 seed last season. CSP has earned the No.1 seed and the right to host once, during the 2003-04 season where they fell to South Dakota State in the semifinals.
CSP's full NCAA Tournament history can be found here.
Northwestern Oklahoma Preview
Series History: 0-0
No.2 CSP v. No.7 NWOKSU - Friday, March 13 at 2:30 p.m. - Taylor Center
The Golden Bears and Lady Rangers have never played against each other, with Friday's first round game serving as the first meeting between the two teams. Northwestern Oklahoma enters the tournament as the seven seed after defeating Southeastern Oklahoma State, 71-64 to win the Great American Conference Championship.
About the Lady Rangers
Northwestern Oklahoma is 22-9 this season with a 14-8 record in GAC play, finishing in second place in the GAC during the regular season behind No. 14 Harding.
The Lady Rangers grabbed a one point win over East Central in the GAC Quarterfinals, before taking down third seeded Arkansas Tech in the semifinals. NWOKSU went on to defeat Southeastern Oklahoma in the championship game behind a 24 point night from Kira Bass.
2026 will mark the Lady Rangers first appearance at the NCAA Central Region Tournament after earning the automatic bid.
The Lady Rangers are fifth in the GAC in scoring this season, averaging 69.4 points per game, while allowing 58.1 points per game on defense, good for 42nd in Division II.
Kira Bass leads the way for Northwestern Oklahoma this season, averaging 20.5 points per game this season, good for 10th in Division II to earn GAC Player of the Year honors. Bass is also averaging 9.6 rebounds per game, which ranks 29th in Division II, while shooting 49% from the field.
Conley Cayot is averaging 9.5 points, 4.2 rebounds and 2.5 assists, while shooting 40.8% from the floor this season. Kennedy is averaging 9.5 points per game this season Summya Adigun is averaging 9.2 points and 5.4 rebounds per game and Jaida Shipp is averaging 8.9 points off the bench this season.
Central Region at a Glance
Quarterfinals - Friday, March 13
No.3 Fort Hays State v. No.6 Harding - 12 p.m.
Fort Hays State enters the tournament after falling 77-68 to Missouri Western in the MIAA Quarterfinals. The Tigers are 24-5 this season and finished second in the MIAA during the regular season.
FHSU is led by Talexa Weeter on offense, the junior was recently named MIAA Player of the Year and leads Division II, averaging 27.0 points per game, scoring a total of 783 points this season and averaging 8.8 rebounds per game.
Harding finished the season atop the GAC earning the No.1 seed in the conference tournament, before falling to Southeastern Oklahoma, 67-64 in the semifinals. The Lady Bisons enter the NCAA Tournament with a 24-6 overall record.
Josie Williams leads the way on offense for Harding this season, averaging 13.1 points per game, with 5.2 rebounds and 1.3 steals per game, earning First Team All-GAC honors.
No.1 Minnesota State v. No.8 Minnesota Duluth - 5 p.m.
Fellow NSIC opponents Minnesota State and Minnesota Duluth will face off in the first round on Friday night.
The Mavericks enter the tournament as the No.1 seed with a 29-2 record after falling in the NSIC Championship to CSP last week. Minnesota State is led by Natalie Bremer who ranks sixth in Division II, averaging 21.9 points per game. Bremer was recently named NSIC South Division Player of the Year and First Team All-NSIC.
The Bulldogs enter the tournament as the No.8 seed after taking down Winona State in the NSIC Quarterfinals and falling to CSP in the semifinals, 81-65. UMD owns a 20-8 overall record this season and finished as the NSIC North Division Champions.
Myra Moorjani leads the Bulldogs on offense, averaging 13.7 points per game this season, earning All-NSIC First Team Honors.
No.4 Central Missouri v. No.5 Washburn - 7:30 p.m.
Central Missouri enters the tournament as the fourth seed after finishing the regular season atop the MIAA, before falling to Washburn in the MIAA Championship game. The Jennies own a 25-6 overall record this season.
The Jennies are led by sophomore Taylor Weishaar, who was recently named First Team All-MIAA and MIAA All-Defensive Team. Weishaar is averaging 15.1 points, 8.0 rebounds and 1.6 blocks per game this season.
Washburn punched their ticket to the NCAA Central Region Tournament by taking down the top-seeded Jennies in the MIAA Tournament. The Ichabods enter the tournament with an overall record of 24-7 this season.
Payton Sterk leads the Ichabods in scoring this season, averaging 12.2 points per game. Sterk is also averaging 3.0 rebounds and 1.5 steals per game.
