SIOUX FALLS, S.D. — Behind a season-high 24 point performance from Leah Dengerud the Concordia-St. Paul women's basketball team won a wire-to-wire contest, defeating Minnesota Duluth, 81-65 to advance to the NSIC Championship for the second straight season.
For the first time since the 2007-2008 season the Golden Bears will make back-to-back appearances in the NSIC Championship game. CSP will face off against the team they took down in last season's championship game, the No.3-ranked Minnesota State Mavericks. The Golden Bears are 1-1 against MSU this season and recently knocked off the then unbeaten Mavericks in the regular season finale at the Gangelhoff Center.
"We're excited, last year we played Mankato in the championship, the girls have worked really hard to get back here," Head Coach Amanda Johnson said. "We're pumped to go play, we're going to rest tonight and get ready for a later game at four tomorrow."
It was a team effort from start to finish for CSP, with six Golden Bears finding the scoresheet and four tallying double digit point totals, while shooting a collective, 56.9% (29-51) from the field.
Senior guard Leah Dengerud led the way with a season-high 24 points, 16 of which came in the second half, shooting 10-of-12 from the field and 3-of-4 from beyond the arc. Fellow senior Lydia Haack added 21 points to the effort, going 6-of-11 from the field, 1-of-2 from three and 8-of-10 at the free throw line, adding in six rebounds, four assists and two steals.
"Being my senior year, I just want to go out with a bang," Leah Dengerud said. "Not having any regrets and playing as hard as I can for my team to get us to this point."
Lauren Wilson dropped 14 points on 5-of-10 shooting, knocking down a pair of threes, grabbing three rebounds and dishing out six assists. Ashley Schuelke notched 10 points in the win, going 5-of-7 from the field with six boards and three assists. Emma Mommsen chipped in seven points and Avery Moeller added five off the bench in the win.
CSP hit at a 40% clip from beyond the arc (6-15) while UMD hit at a 39.1% (9-23) clip from three and a 40.4% (19-47) clip from the field.
The Golden Bears got hot from the opening jump opening up a 9-2 lead on a Lauren Wilson three ball two minutes into the opening quarter. CSP continued to pour hit on in the first, hitting at a 64.3% (9-14) clip for the quarter and holding a 24-13 at the end of the period.
The trend continued for CSP in the second, going up 13 on a Lydia Haack steal and fastbreak bucket at the 6:51 mark of the period. UMD responded with back-to-back three balls to get within single digits, but CSP staved off the Bulldog attack by shooting 63.6 (7-11) for the quarter to lead 43-33 at the break.
CSP continued to fend off UMD's attack in the third responding to each Bulldog bucket with one of their own, growing the lead to 12 on a Ashley Schuelke layup with less than two minutes to play in the quarter and holding a seven point lead at the end of three.
UMD put together a 10-0 run, getting two within two early in the fourth, with CSP calling a timeout to regroup. Controlling play from there and opening up an eight point lead on a Leah Dengerud three ball at the 5:40 mark.
"The timeout stopped Duluth's momentum and let us take a deep breath," Johnson said. "After that we turned a corner."
The Golden Bears outscored the Bulldogs 21-7 the rest of the way, going on to secure a 16 point win and a spot in the NSIC Championship game.
CSP will take on Minnesota State in the NSIC Championship tomorrow afternoon, Mar. 3 at the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, S.D. Tip off is set for 4 p.m.
"We have a lot of players who have been in this situation before," Dengerud said. "So we know what it's like, taking it day by day, enjoying this now and getting ready for tomorrow. Just having fun and enjoying every moment."
