By: CJ Wrzesien
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.
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.
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 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.
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