ST. PAUL, Minn. - If there was just one weekend to come out to the Gangelhoff Center to catch some hoops action, this weekend would be it! The Concordia women's team, ranked #23 in the nation, takes on its toughest Friday/Saturday set of the year, bringing in Augustana College and Wayne State on respective evenings. CU and Augie are tied for the lead in the NSIC with identical 15-3 overall and 9-2 NSIC records, while Wayne State is fourth in the league at 14-4, 7-4 NSIC. The Golden Bears are undefeated on the GC hardwood this season, but the three teams in action have the highest scoring offenses in the league this year, making the games guaranteed thrillers. Both games tip off at 6:00 pm, so get down to the gym to catch the action! COMPLETE RELEASE - LIVE STATS - WATCH LIVE - LISTEN LIVE
The Golden Bears will set out to repeat a throttling that they gave Augustana College in a non-conference dual early this season. Taking a 95-68 win over the Vikings, the Golden Bears had a tremendous defensive performance, limiting Augie to just 1-of-20 shooting from three-point range. The Vikings have rallied their long range shooting since that game and now lead the NSIC with an average 9.22 distance shots made per game. Using the speed of CU's guards will be important in stopping Augie's transition game and also in getting a hand in the face of Viking shooters to minimize their open looks at the hoop. Rebounding was also a huge part of the game earlier this season. The Golden Bears took a 21 board advantage by the end of the game.
Despite the importance of Friday's game, the following night's matchup with Wayne State College will be just as thrilling. It looks to pit Concordia's tremendous offense against a startlingly strong Wildcat defense. Wayne State has limited opponents to just 55.1 ppg and lead the NSIC with a +20.9 scoring margin. Post play has been instrumental to the Wildcats, with forward Ashley Arlen and center Mara Hjelle combining for a team high 22 points and 15.7 rebounds per game. The duo also leads the team in steals, although the entire lineup has gained its fair share of take-aways, allowing WSC to lead the league with 11.61 steals per game. The Golden Bears will have to shut down Wayne posts and force the team's guards to produce. CU will also have to take good care of the ball and put out a balanced scoring attack.
The Golden Bears have been the strongest and most balanced team in the NSIC this season and, despite dropping a game each over the past two weekend, they are still hanging on to a share of the league's lead. Playing in the comfort of the Gangelhoff Center, CU has gone undefeated at home and will rely on a home court advantage to bring back the might of their game. The Golden Bears are a highly athletic and quick team, running up the score through a speedy transition game and applying a full court press that has frustrated opponents all season long. They have skilled shooters that have put up an NSIC high and the NCAA's 12th best field goal average of 46.9%. It will be a huge boost for Concordia to come out fresh this weekend and have the depth they need to really shut down two very talented opponents.
The team has plenty of players who can shine offensively on any given night, but has been most successful when a variety of players attack from all around the court. Guard Maurika Hickman is Concordia's new scoring leader with 13.7 ppg. She also leads the team with a 51.9% shooting average. Guard Jineen Williams started the season out extremely hot offensively and now has 12.8 ppg, leading CU with 61 assists on the year. She is also a key part of Concordia's rebounding game, coming in second on the year with 6.5 rpg. Gillian Bjerke has been CU's top threat in the paint with 11.6 points and 6.6 rebounds per game. Bjerke has the ability to solidly defend opponents down low, a skill she will have to employ this weekend. There is also the three-point shooter in senior Kali Olstad (42 3FG), who has been a solid rebounder this season (6.4), and the steal/assist provider in Jamie Jones. Zoraa Quoie and Chanica Hall also have breakout scoring capabilities as viable options off of the bench.
