ST. PAUL, Minn. - It all comes down to this, the last game of the regular season and the Concordia women's basketball team vying for a spot in the postseason. The Golden Bears face off with Upper Iowa at 6:00 pm at the Gangelhoff Center this Saturday night, looking for a win over the Peacocks and a University of Mary loss in order to continue the 2008-09 season. The Concordia men also have a chance to tie for seventh place in the league standings. Watch LIVE at www.northernsun.tv. - View LIVE STATS.
The Golden Bear women are currently matched with the University of Mary at eighth place with a 10-9 NSIC record. With the tiebreak going in favor of the Marauders, there is only one way that the Golden Bear women can advance to their seventh straight postseason; Concordia must win and U-Mary must lose on Saturday night. The outlook would favor the Golden Bears at this point, as Upper Iowa is in the cellar of the NSIC standings at 1-18 (5-21 overall). The Golden Bears have never lost to the Peacocks in eight meetings. Furthermore, the University of Mary will have to get past #1-ranked Minnesota State to shut the Golden Bears out of the postseason.
Concordia is coming off of an exhiliarating 81-58 win over St. Cloud State on Wednesday evening. The team's defense has made the difference over the past few weeks, while the offense has also picked up steam. Concordia will look to senior Candace Olstad, who will be playing her final career game at the Gangelhoff, to lead the way against the Peacocks. Olstad leads Concordia in scoring this season with 13.4 ppg and is second on the glass with 6.0 rpg. She has scored in double figures in 22 games this season and posted a double-double in CU's win over St. Cloud State.
Concordia has seen improved efforts from various other players, including strong post play from junior Shandrell Duncan and a career-high scoring game from junior guard Kali Olstad. Concordia aims to attack the Peacocks from long range, where they have hit no less than seven triples in nine straight games.
The Golden Bear men have already secured a place in the NSIC Tournament, sitting at eighth place after going 12-14 overall and 10-9 in NSIC play. They have a chance to tie for seventh place in the standings with a win on Saturday, combined with a Northern State loss to Southwest Minnesota State. They would then move into a tiebreak situation.
The Peacocks sit at 13th in the league standings with a 5-21 overall record and a mark of 4-15 in the NSIC. The Golden Bears are 6-4 overall against the Peacocks and have won six of the last seven meetings.
