ST. PAUL, Minn. - Concordia University-St. Paul ended the third quarter on a 13-2 run on their way to a 94-74 win over the University of Minnesota Crookston Saturday, January 10 at the Gangelhoff Center. The Golden Eagles were within two points with 3:44 remaining in the third, and even held a 52-51 advantage with 6:15 remaining in the third stanza before the Golden Bears ended the game outscoring Minnesota Crookston 36-18.
The Golden Eagles dropped to 3-13 (2-8 NSIC) with Saturday's loss in the Capital city. Concordia-St. Paul improved to 9-6 (5-5 NSIC) with the win. The Golden Bears have won the last nine games in the series, dating back to a 75-60 win over Concordia-St. Paul January 27, 2018 in St. Paul.
Emma Miller (Sr., G, Albertville, Minn.) made it back-to-back 20-point performances with 23 points 9-of-20 from the field, and 2-of-4 from beyond the arc. Miller has 1,461 career points in conference play, ranking third all-time. She needs 26 points to surpass Anna Schmitt of Concordia-St. Paul for second in NSIC history.
Riley Jenkins (R-Jr., G/F, Galesburg, Ill.) added 18 points on 7-of-12 from the field, and 3-of-4 from distance. Rayna Klejeski (Jr., F, Barnum, Minn.) finished with 16 points and five boards on 6-of-10 from the field, while Anna Westby (Fr., F, Eveleth, Minn.) chipped in nine points.
The Golden Eagles shot 28-of-61 from the field for 45.9 percent. They had a strong night from beyond the arc, hitting at a 47.1 percent clip with eight treys. Minnesota Crookston went 10-of-14 for 71.4 percent from the stripe. They were outrebounded by the Golden Bears 36-25, and committed 16 turnovers.
Concordia-St. Paul was led by Lauren Wilson with 31 points on 12-of-14 from the field. Lydia Haack added 23 points, seven boards, and five assists, and was 3-of-5 from distance. Leah Dengerud chipped in 13 points, while Ashley Schuelke had 11. Lauren Feddema came off the bench for eight points, five rebounds, and a team-high six assists.
The Golden Bears were on fire from the field, shooting 34-of-58 for 58.6 percent. They struggled from beyond the arc, shooting 4-of-15 for 26.7 percent. Concordia-St. Paul had 14 more free throw attempts, hitting 22-of-28 for 78.6 percent. They finished with 23 assists to 18 turnovers.
The Golden Bears held an early 9-6 lead after a pair of free throws from Haack. The Golden Eagles knotted the game on a Westby triple with 4:49 remaining in the first quarter. They would take a 17-13 advantage after back-to-back Jenkins treys. Minnesota Crookston closed out the first frame with a 25-18 lead following a Halle Winjum (So., G, Crookston, Minn.) three-pointer.
Concordia-St. Paul opened the second quarter on a 4-0 run to pull within 25-22 as Wilson found Schuelke for a pair. Minnesota Crookston held a 29-24 edge after a Miller bucket with 7:54 remaining in the second stanza. The Golden Bears rallied with a 4-0 run to pull within 29-28 on a Haack jumper. Minnesota Crookston obtained five-straight points from Jenkins to push to a 34-28 lead. The Golden Eagles continued to hold the lead, 38-30, on a Miller basket with 4:21 left in the second. Concordia-St. Paul responded with a 12-2 run, as they took a 42-40 lead on a Wilson hoop. Minnesota Crookston tied the game 42-42 with a Jenkins basket. The U of M Crookston held a 45-44 edge after a Jenkins triple with 34 seconds remaining, but Concordia-St. Paul closed the half with a Wilson basket with three seconds left to have the 46-45 lead at the break.
Minnesota Crookston commenced the third quarter with a 4-0 run, using a Westby jumper to hold a 49-46 advantage with 8:01 remaining in the third frame. Schuelke countered with an old-fashioned three-point play to knot the game 49-49. Minnesota Crookston would hold the 52-51 lead after a Klejeski free throw with 6:15 left in the third. The Golden Bears took a 54-52 lead on a Schuelke hoop, but Miller came back with a pair to tie the game 54-54 with 5:31 left in the quarter. A 4-0 rally gave Concordia-St. Paul the 58-54 lead. Minnesota Crookston pulled within two on a Miller bucket., However, the Golden Bears closed the stanza on a 13-2 run utilizing a Haack old-fashioned three-point play to take the 71-58 lead going into the quarter intermission.
Concordia-St. Paul pushed their lead to 80-62 on Wilson free throws. Minnesota Crookston trimmed the deficit to 13 (83-70) on a Miller triple with 6:46 left in the game. However, that would be as close as it would get with Concordia-St. Paul the 94-74 win.
The Golden Bears controlled the pair Saturday, scoring 54 points inside the three-point line, compared to 32 for Minnesota Crookston.
The Golden Eagles return home to host Wayne State College Friday, January 16 at 7:30 p.m.
