BOX SCORE
ST. PAUL, Minn. – No. 22 and conference leading Concordia University shot 55.7 percent from the field and had four players score in double figures to earn a 93-69 Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference victory over Southwest Minnesota State on Saturday night in St. Paul.
The Golden Bears (20-4 overall, 14-3 NSIC) connected on 10 3-pointers in the contest with Kali Olstad hitting six 3-pointers and scoring 18 points with nine rebounds.. Gillian Bjerke also added 18 points and eight rebounds to lead CU.
CU has now won 13 straight versus SMSU and 19 of the last 20 meetings since the 2001-02 season.
SMSU (15-9 overall, 9-8 NSIC) senior guard Megan Stadler put her name atop the school's single-season assist record book with eight assists in the game and now has 151 this season surpassing Michelle Bruns' previous record of 145 set in 2004-05.
Tori Fink led four Mustangs in double figures with 16 points on 6 of 9 shooting.
Concordia started the game strong connecting on 10 of its first 15 shots to build a 27-12 lead with 10 minutes and 14 seconds remaining in the half.
SMSU answered with a 9-1 run to cut the lead to 28-21 with eight minutes left capped by a jumper by Lucia Puchelova, but CU came right back with a 15-2 run in less just over three minutes to extend the lead to 43-23 with five minutes remaining in the half.
CU pushed the lead to 52-32 at halftime by shooting 58.8 percent (20 of 34) from the field, including 5 of 11 from 3-point range. SMSU ended the opening half shooting 37.5 percent (12 of 32).
The Golden Bears built a 29-point lead in the early stages of the second half before SMSU cut the deficit to 19 points on two occasions but that was a close as the Mustangs would come in the second half.
Laura Kramer added 12 points and a team-high nine rebounds, while Taylor Voss, Abby Kenealy and Puchelova each added 10 points.
The loss drops SMSU into a tie for seventh place in the NSIC standings with Winona State, one half game behind Northern State.
SMSU returns home next Saturday, Feb. 20, hosting Minnesota State, Mankato for “Senior Night” starting at 6 p.m.
