Jan. 31, 2008

By Stephen Zerdelian

Special To CSTV.com

In the northern tier of the nation, Division II women's basketball has a glorious history, thanks largely to the North Central Conference. The likes of now-Division I schools North Dakota State and South Dakota State, along with soon-to-be Division I schools North Dakota and South Dakota have dominated the region since the Division II tournament began in the early 1980's. But the tide may be ready to turn and the lead wave could be ridden by Concordia University (St. Paul, Minnesota), a powerhouse playing in the Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference.

Head coach Paul Fessler's team is ranked 6th in the nation, winning 18 games in a row to start the season before losing for the first time last week. Before the setback, Fessler's team had risen as high as No. 2. The Golden Bears are atop the NSIC standings, zeroing in on defending their league crown and looking to earn an NCAA berth for the sixth time in the last seven campaigns. They've also won 20-plus games for six consecutive years and are about secure a seventh. It all sounds pretty sweet for Fessler and his team, who knew they'd be running with the big guns again.

"We expected to be a good team, although we really didn't predict going 18-0 to start the season," Fessler said. "We try to break the season down into small goals - each road trip, a block of conference games, along those lines - and work from there. In the long run we'd really love to be the first NSIC team to win the North Central regional title, though. It would be gratifying to do it."

Two major foes stand in the way, at least if the national poll is any indication.

"North Dakota and South Dakota are having great years and would be very tough opponents," said Fessler. "I just hope we can avoid playing the regional at UND again, they have such a huge home court advantage in Grand Forks. We'll see what we can do if we face either one in the NCAA's; it'd be a challenge our players would welcome."

Leading the way for the Golden Bears are three seasoned veterans, seniors Amanda Behnke and Katie LaViolette and junior Candace Olstad. Behnke is the fulcrum of the club, standing 6-foot-2 and topping the team in scoring (17.6 ppg) and rebounding (8.7 rpg), among other categories. The 5-foot-9 LaViolette is a consummate point guard, dishing (8.0 assists a game) and scoring (11.4 ppg) in equal measure, while the 6-foot Olstad (11.3 ppg) gets plenty done under the radar. While this trio may be responsible for a large portion of the production, don't be misled into thinking they do it alone. Seniors Kelly Lund (5-10) and Mary Schroeder (6-1) add about 12 points a game between them and even more experience, making the Golden Bears a fairly big team in Division II terms.

"Our depth and size is a nice feature to have and we try to play a physical game in the post," said Fessler. "The experience the team has helps, as the players operate off each other well. Mary is our defensive stopper on the perimeter and has improved her shooting. Kelly brings a rare power game to the guard spot and Candace has the potential to be one of the best post players in the region. Any one of them can step in and be a threat, and that makes us hard to defend. We are blessed with a good balance of players so we feel like we can attack from any area."

Despite the balance, it is Northern Sun pre-season Player of the Year choice Behnke that sets game plans spinning in opposing camps. She earned honorable mention All-American honors last year from the WBCA as well as hoisting the NSIC Player of the Year trophy. Behnke played a season at Division I Winthrop (where she averaged 6.4 points a game as a rookie) before transferring to CU for the 2005-06 season. After sitting out a year, she arrived on the NSIC scene and made a difference, averaging 12 points and over six rebounds a game in her first season and over 17 points a game last year. This winter, it's all guns blazing for Behnke, who will likely end up second on the all-time CU scoring list (she has 1,258 points currently) and might even catch Jennifer Pozzani (1,647 points) as the program's all-time scorer despite only being a Golden Bear for three terms.

"Amanda is our go-to scorer; we try to establish her in the post early in games, which opens the game up for everyone else," Fessler said. "She's such a durable, rugged player inside. Amanda finishes well and handles double-teams terrifically, despite taking a real beating in the paint."

LaViolette is no slouch herself. From Manitowoc, Wisconsin, the backcourt star keeps the team ticking along at both ends of the floor. Approaching the 1,000-point plateau as well as the 700-assist level, she's been a model of consistency and excellence over the years. Already the all-time assist leader at the school, LaViolette, who led all of Division II in helpers a year ago, is among the leaders in assist/turnover ratio in the nation this year. Using the bromide `coach on the floor' sells the cagey LaViolette short, though. 

"Katie set all sorts of records last year but we needed her to become more of a scorer this year. Even though she's not comfortable in that role, she's been tremendous for us," Fessler added. "As a big point guard, Katie can take over games. I never need to say anything to her, either. When I try to she's already a few steps ahead of me and I can just sit right down. It's a nice feeling to be able to give her that trust and know she'll make the right choices for the team."

Fessler is in his eighth season at the Golden Bear helm, where he boasts a record of 168-64. The Golden Bears have been regular participants in the NCAA tournament of late, earning five bids in the last six years. But is the best still to come?

"This was what I called a `sleeping giant' when I got the chance to take over. Concordia University was only in its second year as a provisional Division II member at the time but it's also the only Division II program in the Twin Cities and for some high school players, it's the best fit," Fessler said. "The academics are excellent, the size is good and it offers an option that players need. It was such a great opportunity for me that it was an easy choice when it came up."

It's been quite a season to date for the Golden Bears, starting right off the bat with a 103-54 thumping of Missouri Valley. The team was hardly challenged in the early part of the season, at least until an 83-77 win over Bemidji State on December 8. After that they embarked on a potentially season-derailing stretch in which they faced 12 out of 14 games away from their home court. They're at the tail-end of said nasty slate right now and have fared stunningly well until running out of steam at Minnesota State-Moorhead over the past weekend.

In conference play, the Golden Bears have demonstrated their mettle with success against Northern State (60-56), Winona State (83-79 in overtime) and Wayne State, Nebraska (78-77), building their record as well as confidence. In all three games they had to fight back from late deficits, illustrating the collective resilience and poise all successful teams require.

Fessler knows how strong the NSIC is at the moment and how much it will continue to blossom. "The last five or six years the league has gotten so much better. There's a ton of great coaches in the league and everyone is tough," he says. "Even the so-called middle-of-the-pack teams like Winona State and Bemidji State give us fits."

For Golden Bear fans, this season has been one to celebrate so far, with the promise of much more to come. There's no doubt the squad has all the tools to make Northern Sun Conference history by winning the regional crown and taking a legitimate crack at the national title.