Syverson's First Double-Double Not Enough At St. Olaf

NORTHFIELD, Minn.  (1/07/14)—Brady Syverson's first collegiate double-double wasn't enough in Concordia's 71-61 at St. Olaf in a game that was determined on the free throw line and under the basket.

The Oles shot 12 more free throws and made 12 more free throws than the Cobbers in the game. The difference was especially important in the second half after the Cobbers took a 34-31 lead into the break. St. Olaf was able to get to the line 12 times in the second half and made 11 of those attempts. That was a huge advantage over Concordia's four foul line attempts and two made free throws.

St. Olaf (7-3/4-1 MIAC) also received a huge contribution from their non starters. The Ole bench came away with 29 points as they won for the third straight time and fifth time in the last six games.

Concordia (6-6/2-5 MIAC) wasn't able to get to the line and had a hard time inside against the Oles. CC was outrebounded 31-27 in the game and outscored 22-18 in points in the paint. The 27 total rebounds is the second lowest of the season for the Cobbers and only the fourth time all year they have not recorded 35 or more rebounds in a game. Concordia is now 0-4 when they fail to register at least 35 rebounds in a game.

Both teams had similar shooting percentage numbers. The Cobbers shot 46.3% (25-for-54) from the floor for the game and 30.0% (6-for-20) from 3-point range while the Oles connected on 44.6% (25-for-56) of their attempts from the field and 36.4% (4-for-11) of their shots from outside the arc.      

Concordia had three of its four starting players score in double figures but only received eight points from their non starters. Syverson had the stat stuffer game of the night for the Cobbers. He grabbed 10 of the team's 27 rebounds and also added 13 points. The 10 boards are a career high and his 10-rebound/13-point contest is the first collegiate double-double. Brandon Giese had a team-high 14 points while Tom Fraase added 10 and has now scored in double figures in seven of the past eight games. Ryan Rude had a game-high five assists and seven points before fouling out late in the second half of play.

The Cobbers will finish off their back-to-back road trip when they play at Carleton on Wednesday, Feb. 8 at 7:45 p.m.