Balanced Scoring = Key MIAC Road Win

MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. (1/30/15) --- Concordia had five players score in double figures and used a 25-7 run late in the second half to hold off a hot-shooting Augsburg and win 86-78 in Minneapolis.

It is the second straight win for the Cobbers and seventh in the past eight games. The victory moves Concordia into a tie for second place in the MIAC standings with a 9-5 league mark. CC is now 12-7 overall.  Augsburg drops to 11-8 overall and 6-8 in conference play.

In a game that had eight ties and seven lead changes, Concordia had its biggest lead when it counted most – late in the game. The Cobbers led by 13 points at the 1:11 mark when Augsburg's largest lead was eight points at the 11:47 point of the first half.

With 12:54 remaining in the game, CC trailed by seven points, but the Cobbers strung together a 25-7 run over the next 11:43 and held an 11-point with 1:25 left.

The Auggies shot 51.9% (28-for-54) from the floor  but were on fire from beyond the arc.

Coming into the game Augsburg had been shooting 35.4% (105-for-297) from distance. The Auggies went 13-of-25 (52%) from deep, including four trifectas in the final minute.

The Cobbers put the game on ice by going 11-for-12 from the free throw line in the final 71 seconds to negate the late 3-point shooting flurry.

Concordia was down early, thanks to Collin Olmscheid. Augsburg led 15-9 after the first four minutes after Olmscheid scored six of Auggie's eight points in a two-minute span.

Jordan Bolger responded with a layup that made it 15-11. The Cobbers scored on five of their first seven possessions, with each of the five starters contributing baskets.

After a Matt Ellingson jumper cut the deficit to 23-20 with 7:25 to play in the opening half, but Olmscheid responded with another long ball.

Down 31-24 with five minutes remaining in the half, the Cobbers put together a 12-2 run that featured a pair of triples from Tom Fraase and a drop-step dunk from Isaac Anderson that flipped the tables and gave Concordia a 36-33 lead.

Olmscheid tied the game with his third 3-pointer of the half moments later and then Dylan Alderman muscled his way to the hoop for the basket with the foul to make it 39-38 at the break.

Olmscheid, brother of former Cobber basketball player Darrin Olmscheid, led the charge for the Auggies, pumping in 14 points in the first half. Augsburg shot 57.7% (15-for-26) from the floor and hit 5-of-10 tries from beyond the arc.

Fraase and Alderman had nine points apiece in the first 20 minutes.

The first four minutes of the second half went back and forth. The teams combined for five lead changes and three tie scores before the Auggies caught fire. Richie Perea hit two long balls followed by another 3-pointer from Sonie Harry on the following possession that gave Augsburg a 57-50 advantage with 12:54 to play.

The Cobbers had the answer.

Former Moorhead Spuds Austin Nelson and Ellingson got shots to fall, followed by a Bolger bucket and a pair of free throws from Anderson. CC scored on four straight trips down the court and went on an 8-0 run to take a one-point lead.

Brett Rasmussen netted the next six points for the Auggies to make it 63-61, but Bolger and Alderman combined for the next eight points to pull the Cobbers ahead for good.

Bolger and Brady Syverson teamed up for the eight points on the next four possessions that extended the lead to 75-64 with 1:25 remaining.

Despite Augsburg drilling four 3-pointers in the final 1:11, Concordia was clutch from the charity stripe as they went 11-for-12 to put the game on ice.

For the game the Cobbs went 22-for-24 (91.7) from the foul line.

CC controlled the game in the paint. Concordia outrebounded the Auggies 33-22 and doubled them up in the paint, outscoring them 44-22.

BALANCED SCORING = TEAM WINS
The Cobbers had four of five starters and five players overall score in double figures. Bolger (21), Alderman (16), Fraase (13), Anderson (13) and Syverson (12) all scored ten or more points. It was the first time since November 28, 2014 against Simpson College (IA) that Concordia had five or more players score in double figures.

BOLGER BUCKETS
Jordan Bolger's stat line against Augsburg was very impressive. He pumped in 21 points, hauled down 13 rebounds and dished out seven assists while adding three steals. It was his sixth double-double of the season and he now has 1,142 career points. He is 21 points away from tying Darrin Olmscheid for fifth on the all-time list. Bolger's quest for his first-career triple double fell short, but he had an eye-popping game nonetheless. The last Cobber to come close to a triple-double was John Fraase on February 2, 2011 at Macalester with an 18-13-7 effort.

WHAT'S NEXT?
Concordia hits the road on Wednesday, February 3 for a big MIAC tilt with Carleton at 5:45 p.m. The Knights are coming off a 57-52 loss at home against St. Mary's and now stand at fifth in the MIAC with an 11-7 overall record and a 8-5 conference mark. Carleton narrowly escaped Moorhead with an 87-86 overtime win back on January 6.