And A Freshman Shall Lead
Freshman Bryden Urie scored a career-high 16 points and the Cobber defense held Macalester to 47 points in a 73-47 victory over the Scots.
ST. PAUL, Minn. (12/02/17)---When in doubt let a freshman lead. That's the principle that played out in the Cobbers' first conference win of the season.
First-year guard Bryden Urie scored eight points in each half, finished with a game-high 16 points, and helped Concordia post a convincing 73-47 win at Macalester.
The Cobbers went on 22-4 run midway through the first half to seize control of their third league contest. The 18-point swing helped Concordia even their overall record at 3-3. CC is now 1-2 in the MIAC.
Besides the 22-4 run the key for the Cobbers was their ability to shut down the Macalester offense. The Scots shot 24.5% (13-for-53) from the floor and 27.8% (5-for-18) from 3-point range. The field goal percentage is a season low for the Scots and the 47 points scored marks the second straight game they have failed to score 50 points.
Macalester (1-4/0-2 MIAC) led for most of the first 7:30 of the opening half and clung to a one-point lead 18-17 with 12:28 left in the first half. Concordia would then score on 10 of their next 16 possessions to take a 17-point lead 39-22 with 3:05 left in the period.
The Cobbers led by 16 points at the break and then built the lead to 34 points by scoring 19 of the first 20 points in the second half. The lead would never fall below 24 points as Concordia handed head coach Grant Hemmingsen his first conference victory.
Concordia shot 50.9% (28-for-55) from the field and 37.5% (6-for-16) from outside the arc. The Cobbers held a 46-30 advantage in rebounds and outscored the Scots 40-12 in points in the paint.
Concordia had nine players with at least four points and was led by Urie who went 5-for-10 from the floor and finished with a career-high 16 points. He also dished out a game-high four assists.
Austin Heins finished two rebounds shy of a double-double. He went 5-for-5 from the floor, scored 11 points and hauled down a team-high eight rebounds.
FRESHMAN FROLICS: Bryden Urie became the first freshman to lead Concordia in scoring in a game since the first game of the 2013-14 season. Austin Hawkins was the last CC first-year player to lead the team in scoring. He didn't miss a shot in the Cobbers' season opener against Minn.-Morris on Nov. 15, 2013 and finished with 13 points.
BID DEE, DEFENSE: The 47 points allowed by Concordia is a season low. The previous season low for points allowed was 71 points which came in the season opener. The 47 allowed is the fewest in a single game since the 2015-16 season when CC gave up 45 to Carleton in a 60-45 win.
WHAT'S NEXT: Concordia will travel west on Interstate 94 to take on Valley City State on Tuesday, Dec. 5 at 7 p.m. The Vikings are 3-7 on the year and are coming off a 112-89 loss at home to Minn.-Morris.