Second-Half Comeback Comes Up Just Short In Winona
Concordia staged a second-half comeback at St. Mary’s, took a 1-point lead late in the game but then had the Cardinals make six of their seven free throws down the stretch and lost 85-81.
WINONA, Minn. (1/21/23)---Concordia staged a second-half comeback at St. Mary's, took a 1-point lead late in the game but then had the Cardinals make six of their seven free throws down the stretch and lost 85-81.
The Cobbers trailed by as many as 20 points midway through the second half, but then outscored St. Mary's 29-8 in a stretch of 8:20 to take a 1-point lead at 73-72 with 4:20 left to play.
The teams would trade points over the next five possessions before SMU, fueled by their free throw success, went on a 6-0 run.
Concordia trimmed the lead back to 1-point with 34-seconds left in the second half before the Cardinals went 3-for-4 at the line to secure the victory.
The Cobbers had solid shooting numbers as they connected on 50.0% (29-for-58) of their shots from the field, 45.5% (10-for-22) of their attempts from distance and 81.% (13-for-16) of their foul line attempts.
CC also outrebounded St. Mary's 34-22 and outscored the Cardinals 38-28 in points in the paint.
St. Mary's (11-6, 7-5 MIAC) had similar shooting numbers. They shot 53.6% (30-for-56) from the floor, 40.0% (12-for-30) from outside the arc and 92.9% (13-for-14) from the line.
One of the key factors in the game for the Cardinals was the play of senior All-MIAC guard Raheem Anthony. Anthony went 14-for-19 from the floor and scored a game-high 41 points.
The Cobbers had four players finish with at least 12 points. Matthew Johnson was 3-for-6 from distance and led the team with 17 points. Rowan Nelson added 14 points, while Dylan Inniger had 13 and Jacob Cook posted 12 points.
UP NEXT: Concordia will finish off a stretch of road games when they face St. Olaf in Northfield on Wednesday, Jan. 25 at 5:15 p.m.