Depth And Balance Lead To Win In St. Paul
Concordia never trailed against St. Catherine on Saturday in St. Paul and went on to post an 87-68 victory over the Wildcats.
ST. PAUL, Minn. (2/08/14)—Concordia never trailed against St. Catherine on Saturday in St. Paul and went on to post an 87-68 victory over the Wildcats. The win, coupled with a St. Mary's loss, brings the Cobbers to within one game of first place in the league standings.
In addition to never trailing, Concordia didn't allow St. Catherine to get within 15 points in the final 25:50 of played as they rolled to their 17th overall win of the season. The Cobbers are now 15-3 in the MIAC which marks the 11th straight season that Concordia has posted at least 15 conference victories – the longest streak of any team in the MIAC.
The win over the Wildcats was a testament to the Cobbers' depth and balance. Concordia had five players score in double figures and had seven score at least six points. CC wound up shooting 54.2% (32-for-59) for the game and 42.9% (12-for-28) from 3-point range. The 12 made shots from outside the arc is a season high and most since they also hit 12 against Hamline on Jan. 11, 2012.
Concordia was led by junior guard Alley Fisher who was 5-for-8 from 3-point land and finished with 19 points. Senior center Alexandra Lippert added 15 points and eight rebounds while Olivia Johnson made it a trio of Cobber starters in double figures. She had 10 points, six rebounds and four assists.
Hannah Jeske and Erin Januschka came off the bench to put up double-digit scoring totals. Jeske finished with 11 points and was 3-for-6 from outside the arc while Januschka was 5-for-5 from the floor and had 10 points.
Concordia's height advantage led to a decisive edge around the basket. The Cobbers outrebounded the Wildcats 41-21 and enjoyed a 30-16 margin in points in the paint. It is the 12th straight game that Concordia has totaled at least 40 rebounds. For the third straight game CC grabbed 16 offensive rebounds and used that total to score 23 second-chance points.
The Cobbers now have four games left in the regular season and will return home for a three-game home stand beginning on Monday, Feb. 10 when they host Carleton at 5:45 p.m.