Second-Quarter Success = Six Straight
Concordia outscored Carleton 25-6 in the second quarter on their way to their sixth straight win.
NORTHFIELD, Minn. (2/03/16)—Concordia outscored Carleton 25-6 in the second quarter and extended their winning streak as they beat the Knights 61-41.
The Cobbers trailed Carleton 16-15 after the first quarter but then 10-of-11 shots from the floor in the second quarter and never trailed in the game after the 9:49 mark of the period.
The win is the sixth straight for Concordia which is the longest winning streak since the 2013-14 season when the Cobbers finished second in the final league standings with a 19-3 mark.
Concordia is now 14-6 in all games and 10-3 in conference play. The Cobbers are now all alone in third place in the league standings just one game behind MIAC leaders St. Mary's and St. Thomas.
For the second straight game Concordia started slow and had to rally from a first-quarter deficit. On Saturday the Cobbers went 1-for-11 to start the game and trailed Augsburg 13-7. On Wednesday CC had three turnovers in the first five minutes of play and fell behind by one at the break.
In both games Concordia exploded in the second quarter to grab control of the game. Against the Auggies, the Cobbers scored 23 points in the second period and on Wednesday CC put up 25 points. The 25-6 edge is the largest of any quarter for the Cobbers this season.
Concordia scored 10 of the first 11 points of the period and then ended the second quarter on a 13-0 run. The two streaks combined to cover all but 1:18 of the 10-minute period.
The two main point producers in the final 13-0 run were juniors Jenna Januschka and Cassidy Rahman. Januschka scored four of the 13 points while Rahman added five points – including a 3-pointer that stretched the lead back to eight points after Carleton had trimmed the margin to five at 27-22.
The Cobbers held an 18-point lead at the break and then stretched it to 22 points in the first 1:50 of the second half. Concordia would hold at least a 20-point lead for the final 15:46 of the final half.
Concordia finished the game by shooting 55.8% (24-for-43) from the floor and 40.0% (4-for-10) from 3-point range. CC was also 9-for-13 (69.2%) from the free throw line.
Carleton (4-16/1-12 MIAC) shot 30.2% (13-for-43) from the field and 41.7% (5-for-12) from outside the arc. The Knights finished with an 83.3% (10-for-12) shooting percentage from the free throw line.
JENNA JANUSCHKA THE JUNIOR
Jenna Januschka continues to have a breakout junior season. After averaging just 4.3 points per game as a sophomore, Januschka is now averaging a robust 15.2 ppg this season. She had a game-high 20 points against Carleton which is her third 20-or-more-point game in the past five contests. During the past five games Januschka is averaging 17.2 ppg. Concordia is now 11-1 when she scores at least 15 points in a game.
DROPPING DIMES
Greta Walsh dished off a season-high six assists against the Knights. She also had 10 points which is her third straight double-digit scoring game.
BUSTING BOARDS
Olivia Johnson came away with a game-high 10 rebounds as the Cobbers outrebounded Carleton 36-15. The 15 rebounds by the Knights are the fewest allowed by CC this season and the +21 margin is the second best of the year.
BIG "D" EVEN BIGGER "FENSE"
Concordia held Carleton to 41 points for the four quarters. It is the fourth time this season that the Cobbers have held their opponents to under 50 points. CC held the Knights to 40 points in their first game in Moorhead. Concordia leads the MIAC in opposing team's scoring average in league contests. CC is holding MIAC foes to just 51.5 points per game.
WHAT'S NEXT
Concordia returns home for a pivotal MIAC match-up. The Cobbers will host third-place Gustavus on Saturday, Feb. 6 at 3 p.m. The Gusties are one game back in the standings with a 9-4 league mark. GAC is 14-6 overall and is coming off a 75-67 loss to league-leading St. Thomas.