Successful Senior Celebration Day Ends Regular Season
Concordia ended the regular season by honoring its three seniors and pulling away from Hamline in an 86-76 win.
MOORHEAD, Minn. (2/18/23)---Next stop MIAC playoffs. The Concordia regular-season train arrived at the final destination with a 10-point win over No.3 seed Hamline on Saturday, and will head back on the tracks when the postseason starts next week.
The Cobbers honored their three seniors and their parents in the annual Senior Celebration ceremony at halftime, and then proceeded to outscore the Pipers in each of the third and fourth quarters on their way to an 86-76 win.
The victory gives Concordia a 21-4 record in all games, and an 18-4 mark in conference play to end the regular season. The 18 league wins are the most since the 2014 season. The second-place MIAC finish also matches the 2014 team for best finishes in the past 10 years.
The Cobbers started slowly, but then took control of the game in the second quarter when they shot 69.2% from the floor and outscored HU 26-16.
Concordia never trailed in the second. Hamline did tie the game on a pair of occasions in the first 3-minutes of the third quarter, but then a layup by Jordyn Kahler and a pair free throws from Emily Beseman that gave CC a 48-44 lead – and the game would never be closer than three points after that.
The Cobbers were able to get the ball inside on a consistent basis and wound up outscoring the Pipers 38-26 in points in the paint.
The multiple shots from close to the basket helped CC shoot 53.1% (34-for-64) from field.
Hamline (17-8, 14-7 MIAC) shot a solid 45.9% (28-for-61) from the field and 40,0% (12-for-30) from distance.
Concordia had four players with at least 14 points and were led by Kahler who put up a career-high 17 shots and finished with 18 points – one shy of her career high. Kahler also had five rebounds and three helpers.
Beseman and Makayla Anderson both chipped in 15 points. Beseman went 6-for-7 from the floor and also had six boards, two assists and two steals.
Anderson added six rebounds and four assists to her 15 points.
Sophomore guard Carlee Sieben knocked down a game-high four 3-pointer and finished with 14 points. She has now scored in double digits in 17 games.
Symone Beld led the Cobbers in rebounds for the third straight game. She came down with seven rebounds.
UP NEXT: Concordia have to wait until Tuesday night to find out who they will host in the semifinals of the MIAC playoffs. It will most likely be a rematch with Hamline. The Pipers are the No.3 seed in the tournament, and if they win their first-round match-up with St. Olaf they will return to Moorhead for the semifinal showdown on Thursday, Feb. 23 at 7 p.m.
CONCORDIA vs. HAMLINE HIGHLIGHTS
