Bethel Edges Cobbers Down The Stretch

MOORHEAD, MINN. (11/25/25) – Concordia fought tooth and nail in a back-and-forth battle with Bethel, trading leads and key baskets throughout the game. Despite a late surge that briefly put the Cobbers ahead, Bethel's clutch shooting down the stretch secured a hard-fought 52-44 victory in a non-conference game for both teams.

The game opened with a tense back-and-forth, both teams feeling each other out. Concordia-Moorhead struck first with a jump shot from Maya Metcalf, quickly answered by Emily Erickson of Bethel with a layup that tied the score. 

The early minutes were a struggle to find rhythm, with missed shots and turnovers on both sides. Bethel's Macey Littlefield nailed a jump shot to edge ahead, but Concordia's Maci Wheeldon responded with a layup, keeping the score close. By the end of the first quarter, Bethel had managed a narrow lead.

The second quarter saw the game open up. Bethel pushed their advantage early, but Concordia wasn't going down without a fight. 

Molly Musland drained a key three-pointer, and free throws from Metcalf kept the Cobbers within striking distance, trailing by just four. 

Bethel continued to extend their lead, with an Elly Schmitz layup making it 21-13 and forcing a Concordia timeout. After the break, both teams struggled to find rhythm until Metcalf drilled a jump shot to cut the deficit to six. 

Timely free throws from Kaitlyn Rohloff, a layup from Taya Jeffrey, and another jump shot from Rohloff brought Concordia within two, closing the half 23-21 in Bethel's favor.

Coming out of halftime, Concordia came alive. Jeffrey tied the game almost immediately, giving the Cobbers a brief surge of momentum. Bethel responded with key jumpers from Duininck and Schmitz, but a Metcalf layup tied the game again at 29-29. 

The teams traded baskets, with Bethel briefly pulling ahead before another Metcalf bucket tied it at 31. By the end of the third quarter, Bethel had extended their lead to 39-33, but Wheeldon's two timely free throws cut the Cobbers' deficit to four at 39-35.

The final quarter was a nail-biter. Concordia kept pressing, with Safranski hitting a three-pointer and Wheeldon converting a layup to narrow the gap to a single point. Jeffrey gave the Cobbers a brief 42-41 lead with a layup, but Bethel's composure in the clutch allowed them to pull away. Despite Concordia's best efforts in the closing minutes, Bethel held firm, turning small leads into a 52-44 victory.

Offensively, the Cobbers were led by Metcalf and Jeffrey, each scoring 10 points. Jeffrey also dished out a team-high five assists, while Metcalf pulled down seven rebounds, the most on the team.