Metcalf Leads the Charge as Concordia Powers to 80–54 Victory

NORTHFIELD, Minn. (12/10/25)---Powered by a 16–0 run to open the second half and a career night from Maya Metcalf, Concordia controlled all four quarters in an 80–54 road victory over St. Olaf.

After a slow start for both teams, Concordia settled in behind the hot hand of Metcalf, who opened the scoring with a three and followed it with a strong drive to the rim. A defensive steal from Taylor Safranski helped fuel the early momentum as the Cobbers jumped ahead 7–4.

St. Olaf briefly pulled even at 9–9, but Concordia answered with a 5–0 burst to reclaim control. Off the bench, Genevieve Gruba provided an immediate spark, scoring back-to-back layups including an and-one to close out the quarter. The Cobbers led 21–14 after 10 minutes.

The Oles hit a pair of early threes in the second to stay close, but Concordia had an answer for every push. Molly Musland took over the period, scoring inside and from deep, including a smooth three from the top of the arc that pushed the lead to 30–22. Musland was perfect in the frame, going 4 for 4 from the field and 2 for 2 from beyond the arc on her way to 10 second-quarter points. Metcalf added two free throws to give the Cobbers a 37–24 cushion, but six late Ole free throws trimmed the margin to 37–30 at the half.

Concordia came out blazing to open the third. The Cobbers launched a dominant 16–0 run, sparked by a Metcalf layup and three that quickly pushed the lead to double digits. A big block from Macy Wheeldon kept St. Olaf off the board, and another Metcalf triple followed by a Taya Jeffrey layup stretched the lead to 47–30. Concordia continued to roll with contributions from Jeffrey, Wheeldon, and Metcalf before the Oles finally broke through at the 6:18 mark. Kaia Gack added back-to-back layups to push the lead to 59–36, and the Cobbers maintained full control, taking a 64–43 advantage into the fourth.

Concordia opened the final quarter with strong defensive pressure, forcing an early St. Olaf turnover and generating transition opportunities. The Oles scored at 8:30, but the Cobbers tightened up defensively, highlighted by steals from Metcalf and Safranski. After being fouled, Metcalf split a pair at the line to make it 65–45.

St. Olaf added another layup, but Concordia responded with back-to-back threes. At the 7:00 mark, Musland buried a three off a kick-out from Metcalf, and one possession later, Taya Jeffrey matched with a triple of her own, set up by Safranski, to extend the lead to 71–49.

With 5:30 remaining, Metcalf knocked down a mid-range jumper off another Safranski assist to make it 73–49, and the Cobbers' bench handled the rest. Gruba again made an immediate impact with an offensive rebound and finish to stretch the margin to 77–51. The defense stayed sharp, punctuated by a steal and transition layup from Brooklyn Christianson in the final seconds to put Concordia at 80 points.

St. Olaf hit a buzzer-beating three, but it hardly dented the Cobbers' dominant performance.

Metcalf led the way with 24 points, while Musland added 15. Both Safranski and Jeffrey finished with five assists, with Safranski also tallying a team-high four steals. Metcalf paced the Cobbers on the glass with five rebounds and added three blocks.

Concordia returns to action on December 28, traveling to Hardin-Simmons to face Howard Payne at 3:00 p.m. CST.