Fraase And Free Throws Lead To Second Straight Win

WINONA, Minn. (2/01/14)—There is something about playing St. Mary's which brings out the scoring best in Cobber players named Fraase. In 2009, John Fraase put up 31 points against the Cardinals and on Saturday, younger brother Tom scored a career-high 23 in helping CC beat SMU 83-70.

The elder Fraase averaged 17.3 points per game in his final three seasons against St. Mary's and never finished with less than 10 points. The next generation Fraase has played the Cardinals twice, has scored in double figures both times and is averaging 17.0 points in the two games.   

Tom Fraase was the catalyst behind the Cobbers' 13-point win at St. Mary's on Saturday. He went 3-for-5 from 3-point range and 7-for-12 from the floor in putting up his career-high point total. Fraase knocked down all three of his long-range shots in the second half and helped Concordia score on its final 13 possessions of the game.

The win is the second straight for the Cobbers and third in the last five games. The victory also keeps Concordia in the hunt for one of the six MIAC playoff spots. CC is now 10-9 overall and 6-8 in league play. They are currently in seventh place just 1.5 games behind the playoff pack.

The Cobbers won the game on their final 13 possessions. Clinging to a two-point lead at 57-55 with 7:48 left in the second half, Concordia went on a 7-0 run and finished the game by going 6-for-7 from the floor and connecting on 13 of their final 14 free throws.

Concordia shot a season-high 58.8% (30-for-51) from the field for the game. The Cobbers held a decided edge over the Cardinals at the free throw line. CC attempted 13 more foul shots than SMU and connected on 11 more than the Cardinals. Concordia connected on 79.2% of their free throws marking the ninth time this season they have shot better than 75.0% from the charity stripe.

All five of Concordia's starters scored in double figures for the game. Besides the 23 from Fraase, Jordan Bolger had 14 while Brandon Giese added 13 and Ryan Rude put up 12 to go with 10 from Brady Syverson. Syverson also came away with a team-high six rebounds while Giese recorded a career-high nine assists. The nine "dimes" are the most since the 2008-09 season when Carl Nelson also had nine against St. John's on Jan. 10.

Concordia will look to continue its winning ways when they play at Augsburg on Monday, Feb. 3 at 7:45 p.m.