The Magical 40-Percent Line

MOORHEAD, Minn. (1/24/15)—Concordia scored on 16 of their 18 possessions in a span of 12:12 sandwiched around the halftime break to seize control of the game against Hamline en route to a 15-point win. 

The Cobbers went on a 15-5 run at the end of the first half to grab a double-digit lead against the Pipers and never looked back on their way to a 74-59 win.

The victory is Concordia's sixth in the month of January and pushes their overall record to 10-6. The Cobbers are now 6-5 in the MIAC and tied for sixth place in the conference standings. CC is only one game out of a three-way tie for third place.  Hamline sees their one-game winning streak come to an end and is now 6-10 in all games and 3-8 in conference play.

A combination of outside and inside offensive success led to a 48.3% (29-for-60) shooting clip from the floor. Concordia is now 9-1 when it shoots 40.0% or better from the floor in a game. CC is 1-5 when they fail to to hit the magic 40% mark. The Cobbers are 5-0 at home when they make at least 40% of their shots from the field.  

The Cobbers kept the game close in the first half when the Pipers tried to pull away. Hamline led by as many as five points in the opening period before Concordia reeled them in with their late-half surge.

The outside game of Brandon Giese and Tom Fraase combined for 29 points while the inside prowess of Jordan Bolger accounted for 24 points. Giese was 4-for-10 from 3-point range and had 13 points while Fraase was 2-for-3 from long range and added 13. The 10 3-point attempts tied a career high for Giese.

Concordia vs. Hamline Highlights - Jan. 24, 2015

 
Bolger, who is becoming unstoppable around the basket, went 10-for-14 from the field and came away with his season-high double dozen points. The 24 points marks the second time in the last four games that he has scored at least 20 points in a game. He is now averaging 14.6 points per game this year.

The Cobber offense took care of the ball committing only six turnovers. It is the second straight game with only six turnovers.

Concordia held a 33-25 edge in rebounding over the Pipers. Bolger had a team-high eight rebounds and junior Brady Syverson recorded six boards. Bolger also had a game-high three steals as he led all players in points, rebounds, steals and shots taken.

The Cobbers will put their two-game win streak on the line when they host St. John's on Wednesday, Jan. 28 at 7:45 p.m. The game is fourth straight home game for CC. The two teams played earlier in the year with the Johnnies coming away with a narrow three-point win in Collegeville.