Monday Macalester Malaise

MOORHEAD, Minn. (1/16/17)—The Cobbers entered Memorial Auditorium on Monday hoping their home court advantage would be the solution to their cold shooting ways from Saturday.

Concordia was 4-1 in "The Barn" heading into Monday's MIAC showdown with Macalester but were coming off a season-low shooting percentage at St. Thomas on Saturday. Unfortunately for the Cobbers while the temperatures on the outside were reaching balmy conditions the shooting touch stayed in the deep freeze.

Concordia shot 37.9% (22-for-58) from the floor and 55.6% (15-for-27) from the free throw line and lost 70-65 to the Scots.   

It marks the second straight loss for the Cobbers and second straight game they have shot under 38.0% from the floor.

CC is now 7-7 in all games and 4-5 in league play. Macalester wins for the first time in the MIAC this season moves to 5-9 overall and 1-8 in the conference.

The game started in the freezer for the Cobbers as CC went scoreless in their first nine possessions. Macalester was able to grab a 5-0 lead when Scot guard Wyatt Ferm, who was 3-6 for three-pointers, swished a pair of baskets to give the Scots the early lead. 

It wasn't until 4:14 into the opening half when CC got on the board. Senior Dylan Alderman got the Cobbers on the board with a jumper to cut the lead to 5-2. 

The Cobbers were forced to chase the game throughout the entire first half. Concordia trailed by as many as eight in the opening 20 minutes of play but then pulled to within a single point at the break when senior Austin Nelson came off a screen, turned the corner at the top of the key and drained a jumper to pull Concordia within one at 33-32. 

Concordia tied the game early in the second half on a 3-pointer by freshman Jacob Pazdernik. His first trey of the game knotted the score at 35-35.

Macalester then went on a 9-3 run to retake a six-point lead and force CC to play catch-up one more time.   

The Cobbers continued to grind and finally took their first lead of the game when senior Zach Kinny sank a layup to put CC ahead 50-49 with 8:52 to play. 

The game continued to go back-and-forth until the last two minutes of the game when the Scots drained a pair of clutch shots from outside the arc and went on a 7-0 run. The seven-point surge sealed the deal as the Cobbers wouldn't be able to get closer than three points in the final minute of play. 

The teams were very similar in field goal percentage but the difference came from outside the arc and at the free throw line. Macalester shot 47.8% (11-for-23) from 3-point range and 78.9% (15-for-19) from the foul line while Concordia went 30.0% (6-for-20) from long range and 55.6% (15-for-27) from the free throw stripe.  

The Cobbers were led by a pair of seniors. Nelson racked up a team-high 17 points for Concordia while Kinny added 16 and sophomore Christopher Duke chipped in 10 to give CC a trio of players in double figures.

THE BIG ZACH ATTACK: Senior Zach Kinny scored five of the Cobbers' final eight points in the game, went 5-for-10 from the floor and finished with a career-high 16 points. His previous career best was 11 points which he put up on four occasions this year. 

JACOB'S LADDER: Freshman Jacob Pazdernik made the first start of his collegiate career. He played 20 minutes, went 1-for-2 from outside the arc and finished with six points. He has now scored 13 points in the last two games after scoring only 17 points in the first 13 games of the year combined.  

COBBER KILLER: While the outside game of the Scots came through down the stretch it was the continued inside presence of senior Kareem Ismail that put MAC into position to win. Ismail finished with 17 points and grabbed eight rebounds. Ismail has made a habit of hurting the Cobbers. He has now played Concordia seven times in his career and is averaging 19.6 points and 9.4 rebounds per game.

FIRST-HALF HANKERING: Concordia trailed 33-32 at the half and is now 1-5 when they trail after the first half of play.  

ALDERMAN ASPECT: Senior Dylan Alderman was held under 15 points for the second straight game as he finished with nine points and added six rebounds and three assists. Concordia is now 1-6 when Alderman scores under 15 or fewer points and 6-1 when he scores more than 15 points.

WHAT'S NEXT: Concordia will continue with its four-game home stand when they host Bethel on Wednesday, Jan. 18 and St. Mary's on Saturday, Jan. 21. Bethel is now tied for the MIAC lead with a 7-2 league record but are coming off a 87-81 loss at St. John's on Monday.

CONCORDIA vs. MACALESTER HIGHLIGHTS: