The 9:18 To Arden Hills

ARDEN HILLS, Minn. (2/21/21)---With 13:40 to play in the first half, the young upstart Concordia team looked like it was ready to go toe-to-toe with a veteran Bethel squad. Unfortunately, the Cobbers' upset hopes were run over by the 9:18 to Arden Hills and Concordia fell 72-50.

The Cobbers led Bethel 18-14 after 6:20 had ticked off in the first half when senior Adam Daggett hit a 3-pointer. The Daggett distance shot capped a start where CC went 6-for-9 from the field and showed no signs of the 16-day layoff they were coming off from their last game.

The game then changed in a span of 9:18 and eight offensive possessions. During that span the Cobbers went 0-for-18 from the floor, gave up a 23-0 run and watched a promising, 4-point lead turn into a difficult, 19-point uphill battle.

The good news for Concordia is that if you take out that span of 9:18, they were able to outscore the Royals 50-49 with a lineup of eight players that consisted of five newcomers.

GAME RECAP: Daggett set the early tone for the Cobbers who started three freshmen. Daggett knocked down a trio of shots from outside the arc. His nine points made up half of Concordia's 18 points in taking the 18-14 lead in the opening stretch of the game.

Bethel then took the hint from Daggett and started to heat up from the outside. During their 23-0 run the Royals went a Steph Curry-like, 7-for-9 from 3-point range.

Concordia was able to get up off the canvas after the long-ball barrage and finished the half by outscoring the Royals 10-5 to cut the deficit to 42-28 at the break.

CC then trimmed the lead to single digits when David Birkeland canned a 3-ball with 13:19 left to play in the second half. Bethel then went on a 10-2 streak to push the lead back to 17 points.  CC would score the next four points to get within 13 at 57-44 but BU would close out the game by putting together a 15-6 run in the final 6:52 of play.

DOUBLE-DIGIT TRIO: The Cobbers had three players finish with at least 10 points in the game. Daggett led CC with 14 points which is the second highest single-game total of his career (18 vs. Oak Hills Christian – 11/17/18). He finished the game by going 4-for-8 from outside the arc. Jacob Fredrickson was 5-for-7 from the floor and had 13 points – his second straight double-digit game of the year. David Birkeland also had his second 10-plus point game of the year. He scored all 12 of his total points in the second half of play. Birkeland and Fredrickson are tied for the team lead in scoring in 2021 with a 15.5 ppg average.

YOU CAN'T SPELL REBOUND OR RASMUSSEN WITHOUT THE "R": Freshman guard Charlie Rasmussen led Concordia in rebounding for the second straight game. The 6-0 Perham product hauled down a season-high seven boards and is now averaging 5.5 rebounds per game.  

GAME CHANGER: Concordia was 6-for-24 (25.0%) from outside the arc while the Royals were 13-for-18 (46.4%) from distance. The difference of seven made 3's extrapolates out to 21 points which was one shy of the final margin.

UP NEXT: Concordia will have a considerably shorter break before their next game. CC will hit the road again to take on Hamline in St. Paul on Wednesday, Feb. 24 at 7 p.m.

SPONSOR: Tonight's recap sponsor is Bursch Travel. When you've given up a 23-0 run and want to get away who are you going to call? The Concordia athletic department counts on Bursch Travel for their long-distance travel needs. Bursch Travel has been an awesome sponsor of Cobber athletics for many years. Thank you, Bursch Travel.