A Last-Second, Senior Sendoff

MOORHEAD, Minn. (2/18/23)---It might not have been the playoff ending that the Cobbers wanted, but the one they got in the season finale with Hamline was pretty darn good.

Junior Matthew Johnson splashed a Steph Curry "Bottom of the Logo" special with 0.8 of a second remaining in the second half to give Concordia a 68-65 win over the Pipers.

The win against the playoff-bound Pipers is the fifth in the final six games, and caps the best season for Concordia since 2017.

The Cobbers finish only one game out of the 6-team MIAC playoffs. CC ends the season with a 9-11 mark in the conference, and an 11-14 overall record.

Concordia never led in the second half until Johnson's 3-point splash derailed Hamline. Johnson's game winner finished off a 10-2 run in the final 90 seconds for CC.

The Cobbers never let the Pipers get more than a 6-point lead in the final period of play, and then made their move down the final stretch. Trailing by five at 63-58, freshman Jacob Cook knocked down a 3-pointer to cut the lead to two points.

Hamline (14-11, 10-10 MIAC) scored their final points of the game on the next possession, and then the Cobbers finished off the win by scoring seven straight.

Senior point guard Jackson Jangula, who will return next year, connected on a pair of free throws to bring CC within two at 65-63.

The Cobbers then forced a turnover to set up a Dylan Inniger layup to knot the score at 65-65.

Concordia pressured the Pipers on the next possession and contested a layup that rolled off the rim and was collected by Cook with 33-seconds left on the clock.

That set the stage for Johnson, and he didn't disappoint as he took a pass from Rowan Nelson and launched a 40-footer that splashed through with only touching the net. The long-distance put the final touches on an 18-point performance for Johnson. He was 4-for-7 from outside the arc and also had seven rebounds.

Cook was inches from his second career double-double. He grabbed a game-high eight rebounds and also finished with nine points.

Nelson went for 15 points and seven rebounds, while Jangula had a game-high five assists.   

CONCORDIA vs. HAMLINE HIGHLIGHTS