An All-Around Good Win

MOORHEAD, Minn. (12/10/11)—The young Cobbers put together one of their best overall performances of the season as they rolled over Hamline 72-52 in Moorhead on Saturday. Concordia went on a 21-6 run to finish off the first half en route to their third straight win.

The Cobbers finish off the 2011 section of their schedule with a 6-2 record in all games and a 4-1 mark in the MIAC. With eight freshmen on their roster, CC will head into the Christmas break tied for fourth in the standings – only one game out of first place. The Pipers lose for their third straight game and drop to 2-4 and 1-4 in league play.

The teams stayed within four points of one another through the first 14 minutes of play in the opening half. Concordia led for the first nine minutes of the game before Hamline went on a 9-2 run to grab a three-point lead at 16-13. That's when the Cobbers went on their game-clinching run. During the final six minutes of the first half, CC went 8-for-9 from the floor and put an exclamation point on the run when first-year guard Alley Fisher hit a 3-pointer at the buzzer. Fisher's long-distance shot from the left corner gave Concordia a 39-25 lead and sparked the momentum for the rest of the game.

The Cobbers never let the Pipers get to within single digits for the entire final 20 minutes and at one point led by 28 points.

Concordia shot a season-high 50.0% (30-for-60) from the floor and held a 40-18 advantage in points in the paint. The Cobbers made 10 more field goals in the game than the Pipers and had a 38-30 edge in rebounds.

CC had eight players score at least five points in the game. Tricia Sorensen, Emily Thesing and Fisher all had a team-high 11 points while sophomore center Alexander Lippert had 10 points and a team-high six rebounds. Thesing also had six assists and three steals.  Kelsey Walloch came off the bench to score six points and grab six rebounds.

Hamline was led by reserve guard Jen Pilgrim who had a game-high 14 points and was 3-for-5 from 3-point range. Kara Poirer added 10 points and a game-high seven rebounds.

Concordia will now have a three-week break before returning to action on Jan. 2 when they play at league-leading Bethel at 5:45 p.m.