Cobbers Run Out Of Gas In Overtime

MOORHEAD, Minn. (1/12/13)—Forced to play their fourth game in the past seven days, Concordia ran out of gas in overtime and lost 73-66 to Hamline. The Cobbers were outscored 13-0 in the final 3:37 of the extra period and watched as their six-game winning streak came to an end.

Hamline was able to dictate the pace of play from the opening tip and went 10-for-10 from the free throw line in overtime to record their second win in the last three games.

The Cobbers missed an opportunity to tie for first place in the MIAC standings after league-leader St. Thomas was beaten by St. Ben's. CC is now 9-4 overall and 8-2 in conference play. Hamline moves into a tie for the sixth, and final spot for the conference playoffs. HU is now 5-8 in all games and 5-5 in the MIAC.

The game was determined in the first half when Concordia fell behind by 15 points in the first eight minutes of play and couldn't deal with the half-court pressure defense from the Pipers. The Cobbers shot a mere 10.% (1-for-10) from 3-point range and turned the ball over 10 times. CC had to rally to get to within eight points at halftime.

Concordia was able to rally in the second half by getting the ball inside the paint. The Cobbers were able to outscore Hamline 19-7 in the first 10 minutes of play and then took their first lead of the day when Tricia Sorensen completed an "and 1" play to put CC up 45-44. Concordia then pulled away to take a six-point lead with 3:08 to play before the Pipers scored seven of the final eight points of regulation and tied the game at 60-60 heading into overtime.  The biggest play of the final minute came with Cobber center Alex Lippert at the free throw line with the score tied at 60-60 and only 11-seconds remaining in the period. Lippert connected on her second free throw that would have put CC up 61-60 but Concordia was called for a lane violation.

Hamline then missed a pair of chances in the dying seconds and the game headed into overtime. Concordia once again built a six-point lead but then ran out of gas and had Hamline go on a 13-0 run to finish off the game.  The Pipers scored 10 of the 13 points at the free throw line and wound up shooting an impressive 88.9% (16-for-18) from the foul line in the game.

Sorensen led a trio of players who all scored in double figures. She had 19 points and collected five rebounds. Lippert came away with 11 points, seven rebounds, two blocks and an assist.      

Concordia wound up shooting 36.9% (24-for-65) from the floor and 12.5% (2-for-16) from outside the arc. The most telling statistic came from turnovers where CC committed 18 miscures and were outscored 26-14 off of turnovers.

The Cobbers will now have a mini three-day break before they play at Bethel on Wednesday, Jan. 16 at 5:45 p.m.