MIAC Championship Preview

MIAC CHAMPIONSHIP PREVIEW
#2 UNIVERSITY OF ST. THOMAS (21-5)
at
#1 CONCORDIA COLLEGE (21-5)

February 23, 2013
Memorial Auditorium - Moorhead, Minn. - 3 p.m.


Live Video | Live Audio | Live Stats

EARLIER THIS YEAR: Like the MIAC semifinal game, the two teams in today's championship contest split the regular-season series with each team winning at home. St. Thomas claimed the first game 65-53 in St. Paul before Concordia came away with a 69-62 win in Moorhead. In the opener, the Tommies used a 24-3 run over a span of 8:38 in the second half to pull away and claim the 12-point win. Concordia led for almost the entire first half and stretched their lead to as many as five points with under 5-minutes to go in the opening period. The Tommies claimed a 29-26 lead at the break by going on a 12-4 run over the final four minutes of the half.The Cobbers tried to take control in the early part of the second half and tied the game at 32-32 with 17:40 to play but then UST went on their decisive run to come out with the win. The second game was the exact opposite as Concordia outscored the Tommies 38-28 in the second half and won by seven. UST had a three-point halftime lead but then shot just 1-for-9 from 3-point range and watched as the Cobbers grabbed a 24-13 edge in rebounding to seize control in the final 20 minutes of play. The Tommies wound up shooting just 12.5% (2-for-16) from outside the arc for the game while Concordia enjoyed a 39-25 edge in total rebounds and made 22 of their 29 free attempts.   

SERIES: Series is tied 37-37

SERIES STARTED: 1979-80

SERIES HISTORY: The series between the two teams has been all about streaks. St. Thomas has won three of the last four in the series which included a sweep in last year's regular season. Before that stretch CC had won four of the previous five including the 2010-11 playoff title tilt. Before that, UST had won the three previous games. That came after a seven-game string for CC...Concordia is 11-14 at home against UST in the past 25 games played in Moorhead.

PLAYOFF HISTORY: The teams have only met three times in the 12-year history of the MIAC playoffs. The Cobbers hold a 2-1 edge and have won the last two meetings between the squads in the postseason including a 71-61 win over the Tommies in the 2011 championship game. CC is also 1-0 at home vs. UST in the conference playoffs. St. Thomas' lone win came in the very first year of the playoffs when they won 71-57 in St. Paul.

    

CONCORDIA PROBABLE STARTERS
G – 12 – Erika Jossart, Jr., Bismarck, N.D.
G – 23 – Emily Thesing, Sr., Brainerd, Minn.
F – 24 – Tricia Sorensen, Sr., Bismarck, N.D.
G – 32 – Alley Fisher, So., Fargo, N.D.
C – 44 – Alexandra Lippert, Jr., Willmar, Minn.

ST. THOMAS PROBABLE STARTERS
G– 12– Kellie Ring, Sr., Somerset, Wis. 
G– 13 – Kelly Brandenburg, Jr., Brookfield, Wis.
G – 21 – Jenna Dockter, So., Rosemount, Minn.   
F – 22 – Taylor Young, Jr., Edina, Minn.
F – 33 – Anna Smith, So., Bloomington, Minn.

COBBER NOTES

CONCORDIA MIAC PLAYOFF NOTES
Concordia is making its 11^th straight MIAC playoff appearance and 12^th overall appearance. The consecutive postseason streak dates all the way back to the 2001-02 season. That is the only time in the 13-year history of the MIAC Tournament that the Cobbers did not make the postseason. Concordia is making its first appearance in the conference tournament as the No.1 seed. The last time that the Cobbers won the regular-season crown was back in 1989-90 ...Concordia is appearing in its fifth conference title game and is  2-2 in their previous four championship contests – they are 1-0 at home in those games...  Concordia is 10-10 in their previous 11 appearances in the tourney. The Cobbers are 9-2 in their 11 playoff games in Moorhead...the Cobbers have two tourney titles - in 2006 and 2011 and both came when they entered the playoffs as the No.2 seed.

COBBER 2012-13 NOTES
Concordia enters today's game having won four straight, 12 out of 13 and 18 out of 20 in a streak that dates back to Dec. 3.  The Cobbers are 11-1 at home this year with their lone loss coming against Hamline on Jan. 12...defense continues to be the key for CC as they have held their last three opponents under 50 points. Concordia has not allowed a foe to score more than 60 points in 10 of the last 13 games. The Cobbers are third in the MIAC in opponent's scoring average in all games (56.9 ppg)...one of the big keys for CC this season has been their play on the glass. The Cobbers lead the MIAC in offensive rebounds and rebound margin. Concordia has outrebounded its opponent in eight straight games and all but five of their 26 total games this season... Cobber sophomore guard Alley Fisher has been one of the unsung heroes of the team this year. She is third in the MIAC in 3-point shooting percentage. Fisher has made her last 21 consecutive free throws. Another unsung hero is Erik Jossart who is coming off a career-high 10 assists on Thursday and is second in the MIAC in assists. (3.7).

TOMMIE NOTES

ST. THOMAS MIAC PLAYOFF NOTES
Like the Cobbers, the Tommies are making their 12^th overall MIAC playoff appearance. The only time they did not make the conference postseason was back in 2005-06...UST is 11-9 in their 12 playoff appearances including their semifinal win over St. Mary's on Thursday. The Tommies are 2-3 in their five previous trips to the MIAC title game and that includes last year's 66-54 win over Gustavus. UST has won two playoff titles – all in the last three years...St. Thomas has only played one championship game on the road and they won that game at St. Ben's in 2010...UST is  3-5 overall on the road in the playoffs with all three wins coming in that fateful 2010 postseason when they started the tournament as the No.5 seed...this year marks only the third time that UST has been the No.2 seed and they were 1-2 in games as the No.2 seed before this year.    

TOMMIE 2012-13 NOTES
St. Thomas heads into today's game riding an eight-game winning streak. It is the second longest winning string of the season. The Tommies fashioned an 11-game streak at the start of the year...UST is 9-3 on the road this season with three of their four conference losses coming away from Schoenecker Arena...like the Cobbers, St. Thomas excels on defense where they have not allowed their opponents to score more than 60 points in eight straight games. All five of UST's losses this season came when their opponent scored more than 60 points...the Tommies led the MIAC in opponent's scoring average (52.6), opponent's rebounds per game (31.3), steals (12.7/game), opponent's turnovers (21.0/game) and field goal percentage (45.5%)...St. Thomas shot better than 45.0% from the floor in 15 of its 26 games this year and was 14-1 in those games...sophomore guard Jenna Dockter led the MIAC in field goal percentage (59.2%) while fellow guard Kelly Ring was first in steals per game (3.3).