Three Long Days Of Travel Are Rewarded With A Win

MORRIS, Minn. (11/25/14)—Concordia was outscored 9-2 in the first 3:30 of the game at Minn.-Morris and then missed their final seven shots at the end but in a solid performance in between and walked away with a 66-63 win over the Cougars.

The Cobbers fought through jet lag, lack of sleep and the last days of school before Thanksgiving break and got what it came for at Morris – a win. The victory is the third of the season for CC which moves to 3-2 on the year. Minn.-Morris is 1-4 for the year with three of the four losses coming at the hands of MIAC teams.   

The Cobbers flew home from a tournament in in Tacoma, Wash. on Sunday, stranded in the Minneapolis airport until Monday morning and finally got home late in the day on Monday. They had to then turn around and get their missed class work finished and hit the road Tuesday afternoon for their game with the Cougars.

The long days of travel showed in the early stages at Morris as the Cobbers gave up the first five points of the game, didn't score in the first two minutes of play and fell behind 19-8 at the 14:42 mark of the opening period.

Morris kept up their 9-11-point lead until just over six minutes left in the first half. That's when Concordia started to wake up, knock down shots and force turnovers with their defense. The Cobbers went on a 12-2 run over the course of 4:16 to grab a 33-32 lead with 2:32 left in the half. During that stretch CC went 4-for-5 from the floor, 4-for-7 from the free throw line and forced four Cougar turnovers.

The teams went into the break tied at 33-33 and would stay within five points of one another for the first 10 minutes of the final period. In the first half of the second period there were six lead changes and three tie scores.

The game turned in Concordia's favor when senior guard Alley Fisher connected on a 3-point basket to give the Cobbers a six-point lead at 58-52 with 9:52 to play. CC would never trail from that point forward and would only allow the Cougars to get to within three points on one occasion.

Concordia was 4-for-9 from the floor in the final 10 minutes of play. The Cobbers built a seven-point lead at 66-59 with 3:34 to play but then did not make another shot the rest of the game. Morris had three chances to tie the game in the final 15-seconds of play but they missed on field goals each time they had the ball.

Both teams shot in the 40-percent range from the floor and from behind the arc for the game. The difference came in turnovers and then points off of those miscues. Concordia forced 20 Morris turnovers and turned that into a 24-10 advantage in points off of turnovers. It is the third time in the last four games that the Cobbers have forced at least 20 turnovers. CC is now 3-0 when they pressure their opponents into at least 20 miscues in a game.

The Cobbers had two starters and two reserves put up double-digit point totals for the game. Fisher had a team-high 16 points as she went 3-for-6 from 3-point range. Erin Januschka was 6-for-7 from the floor and had 12 points. Both players have now scored in double figures in four straight games.

Morgan Gunderson and Jenna Januschka came off the bench to both post career-high point totals. The duo combined for 22 points. Gunderson was 4-for-7 from the field and had a career-high 12 points while Jenna Januschka was 4-for-9 and added a career-high 10 points.

Olivia Johnson came away with a team-high nine rebounds and added seven points and three assists.

Concordia will have an eight-day break before opening conference play on Wednesday, Dec. 3 when they play at St. Benedict at 7 p.m.