3-Balls Punctuate Halftime Streak In MIAC-Opening Win

ST. JOSEPH, Minn. (12/03/14)—Alley Fisher connected on a 3-point field goal at the very end of the first half and the very beginning of the second half to help Concordia ease their way to a 71-60 win over St. Benedict in the conference opener for both teams.

The Cobbers made six more shots from outside the arc than the Blazers as they beat CSB for the fourth straight time. Concordia is now 4-2 on the year while St. Ben's falls to 2-3.

Concordia was able to turn a 19-19 tie game midway through the first half into a 10-point lead with 17:02 remaining in the second half by knocking down four 3-point field goals and holding St. Ben's to just three field total field goals in that stretch. The Cobber defense held the Blazers to 3-for-9 from the floor during the decisive 12-minute period around the halftime break.

The Cobbers would then hold St. Ben's at bay for the remainder of the game. CSB closed the gap to within four points on a pair of occasions in the final 14 minutes of play but each time Concordia responded by pushing the lead to six points in the next two possessions. CC finally put the game out of reach when they went on a 12-3 run over a span of 5:13 to push a four-point advantage to 13 points with 8:23 left in regulation.

Concordia wound up making eight of their 21 shots (38.1%) from outside the arc while St. Ben's attempted just six shots from 3-point range and made only two the entire game.

Free throw practice paid off for the Cobbers as they went from 36.4% (8-for-22) in their final game before the Thanksgiving holiday break to a perfect 13-for-13 in their first game after the break.

CC also shot 41.7% (25-for-60) from the field. The Cobbers are now 3-0 on the season when they shoot 40.0% or better from the floor in a game.

Concordia held a slim 40-34 edge in rebounds while both teams committed 12 turnovers.

Fisher finished with a team-high 18 points – 10 of which came in the second half alone. She has now led the team in scoring in three of the first five games of the year. Fisher was 4-for-9 from outside the arc for the game and a perfect 2-for-2 at the foul stripe. She also added three assists.

Erin Januschka recorded her first collegiate double-double through a very rare statistical performance. Instead of the usual points and rebounds factoring in double figures, Januschka had double-digit totals in assists and rebounds. She had 10 assists and 10 rebounds in the game. It is the second time this season that a CC player has put up at least 10 assists in a game. Fisher had 12 assists against Mayville State on Nov. 18.

The Cobbers had two other players score 15 or more points against St. Ben's. Sophomore guard Greta Walsh had an almost perfect night shooting the ball. She missed only two field goal attempts all game long. Walsh was 7-for-9 from the floor, 1-for-1 from 3-point range and 2-for-2 from the free throw line. She finished with a season-high 17 points.

Olivia Johnson had 11 points in the first half and tied her career high in points for a game with 15. She also grabbed four rebounds.

Concordia will stay on the road when they play at Hamline on Saturday, Dec. 6 at 1 p.m.