Season-Changing 2nd Half Leads To Comeback Win

MOORHEAD, Minn. (1/07/15)—It might be the half that Concordia will look back on and say, "that was the turning point of the season." The Cobbers erased an 11-point halftime deficit, outscored Bethel 45-28 in the second and rallied to beat the Royals 68-56.

The win is the third straight for the Cobbers to start 2015. It is also the second win in the last three outings that CC has bettered a conference team picked to finish in the top 4 of the league standings. Concordia is now 4-1 in the MIAC and tied for second place. CC runs their overall record to 8-4 after finishing the 2014 calendar year at 5-4.

The second half spurt which led to the win is made even bigger due to the fact that the perennial league powers only play once this year. Instead of playing each school twice, which has been the case for decades, the new 2014-15 MIAC schedule has each team playing only "a-round- and-a-half" against conference foes. Bethel is one of the four teams Concordia will only play once this season.

Concordia was forced to chase the game for the entire first half as Bethel led for the first 20 minutes. CC was unable to get consistent looks at the basket and struggled to make baskets on consecutive possessions. Despite the low-scoring first 18 minutes of the opening period, the game completely changed complexion in the final minute of play.

The Cobbers were finally able to tie the game at 20-20 with 1:38 left to play in the opening period. Bethel then proceeded to make a pair of 3-point field goals and then convert on an old fashioned 3-ppoint play to finish the half on an 11-0 run and take a 31-20 lead into the break.

Concordia vs. Bethel Highlights - Jan. 7, 2015

Concordia was faced with the task of overcoming an 11-point deficit and a Royal team that had all the momentum. The Cobbers came out of the locker room and made a statement that could carry them right into the MIAC title race. CC scored 13 of the first 15 points in the second period and tied the game at 33-33 with 15:08 remaining in regulation.

The teams traded baskets for the next six minutes before the Cobbers completely pulled the rug out from under Bethel's legs by going on a 7-0 run which turned a 42-42 tie game with 9:07 left into a commanding 49-42 lead with 7:50 to play. The Cobbers never let the Royals get within three points for the remainder of the second half and sealed the comeback win with a 9-1 stretch in the final 1:15 to come away with the double-digit victory.

Concordia's high-energy defense held Bethel to a 28.6% (8-for-28) shooting mark from the floor and forced nine turnovers in the second half. The Royals also went cold from 3-point range, making just 12.5% (1-for-8) of their shots from behind the arc.

The Cobber offense also turned up the success rate in the final period.  CC shot 42.9% (12-for-28) from the floor and 60.0% (6-for-10) from 3-point range. The biggest stat differential came at the free throw line where the Cobbers made more free throws than Bethel attempted in the second half. CC was an impressive 18-for-21 (85.7%) from the foul line while the Royals were 8-for-15 (53.3%).

Concordia had four players finish in double figures for the game. Alley Fisher, the team's leading scorer, was held in check by the Bethel defense in the first half but then found her scoring touch in the second half and finished with 15 points. She had 11 points in the second half alone and went 7-for-8 in the final 20 minutes of play. Fisher, the newest member of the Cobber 1,000-point club, has scored in double figures in 11 straight games.  

Fisher's 11 second-half points was bettered by one by sophomore guard Emma Peterson. Peterson took control of the game in certain spots in the second period and finished with 12 points in the last half. She was 2-for-2 from outside the arc and 3-for-5 from the floor. Peterson finished with 14 points after connecting on a single field goal in the opening half.

Junior forward Olivia Johnson had 13 points to go along with a team-high eight rebounds. She connected on a season-high 3 shots from outside the arc after not making a 3-point basket for six straight games.  Johnson has now grabbed at least seven rebounds in four straight games.

Greta Walsh was the final member of the CC double-digit quartet. She had several key baskets in both halves, went 2-for-5 from 3-point range and finished with 12 points. She has scored at least 10 points in two straight games and in five of the last seven games.

Concordia will finish off their four games-in-seven days stretch when they play at No.6-ranked St. Thomas on Saturday, Jan. 10 at 1 p.m. The Tommies are unbeaten on the year and one game ahead of the Cobbers in the conference standings.