What A Difference A Year Makes

Recap courtesy of Cal Lafave

MOORHEAD, Minn. (12/10/22)---What a difference a year makes.

A year ago, Concordia went into the holiday break on a 5-game losing skid and were just 1-6 on the season. On Saturday, the Cobbers used a strong third quarter to beat St. Mary's 83-65 to push their record to 5-2 overall and 4-2 in MIAC play.

The difference in the game could have come in the locker room at the halftime break. Moments before, Concordia was clinging to a 1-point lead as the first half waned. The Cobbers failed to box out on a missed shot by the Cardinals and junior Katelyn Cruze grabbed the offensive rebound. She then fired a pass to the wide-open senior Ashley Streveler, who nailed a three-pointer, her only field goal of the game on nine attempts, as time expired.

The buzzer beater gave SMU a 38-36 lead at halftime. The Cobber coaching staff rallied the team during the intermission, and that led to an impressive third quarter which saw CC outscore St. Mary's 21-5.

The start of the second half was slow for Concordia as they battled through the first four minutes of the third quarter and found themselves deadlocked at 42-42 with 5:51 remaining in the frame. From that point forward, Concordia embarked on a 15-1 run to close out the quarter and went into the fourth with a 57-43 lead.

The third-quarter hot streak continued in the early going of the fourth. CC pushed the lead to as many as 21 points -taking a 66-45 lead at one point.  

Concordia closed out its victory mostly with reserves, never allowing the Cardinals to get any closer than an 18-point margin.

The Cobbers' most impactful player around the basket was sophomore forward Makayla Anderson. She logged 16 points on 7-of-12 shooting to go along with nine rebounds in 29 minutes of action.

Her play helped Concordia post a 38-28 advantage in points in the paint.  

Sophomore Carlee Sieben and junior Jordyn Kahler co-led the Cobbers in scoring with 17 points. Sieben was 3-for-7 from outside the arc, while Kahler shined in 16 minutes off the bench. She scored her 17 points on 6-of-9 shooting, including 3-of-5 from deep.

Senior Emily Beseman (11 points, 4 rebounds, 4 assists, 3 steals) was her typical high-effort, high-impact self, and senior Autumn Thompson (10 points on 4-of-7 shooting) led the team with 31 minutes.

Senior Mary Sem, one of the Cobbers' most important players last season, made her 2022 home debut. She logged five minutes before returning to the bench to rest an injury.

The Cardinals were led by senior Brooklyn Paulson, who had a team-high 15 points and nine rebounds and played 38 minutes.

UP NEXT: After the holiday break, Concordia will head to Las Vegas for the D3hoops.com Classic. The Cobbers will play games on December 28th and 30th against Salve Regina University (Rhode Island) and Kenyon College (Ohio).