A Preview Of March?

STEVENS POINT, Wis. (11/10/23)---The game between Concordia and No.9-ranked Wis.-Whitewater would never win a "best in show" award – it featured a combined 59 turnovers – but it was a gritty, back-and-forth battle by two teams who have legitimate NCAA tournament aspirations.

The Cobbers overcame a slow and went toe-to-toe with the defending WIAC champions before getting outscored at the finish and losing 65-62 in the first game of the Wis.-Stevens Point Tip-Off Tournament.

The game was tied at 62-62 with 25 seconds left in the fourth quarter when Whitewater was able to connect on a pair of free throws and then force a CC turnover on the next possession before hitting 1-of-2 free throws to finish the game.

The loss is the first of the year for Concordia, who is now 1-1. The game was the season opener for the Warhawks.

One of the differences in the game was the first quarter, where the Cobbers were outscored 18-13. Concordia outscored Whitewater in the second quarter by a point and the third quarter by three points, but the 5-point deficit in the first 10 minutes of play made the Cobbers chase the game for the final three periods of play.

Field goal percentage was another factor in the game. The Cobbers had more possessions than Whitewater, made more free throws and held a 35-30 edge in rebounds but shot 33.9% (19-for-56) from the floor, compared to 48.9% (23-for-47) for the Warhawks.

Carlee Sieben led Concordia in scoring for the second straight game to start the year. She was 2-for-5 from distance, a perfect 6-for-6 from the foul line and finished with 16 points. She is averaging 19.0 points in the first two games.

Senior Emily Beseman was 7-for-8 from the free throw line and added 13 points to go with four assists.

Jordyn Kahler was the third member of CC with a double-digit point total. She was 3-for-6 from the floor and had 10 points.

Makayla Anderson led all players with seven rebounds. She also had seven points.

UP NEXT: Concordia will finish its Wisconsin trip when they face tournament host Wis.-Stevens Point on Saturday, Nov. 11 at 3 p.m.