Warm Comforts of Memorial Stop MIAC Skid

MOORHEAD, Minn. (12/11/13)—The only thing Concordia needed to snap its three-game losing skid to start MIAC play was the warm atmosphere of Memorial Auditorium and a brand new set of baskets. The Cobbers outscored Augsburg by 16 points in the second and went on to post a 68-57 win over the Auggies.

"It was our home court, first MIAC game at home, a great crown and it was just fun to play," commented sophomore guard Matt Ellingson. "We knew we had to come and get this one."

Ellingson sparked Concordia's second-half comeback by scoring the team's first five points of the period and went on to record a career-high 12 points to go along with four rebounds and three steals.
 
 "Teams usually sag off me because I'm not the best shooter in the world from the outside," commented Ellingson. "I had to get to the basket if I wanted to score tonight."  

The victory pushes Concordia back to the .500-mark for the season. CC is now 4-4 overall and 1-3 in the MIAC. Augsburg, who was picked to finish second in the MIAC preseason coaches' poll, drops to 4-3 in all games and 1-3 in league play.

The teams went back-and-forth in the first half with neither squad holding more than a three point lead until the final two minutes of the period. The Auggies were able to go into the break with a five-point lead at 30-25 thanks to a 12-6 run over the final four minutes of the opening half of play. The first 20 minutes of the game featured four tie scores and four lead changes.

The game changed in the opening minutes of the second half when Ellingson's first five points of the frame sparked a 15-1 run. That scoring spree helped the Cobbers gain a nine-point lead at 40-31 – a lead they wouldn't relinquish for the remainder of the game.

Augsburg cut the lead to four points with just under seven minutes to play but then CC responded with a 6-0 string to take a 10-point lead at 50-40. The Auggies would never get closer than seven points for the remainder of the game.

Concordia shot 46.9% (23-for-49) from the floor and 33.3% (5-for-15) from outside the arc as compared to 40.0% (22-for-55) from the field and 38.1% (8-for-21) from 3-point range for the Auggies. The biggest statistical advantage for the Cobbers came at the free throw line where CC used their quickness and hustle to come up with an 11 free throw advantage. Not only did the Cobbers shoot 11 more foul shots than Augsburg, they also made 12 more. CC was 17-for-21 (81.0%) from the charity striped as opposed to 5-for-10 (50.0%) for Augsburg.

Concordia had four of its five starters score in double figures. In addition to Ellingson's 12 points, Brady Syverson went 5-for-7 from the floor and 7-of-9 from the free throw line and finished with a game-high 17 points. Brandon Giese had 13 points to go along with a game-high five assists. Tom Fraase connected a trio of 3-pointers and finished with 11 points. Fraase has the longest double-digit scoring streak of any Cobber player. He has now posted four straight games of 10-plus points. Jordan Bolger was tied for a game high in rebounds with seven.  

Concordia will look to take a two-game winning streak into the Christmas holiday when they host Hamline on Saturday, Dec. 14 at 3 p.m.