Second Chances Cut Cobbers

ARDEN HILLS, Minn. (1/24/18)---Concordia had four players score in double figures and scored six of the last seven points in the game but the late-game rally fell short and the Cobbers lost 84-74 at Bethel.

The game turned around the offensive glass as the Cobbers gave up 18 offensive rebounds and 25 second-chance points. The 18 offensive rebounds are the most against CC in a single game this season. 

Junior guard Collin Larson led Concordia quartet of double-digit scorers with 20 points. He went 6-for-9 from outside the arc and 7-for-11 from the floor.

Austin Heins, Mason Carpenter and Tommy Schyma also had at least 10 points in the game. The four players accounted for 83.8% of the team's total scoring output for the game.

Heins was 6-for-7 from the field and finished with 16 points. He also grabbed a team-high eight rebounds. Schyma was 6-for-12 from the floor and added 14 points while Carpenter came off the bench to knock down five of his six free throw chances and finished with a career-high 12 points.

Concordia (2-9/4-12 MIAC) got behind by seven points in the first 3:26 of the game. The Royals would push the lead to as many as 10 points but then the Cobbers rallied to take a one-point lead at 32-31 with 6:11 left in the first half of play.

The Cobbers had a chance to extend the lead on their next possession but a pair of 3-point attempts missed the mark and then Bethel finished the half on an 11-6 run to take a 42-38 lead into the break.

The game came unraveled for Concordia in a 5-minute stretch at the start of the second half. The Cobbers trailed by five points until a 19-5 run put the game out of reach as Bethel bolted to a 19-point margin at 65-46.

Concordia finished the game by shooting 52.0% (26-for-50) from the floor and 40.7% (11-for-27) from outside the arc. CC was 11-for-14 (78.6%) from the free throw line.

Bethel (13-4/8-4 MIAC) shot an even 50.0% from both the field and 3-point range. The Royals went 31-for-62 from the floor and 13-for-26 from outside the arc. BU was 9-for-16 (56.3%) from the free throw line.

STAT ADVANTAGE: Concordia was outrebounded 38-24 for the game. The biggest discrepancy in that margin came from offensive rebounds where Bethel came away with 18 offensive rebounds as opposed to four for CC. The Royals used that edge to post a 25-6 margin in second chance points.

STAT ADVANTAGE 2: Concordia only committed four more turnovers in the game but Bethel made the most of those miscues as they outscored the Cobbers by 12 points (27-15) in points off of turnovers.

FANTASTIC FOUR: In addition to combining for almost 90.0% of the team's scoring in the game, Collin Larson, Austin Heins, Tommy Schyma and Mason Carpenter shot 57.8% from the floor and made 22 field goals as compared to 33.3% and four field goals for the rest of the team.

COLLIN COMMENTS: Collin Larson leads the team in scoring this season. He has now scored at least 10 points in five of the past six games and his 20-point output is the second time this year he has had at least 20 points in a game.

WHAT'S NEXT: Concordia will return to Moorhead to host Macalester on Saturday, Jan. 27 at 1 p.m. The Scots are 2-15 overall and 1-11 in the MIAC.