3-Point First Half Spree Spurs Win Over St. Mary's

MOORHEAD, Minn. (1/07/13)—Concordia had four out of their five starting players score in double figures and outscored St. Mary's 81-68 to win their fifth straight game.

"I think the key to the game was our balanced scoring," said Cobber head coach Jessica Rahman. "They weren't able to key on just one person and that helped us score on a consistent basis."

The game was a match-up of two of the top 5 teams in the MIAC. Concordia earned the win by connecting on six 3-point field goals in the first half as they shot 54.5% ( 6-for-11) from behind the arc in the first 20 minutes of play. In addition to the six 3-pointers, the Cobbers also had three conventional 3-point plays. The 27 points via 3-point plays led to a 37-25 lead at the break.

Concordia (8-3/7-1 MIAC) was also able to finish off the game by responding to the Cardinals' second-half run five minutes into the final period. SMU cut the Cobbers' lead to seven points with 15:29 to play but then CC went on a 13-4 run to reinstate a double-digit lead and squash any comeback hopes from St. Mary's.

"I thought our defense did a good job in the second half making St. Mary's work for every basket," said Rahman. "We didn't give up any easy baskets and that helped us in not giving up a big run."

Seniors Tricia Sorensen and Emily Thesing keyed Concordia's offensive attack. Sorensen had a game-high 20 points. She was 9-for-18 from the floor as she recorded her second straight 20-point game. Thesing, this week's Co-MIAC Player of the Week, had 19 points, a game-high eight rebounds and added a season-high eight assists. Alley Fisher was able to beat SMU defenders off the dribble and had 17 points. Her ability to draw foul helped her go 6-for-7 from the free throw line. Junior center Alexandra Lippert was 5-for-6 from the floor and finished with 12 points. She was two rebounds shy of a double-double as she matched Thesing's game-high eight rebounds.

Concordia will continue with their four-game home stand when they host another top 5 MIAC team. The Cobbers will square off against St. Ben's on Wednesday, Jan. 9 at 7:30 p.m.