Battling All The Elements

VALLEY CITY, N.D. (12/05/16)---Concordia had had to battle snow and high winds getting to and from Valley City and then battle a tough Valley City State team on the court for 40 minutes.

The Cobbers had three players score in double figures in their final non-conference game of the year but it wasn't enough as the Vikings shot 58.3% (14-for-24) from the floor in the first half and used that momentum to post a 65-48 win.

The loss is the fourth straight for Concordia who falls to 3-6 on the season. CC ends its non-conference schedule at 3-4. Valley City State wins for the seventh straight game and ups its record to 10-3 on the year.

Concordia ran into trouble in the second quarter. After the teams battled through a back-and-forth first period of play with the Vikings clinging to a 15-12 lead, Valley City scored eight of the first 10 points in the quarter to take a 10-point lead at 24-14 with 6:42 left to play in the half.

The Cobbers would never be able to get closer than eight points for the remainder of the period as the Vikings shot 70.0% (7-for-10) from the floor, 66.7% (2-for-3) from 3-point range and outscored Concordia 22-15 in the second quarter.

Neither team was able to get on track offensively in the third quarter. The teams combined for 18 points, 15 turnovers and shot 20.0% (5-for-25) from the floor. The majority of the Cobbers' points came at the free throw line. CC went 7-for-8 from the foul stripe with sophomore guard Grace Wolhowe canning all four of her attempts.

After the 9-9 third period, the teams traded baskets until midway through the fourth when Valley City went on an 8-0 run to put the game out of reach.

Concordia finished the game by shooting 34.1% (14-for-41) from the floor and 25.0% (3-for-12) from outside the arc. The Vikings were a little hotter than the temperature. They went 44.4% (24-for-54) from the field and 36.8% (7-for-19) from 3-point range.

The Cobbers committed 26 turnovers in the game as compared to 20 for the Vikings. The rebound stats were practically even with VCSU holding a 30-28 edge.

Wolhowe, Greta Walsh and Jenna Januschka all figured in double digits in scoring on the stat sheet. Wolhowe led the team with 12 points while Walsh added 11 and Januschka chipped in 10.

Sophomore Kirstin Simmons had a team-high seven rebounds and came away with three points.

FANTASTIC FOUR: The Cobbers have had a tough schedule in the past four games. Concordia's opponents in the past four games have a combined 29-5 overall record which translates into a 85.2 winning percentage. 

FREE THROW FANATICS: Concordia continued its success at the free throw line against the Vikings on Monday. The Cobbers went 17-for-21 (81.0%) from the charity stripe which upped their season average to 73.6%. CC  has shot better than 71.0% from the foul line in seven of its nine games. Concordia is shooting 73.6% for the year and is fourth in the MIAC in that stat category.

FREE THROW FANATICS 2: Concordia had three players not miss a foul attempt at Valley City. Greta Walsh was 5-for-5 while Grace Wolhowe went 4-for-4 and Cassidy Rahman was 2-for-2. Walsh leads the team in free throw percentage at 79.5%. She is 10th in the MIAC while teammate Wolhowe is 11th at 78.3%.

WHAT'S NEXT: Concordia will head back to MIAC play when they host St. Catherine on Wednesday, Dec. 7 at 7 p.m. The Wildcats are 5-2 in all games and 1-1 in league play and are coming off an 82-58 win at Crown on Monday night.