Successful College Debuts
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Minn.-Morris (0-1) | 16 | 18 | 23 | 6 | 63 |
|
Concordia-M'head (1-0) | 18 | 30 | 13 | 17 | 78 |
MOORHEAD, Minn. (11/08/19)---If the careers of head coach Kim Wagers and freshman Emily Beseman are anything like their college debuts then the Cobbers could be in for a successful four year.
Concordia used a 30-point second quarter to roar past Minn.-Morris and claim a 78-63 win in the season opener which featured the head coaching debut of Wagers, who spent the past seven seasons as an assistant at Wis.-Eau Claire, and the first post high school game for Beseman.
The Cobbers went 6-for-10 from 3-point range in the decisive second period, shot 57.1% (12-for-21) from the floor and outrebounded the Cougars 11-3 in total rebounds and had a 5-0 margin in offensive rebounds.
The ability to shoot from the outside and then grab rebounds underneath played out for the entire game. Concordia went 12-for-25 (48.0%) from outside the arc as compared to just 2-for-14 (14.3%) for Morris. The Cobbers also held an impressive 45-19 edge on the glass. Concordia had one more offensive rebound (20) than the Cougars had total rebounds. The 19 rebounds by Morris is the fewest by a Cobber opponent since the 2017 season.
The Cobbers had four players who had at least five rebounds and were led by Beseman who came off the bench to score a game-high 23 points and collected nine rebounds. Beseman was 5-for-7 from outside the arc and also dished out seven assists in her first collegiate game.
Point guard Autumn Thompson was 6-for-11 from 3-point range and finished with a career-high 18 points. Mary Sem scored most of her points from around the basket as she went 6-for-8 from the floor and added 14 points.
Junior Elizabeth Birkemeyer led all players with 10 rebounds. She also scored eight points and had six assists. The 10 rebounds tied a career high for Birkemeyer.
The Cobber defense also held Morris to 42.9% (24-for-56) shooting from the floor.
UP NEXT: Concordia will step outside of NCAA competition when they travel to Mayville to take on Mayville State on Friday, Nov. 15 at 7 p.m. The Comets are an NAIA scholarship school and are 4-0 on the season.