An Uneven Monday

MOORHEAD, Minn. (02/07/22)---It was a case of "evens were odd" in Concordia's 72-56 loss to Bethel. The Cobbers outscored the Royals 31-29 in the odd-numbered quarters, while Bethel held a 43-23 advantage in the even-numbered periods.   

Concordia's "even quarter" demise could be traced to outside shooting and points allowed in the pain. The Cobbers went 0-for-7 from outside the arc in the second and fourth periods, and were outscored 28-10 in points around the basket during that 20-minute stretch.

The loss is third straight for Concordia who move to 7-11 overall and 7-9 in the MIAC. The Cobbers are now in seventh place in the MIAC standings. Bethel wins for the fourth straight game and improves to 14-7 in all games and 13-5 in league play.

Concordia's biggest lead of the game came in the first quarter when they went up by three points on a made shot from distance from sophomore Jordyn Kahler. The Cobbers led by two at 16-14 after the first quarter before the first of the two "even" quarters took its toll.

Bethel went on a 12-0 run to start the second period, and kept the lead in double digits for the remainder of the first half – taking a 34-24 lead into the break.

The Cobbers cut the margin down to eight points on several occasion at the end of the third quarter and start of the fourth, but each time, Bethel made points in the paint to regain the double-digit lead.

Concordia shot 36.1% (22-for-61) from the floor in the game and connected on 20.0% (3-for-15) of their shots from 3-point ranges. CC was 9-for-13 (69.2%) from the free throw line. The Royals shot 44.1% (30-for-68) from the field, 25.0% (4-for-16) from distance and 40.0% (8-for-20) from the foul line.

Bethel also held a 48-26 edge in points in the paint and a 23-15 margin in points off of turnovers.

The Cobbers committed 26 turnovers in the game which is the second highest total of the season.

Concordia had three players with at least 10 points in the game. Mary Sem was 7-for-12 from the floor and led the team with 15 points. Makayla Anderson put up 13 points and also grabbed a team-high eight rebounds. Emily Beseman had 10 points and seven rebounds.

One of the brights spots for the Cobbers in the game was the return to play of seniors Autumn Thompson and Vanessa Kedl. Thompson, who hadn't played since suffering an injury on Jan. 12., played 15 minutes and came away with three points, a rebound, an assist and a steal. Kedl, who has been out of the lineup since an injury on Jan. 15, played 10 minutes and scored four points and had one block and one rebound.     

UP NEXT: Concordia will finish off its stretch of three homes games in five days when they host Gustavus on Wednesday, Feb. 9 at 5:45 p.m.

HIGHLIGHTS vs. BETHEL