Déjà Flu
| Final | 1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Concordia-M'head (20-5,18-2 MIAC) | 10 | 9 | 13 | 6 | 38 |
|
Gust. Adolphus (25-2,19-1 MIAC) | 21 | 18 | 19 | 8 | 66 |
ST. PETER, Minn. (2/24/24)---Concordia caught a case of the déjà flu in St. Peter on Saturday as they stumbled out of the gate, could never recover and lost in the MIAC championship game for the second straight year.
It was a diagnosis from 2023 that Concordia didn't want to repeat. The Cobbers had Gustavus go on a huge run in the first quarter and trailed by double digits after the first 10 minutes of play as they lost 66-38 in the title game of the conference tournament.
Concordia fell behind 12-3 in the first 4 minutes of the opening period, trailed 21-10 after the first 10 minutes of play and wound up scoring a season-low 38 points for the entire four quarters.
The Cobbers put up shooting totals of 35.8% (19-for-53) from the floor and 25.0% (6-for-24) from 3-point range in the 2023 title game and had those numbers drop in 2024. CC shot 22.6% (12-for-53) from the field and 22.2% (4-for-18) from distance on Saturday.
The final field goal percentage is also a season low for Concordia.
Gustavus finished the game by shooting 52. 8% (28-for-53) from the floor and 37.5% (6-for-16) from outside the arc.
Neither team went to the free throw line with regularity. CC was 10-for-12 (83.3%) and GAC went 4-for-10 (40.0%) in a game that featured only 22 combined foul line shots. That is in sharp contrast to the Cobbers' semifinal game which had 54 free throw attempts between the teams.
The Gusties also had the advantage around the basket with a 31-27 edge in rebounding and a 36-14 margin in points in the paint.
Concordia only had one starter, and two total, score more than five points in the game. Junior Makayla Anderson recorded team highs in points (12) and rebounds (12). The 12-12 game marked her fourth double-double of the season.
Maddie Guler came off the bench to provide an offensive spark in the second half. She went 3-for-5 from the floor, 2-for-2 from distance and finished with a season-high eight points.
UP NEXT: Concordia will have to wait to see if they receive an at-large bid into the NCAA Tournament. The NCAA selection show will take place on Monday, Feb. 26 at 1:30 p.m. (cst) and can be accessed from the NCAA.com website.
