Final Four In The First Half Foils Cobbers At Macalester

ST. PAUL, Minn. (1/16/23)---Concordia outscored Macalester 56-46 for 36 of the 40 minutes in their MIAC game on Monday, but it was the stretch of 4-minutes at the end that proved to be the difference.

Concordia led 25-20 heading into the final 4-minutes of the opening period, but were outscored 14-0 for the rest of the half and trailed 29-25 at the break. The two teams each scored 31 points in the second half, but the Cobbers couldn't overcome the 14-0 run and lost 60-56.

The Cobbers cut the deficit to a pair of points on three occasions in the second half with the last coming in the final second of game, but a pair of clutch free throws sealed the win for the Scots.

Concordia is now 6-9 on the season, and 4-6 in conference play at the halfway point of the MIAC schedule. The Scots are 9-5 in all games and 6-4 in the MIAC which puts them in a 4-way tie for third place in the conference standings.

Another key component of the game came from behind the 3-point arc. The Cobbers went 2-for-17 (11.8%) from distance, while Macalester shot 31.0% (9-for-29) from outside the arc. The 11.8% shooting percentage is the lowest of the season for CC as are the two made 3-point baskets.

The Cobbers held a decided edge around the basket where the posted a 32-18 advantage in points in the paint. CC came away with a 34-33 edge in rebounds.

Dylan Inniger, Rowan Nelson and Alex Huber all finished with double-digit point totals. Inniger was 5-for-8 from the floor and had 15 points to go with a team-high seven rebounds.

Nelson was 7-for-12 from the field and also had 15 points. Huber was 3-for-4 from the field and 5-for-5 from the foul line as he posted 11 points.

UP NEXT: Concordia will play its first home game of 2023 when they host Augsburg on Wednesday, Jan. 18 at 5:15 p.m.