Concordia evens their overall record to 1-1, while St. Ben's remains undefeated this season, pushing their record to 3-0.
The Cobbers shot 28.1%(9-for-32) from the field and 25.0%(3-for-12) from 3-point range in the decisive first half. The most critical stretch of the game came midway through the opening period with the Blazers clinging to a one-point lead. From the 12:52 mark until there was 6:52 left in the half, St. Ben's outscored the Cobbers 12-3 and grabbed a ten-point lead. The team's played even for the final six minutes of play, but the 10-point advantage would be too much for Concordia to overcome the rest of the way out.
In the second half, the Cobbers cut the lead to as few as six with just under three minutes to play but couldn't get all the way back, and St. Ben's finished on an 8-2 run to win by 12.
After having one non-conference game to warm up, Mandy Pearson returned to the form that won her league MVP honors last year. Pearson finished with a game-high 24 points, and team highs in rebounds (6) and assists (5). Pearson was one of only three Concordia players in double figures. Joining Pearson was freshman phenom Melanie Hageman, who scored 14 points and hauled in five rebounds. She has now scored 43 points in her first two college games. Annie Keeley was the final member of the double-digit trio. She finished with 12 points and was 3-for-6 from 3-point range.
Anna Heikenen had a team-high 20 points for St. Ben's. Kim Johnson added a game-high 11 rebounds, as the Blazers won for the third straight time this season.
Despite shooting a reasonable 40%(14-for-35) in the second half, Concordia finished the game by shooting a mere 34.3%(23-for-67) from the floor. The Cobbers were even colder from long distance. As a team, they shot 19.0%(4-for-21) from behind the arc. St. Ben's shot 42.1%(24-for-57) from the floor and 33.3%(5-for-15) from 3-point range. The Blazers held a 46-40 edge in rebounds, but committed five more turnovers (20-15) than Concordia.
The Cobbers will continue their opening conference road trip when they play at Gustavus on Saturday, December 4 at 1:00pm. The game can be heard live on 1280AM radio in the Fargo-Moorhead area and also via the internet at: www.gocobbers.com. The game is part of a stretch of four away games the Cobbers will play to open the MIAC.
Newspaper Box Score Concordia Cobbers vs College of St. Benedict 12/01/04 7:30 PM at Claire Lynch Hall At Claire Lynch Hall COLLEGE OF ST. BENEDICT 75, CONCORDIA COBBERS 63 CONCORDIA COBBERS (1-0 (0-0 MIAC)) Mandy Pearson 8-20 7-9 24; Melanie Hageman 6-13 2-3 14; Anne Keeley 3-8 3-4 12; Karie Visness 2-4 0-0 4; Tori Ehlert 2-8 0-0 4; Amanda Levos 1-1 1-1 3; Christina Aarestad 1-4 0-0 2; Kim Meyer 0-1 0-0 0; Jamie Visness 0-5 0-0 0; Leanne White 0-3 0-0 0. Totals 23-67 13-17 63. COLLEGE OF ST. BENEDICT (2-0 (0-0 MIAC)) Anna Heikenen 8-16 4-7 20; Darby Noreen 3-9 8-10 17; Ellie Boone 3-5 5-7 11; Katie Kempe 3-7 3-4 10; Tara Schloe 3-5 2-2 8; Kim Johnson 2-7 0-0 4; Justine Richels 1-3 0-0 3; Jen Dalhed 1-2 0-2 2; Laura Zwach 0-3 0-0 0. Totals 24-57 22-32 75. Concordia Cobbers............. 24 39 - 63 College of St. Benedict....... 34 41 - 75 3-point goals-Concordia Cobbers 4-21 (Anne Keeley 3-6; Mandy Pearson 1-6; Karie Visness 0-1; Tori Ehlert 0-3; Christina Aarestad 0-1; Jamie Visness 0-2; Leanne White 0-2), College of St. Benedict 5-15 (Darby Noreen 3-6; Katie Kempe 1-3; Justine Richels 1-3; Kim Johnson 0-3). Fouled out--Concordia Cobbers-None, College of St. Benedict-None. Rebounds-Concordia Cobbers 40 (Karie Visness 6; Tori Ehlert 6; Mandy Pearson 6), College of St. Benedict 46 (Kim Johnson 11). Assists-Concordia Cobbers 13 (Mandy Pearson 5), College of St. Benedict 19 (Katie Kempe 7). Total fouls-Concordia Cobbers 22, College of St. Benedict 17. A-255