With the victory, Concordia moves their unbeaten string to seven games. They have also won 10 of their last 11. St. Ben's loses for the first time in conference play, and for the first time in nine games. The Cobbers improve to 11-3 in league play and 13-4 overall. The Blazers drop to 13-1
in the MIAC and 15-2 overall.
The game was a nailbiter from the onset, as the two teams battled through a contest that was tied 10 different times and featured 14 lead changes. The Cobbers final lead of the game came on a made 3-point basket by first-year guard Annie Keeley with 56 seconds left in overtime. After Keeley's made 3-pointer, the Blazers turned the ball over with 40 seconds left, but received the ball back with 13 seconds remaining when Keeley missed the front end of a one-and-one. The Blazers drove the ball the length of the court but were unable to get a shot off before the buzzer sounded to end the game.
Mandy Pearson was the catalyst for the Cobbers as she poured in a game-high 28 points, collected four rebounds and dished off five assists. Keeley was one of two other Cobbers to score in double figures. She finished the game with 14 points and five rebounds. Tori Ehlert scored a career-high 12 points, including a key 3-point basket midway through the overtime period.
St. Ben's was led by Anna Heikenen who finished with 25 points and five rebounds. Kim Johnson collected a double-double, scoring 19 points and hauling in a game-high 15 rebounds.
The tandem of Keeley and Pearson staked the Cobbers to a 39-37 lead at halftime. The pair accounted for 21 first half points and were a combined 5-for-6 from 3-point range. It was Pearson's final 3-point attempt of the first 20 minute that gave the Cobbers the two-point lead at the break. She stole the ball with just under 30 seconds to play and then hit the long-range jump shot with 10 seconds to go in the half.
The Blazers opened the second half by scoring the first eight points and holding the Cobbers scoreless for the first 2:27. St. Ben's finished their opening run by outscoring Concordia 10-2 and taking a 49-41 lead with 16:49 left in the game. The Cobbers stemmed the tide by countering with a 14-4 run to grab a 55-53 lead at the 12:52 mark. The two teams traded baskets and points for the remainder of the second half, as no team could build more than a four-point lead. With just over one minute to play, Mandy Pearson drove through the Blazer defense and layed in a basket to give Concordia a 71-70 lead. After a pair of turnovers, St. Ben's forward Anna Heikenen was fouled but only converted on one of her two free throws. Concordia had a chance to win it in regulation but failed to get a shot up to the basket as they turned the ball over in the front
court.
The overtime period started the same way as the second half with St. Ben's grabbing an early lead by going on a three-point run. The Cobbers evened the score on Ehlert's clutch 3-point basket. Heikenen then drained two free throws on the subsequent possession to give the Blazers a 76-74 lead. That set the stage for Keeley and the Cobber defense. Keeley calmly drained a 3-point shot from the wing to give Concordia a 77-76 lead. The Concordia defense then forced a turnover but Keeley missed her first free throw on the subsequent one-and-one. The Blazers dribbled the ball upcourt without calling timeout. They worked the ball around the perimeter and made one entry pass before taking a last second shot. As the Blazer player leapt to get the shot away, the buzzer sounded and the Cobbers had knocked the Blazers from the ranks of the top 10 in the nation.
Concordia held a significant 41-30 edge in rebounding and held the Blazers to only six offensive rebounds for the entire 45 minutes. The Cobbers also held a 34-28 advantage in points scored from inside the "paint".
Concordia shot 42.4% (28-for-66) from the floor for the game, and held the Blazers to less than 40% from the field. St. Ben's finished the game by shooting 39.7% (23-for-58) which is well below their season shooting percentage of 46.7%. The Blazers were also January-cold from 3-point
range. They shot a frigid 23.8% (5-for-21) from the outside. Concordia was able to heat up the gym by connecting on 52.9% (9-for-17) of their attempts from behind the 3-point arc.
Newspaper Box Score St. Benedict vs Concordia College 01/28/04 7:30 at Concordia College, Moorhead MN At Concordia College, Moorhead MN CONCORDIA COLLEGE 77, ST. BENEDICT 76 ST. BENEDICT (15-2, 13-1 MIAC) Anna Heikenen 7-18 11-15 25; Kim Johnson 7-11 5-6 19; Leah Laurich 1-2 6-6 9; Ashley Brown 2-10 2-3 7; Katie Kempe 2-2 0-0 5; Justine Richels 1-2 0-0 3; Tara Schloe 1-2 1-2 3; Darby Noreen 1-4 0-0 3; Jill Podgorski 1-7 0-0 2. Totals 23-58 25-32 76. CONCORDIA COLLEGE (13-4, 11-3 MIAC) Mandy Pearson 11-20 2-2 28; Anne Keeley 4-7 3-4 14; Tori Ehlert 4-9 3-3 12; Jamie Visness 3-12 2-3 9; Beth Drager 3-9 1-3 7; Leanne White 2-3 0-0 4; Debbie Slack 1-4 0-0 2; Breanna Gottenberg 0-1 1-2 1; Karie Visness 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 28-66 12-17 77. St. Benedict.................. 37 34 5 - 76 Concordia College............. 39 32 6 - 77 3-point goals-St. Benedict 5-21 (Katie Kempe 1-1; Ashley Brown 1-8; Darby Noreen 1-2; Leah Laurich 1-1; Justine Richels 1-1; Jill Podgorski 0-3; Kim Johnson 0-3; Anna Heikenen 0-2), Concordia College 9-17 (Mandy Pearson 4-7; Anne Keeley 3-5; Jamie Visness 1-4; Tori Ehlert 1-1). Fouled out--St. Benedict-None, Concordia College-Beth Drager; Tori Ehlert. Rebounds-St. Benedict 35 (Kim Johnson 15), Concordia College 44 (Debbie Slack 8). Assists-St. Benedict 14 (Leah Laurich 4), Concordia College 14 (Mandy Pearson 5). Total fouls-St. Benedict 16, Concordia College 23. A-458