Concordia and Augsburg combined to commit 51 turnovers and miss 85 shots in a game that lacked the usual ebb and flow of a top-flight college game. Miscue-itis was not limited to one single player. A combination of 17 different players from both teams committed at least one turnover in the game. The Cobbers eventually outlasted the Auggies 61-47 to win their 12th straight game and keep their hold on second place in the MIAC. With three games left to play, Concordia needs only two wins to earn second place, a bye in the first round of the playoffs and a home game for the semifinals of the MIAC tournament.
Concordia is now 14-3 in the conference and 16-4 overall. They are tied with Carleton and St. Ben's for the best overall record in the league. Augsburg sees their one-game winning streak come to an end as they drop to 3-15 in the MIAC and 3-18 overall.
The Cobbers opened the game by digging a 11-5 hole in the first 5:20 of the game. It wasn't until the 6:30 mark of the opening period that Concordia finally grabbed their first lead. Annie Keely's lay-up gave the Cobbers a 19-17 lead and Concordia would never trail in the game after that point. The Cobbers scored 10 of the final 14 points in the period to take a 29-21 lead into the break. In the first half, Augsburg turned the ball over 17 times while only scoring 21 points, and Concordia coughed the ball up 11 times and only made 10 field goals. The Cobbers shot 24.4% (10-of-41) in the opening 20 minutes as they repeatedly missed open chances from under the basket.
The second half turned into more of the same, as the two teams turned the ball over 23 more times and missed 37 field goals. Concordia was able to outscore Augsburg 32-26 in the second half. They improved their field goal percentage to 40.7% (11-of-27) and finished the game shooting 30.9% (21-of-68) from the floor. The Auggies shot 35.6% (21-of-59) from the floor in the game, but only made one shot from behind the arc.
Keeley had another gutsy performance for the Cobbers. She finished with game highs in points and rebounds. She made a pair of 3-point shots and finished with 18 points. The 5-6, workhorse guard also scrapped her way to nine rebounds. Mandy Pearson was the only other Concordia player to score more than nine points. She added 14 points, and has now scored in double figures in 19 of the team's 20 games. She also contributed five assists and five rebounds. Forward Melanie Hageman, saddled with early foul trouble, dropped in nine points.
Rosinta Stromquist paced Augsburg with a team-high 12 points and a team-high nine rebounds. Katie Kelsey had 10 points as no other Auggie player finished with more than seven points.
Concordia will continue their quest for second place when they play at Bethel on Saturday, February 12 at 1:00pm. The game can be heard live on 1280AM "The Fan" radio in the Fargo-Moorhead area and via the internet at www.gocobbers.com.
Newspaper Box Score Augsburg College vs Concordia College 02/09/05 5:30 at Moorhead, MN/Memorial Auditorium At Moorhead, MN/Memorial Auditorium CONCORDIA COLLEGE 61, AUGSBURG COLLEGE 47 AUGSBURG COLLEGE Rosinta Stromquist 5-15 2-2 12; Katie Kelsey 5-14 0-0 10; Amy Jones 3-5 1-4 7; Rachel Cherry 3-7 0-0 6; Kristina Lurken 2-6 0-2 4; Alissa Blood 1-5 1-2 4; Katie LaGrave 1-2 0-0 2; Missy Larson 1-2 0-0 2; Lia Ragozzino 0-3 0-0 0. Totals 21-59 4-10 47. CONCORDIA COLLEGE Anne Keeley 6-14 4-4 18; Mandy Pearson 6-12 0-0 14; Melanie Hageman 4-9 1-1 9; Amanda Levos 2-5 1-2 5; Tori Ehlert 1-5 3-4 5; Jamie Visness 2-10 0-0 5; Karie Visness 0-2 2-2 2; Sarah Krabbenhoft 0-3 2-4 2; Leanne White 0-5 1-2 1; Jessica Heintz 0-3 0-0 0. Totals 21-68 14-19 61. Augsburg College.............. 21 26 - 47 Concordia College............. 29 32 - 61 3-point goals-Augsburg College 1-3 (Alissa Blood 1-2; Katie Kelsey 0-1), Concordia College 5-16 (Anne Keeley 2-5; Mandy Pearson 2-4; Jamie Visness 1-6; Melanie Hageman 0-1). Fouled out--Augsburg College-None, Concordia College-None. Rebounds-Augsburg College 33 (Rosinta Stromquist 9), Concordia College 43 (Anne Keeley 9). Assists-Augsburg College 15 (Rosinta Stromquist 4), Concordia College 16 (Mandy Pearson 5). Total fouls-Augsburg College 16, Concordia College 16.