With the win, the Cobbers clinch a bye in the first round of the MIAC playoffs and a home game in the semifinals. The victory also pushes Concordia's win streak to 14 games. That is the sixth longest winning streak in school history and longest since the 1988-89 season when they won 16 consecutive games.
Concordia also keeps an outside chance of an MIAC title alive. With one game remaining in the regular season, the Cobbers trail Carleton by one game. The Knights, winners at home against St. Mary's on Wednesday, would have to lose their final game of the year at Bethel coupled with a Concordia win at Hamline, in order for the Cobbers to share the MIAC crown and claim the #1 seed in the playoffs.
Concordia won the game in the middle of the first half when they went on a 28-14 run that turned a three-point game into a 17-point romp. The Cobbers took a 44-29 lead into the break and then stumbled through the second half, allowing St. Thomas to cut the deficit to four points at the 9:36 mark.
Concordia responded with a 7-0 run following that critical juncture and sealed the victory by trading baskets with the Tommies in the final six minutes of play.
Mandy Pearson and Jamie Visness finished off their regular-season careers in Memorial Auditorium in style. The pair of seniors combined for 32 points, seven rebounds and eight assists. They were also the anchors of the team when St. Thomas started to pull close in the second half. Pearson made a key layup after the Tommies had cut the margin to 54-50 and Visness made several key defensive plays during that stretch.
Pearson finished with a team-high 21 points and had six assists. Visness was 4-of-7 from the floor and ended the game with 11 points.
Tori Ehlert continued her two-game scoring spree. On Saturday, she scored a career-high 18 points against Bethel, and against the Tommies she scored 17 points including a pair of 3-point shots. Annie Keeley and Melanie Hageman had nine points a piece to round out the scoring for the Concordia starters. Keeley went 1-of-4 from behind the arc. The Cobbers are now 15-2 when Keeley makes at least one 3-point basket in the game.
Ehlert, Keeley and Hageman all finished with six rebounds.
Erica Opdahl single-handedly carried the Tommies back into the game. The junior center exploded for 14 points in the second half and finished the game with game highs in points (23) and rebounds (9). Melissa Gotchnik was the only other St. Thomas player in double figures in scoring. She added 12 points and six rebounds.
Concordia shot 50.0% (17-of-34) in the first half but then fell off to 37.0% (10-of-27) in the second half. The Tommies shot 42.3 (11-of-26) from the floor in the first half and followed that up by shooting 46.7% (14-of-30) in the second half. The Cobbers held a 22-8 advantage in rebounds after the first half, and ended the game by outrebounding the Tommies 39-29.
Concordia will finish off the regular season by playing at Hamline on Saturday, February 19 at 1:00pm. The Cobbers will then host an MIAC semifinal game on Wednesday, February 23 at 7:30pm. Both games 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 University of St. Thomas vs Concordia College 02/16/05 5:30 pm at Moorhead, MN/Memorial Auditorium At Moorhead, MN/Memorial Auditorium CONCORDIA COLLEGE 76, UNIVERSITY OF ST. THOMAS 66 UNIVERSITY OF ST. THOMAS (8-11 MIAC/10-13) Erica Opdahl 9-17 5-8 23; Melissa Gotchnik 5-6 0-0 12; Molly Miller 3-6 1-2 8; Melissa Keiser 2-8 2-2 7; Vel Williams 2-6 0-2 5; Katie Toutant 1-1 2-2 5; Shannon Kane 2-4 0-0 4; Katy Slater 1-3 0-0 2; Connie Rudolph 0-1 0-0 0; Amy Kittelson 0-2 0-0 0; Jessie Hays 0-2 0-0 0. Totals 25-56 10-16 66. CONCORDIA COLLEGE (16-3 MIAC/18-4) Mandy Pearson 7-20 5-8 21; Tori Ehlert 6-11 3-5 17; Jamie Visness 4-7 2-2 11; Anne Keeley 4-8 0-2 9; Melanie Hageman 4-5 1-2 9; Amanda Levos 2-5 2-2 6; Karie Visness 0-2 2-2 2; Leanne White 0-2 1-2 1; Jessica Heintz 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 27-61 16-25 76. University of St. Thomas...... 29 37 - 66 Concordia College............. 44 32 - 76 3-point goals-University of St. Thomas 6-12 (Melissa Gotchnik 2-2; Melissa Keiser 1-3; Molly Miller 1-1; Katie Toutant 1-1; Vel Williams 1-2; Connie Rudolph 0-1; Amy Kittelson 0-1; Jessie Hays 0-1), Concordia College 6-16 (Tori Ehlert 2-3; Mandy Pearson 2-5; Anne Keeley 1-4; Jamie Visness 1-3; Karie Visness 0-1). Fouled out--University of St. Thomas-Jessie Hays, Concordia College-None. Rebounds-University of St. Thomas 29 (Erica Opdahl 9), Concordia College 39 (Anne Keeley 6; Melanie Hageman 6; Tori Ehlert 6). Assists-University of St. Thomas 15 (Vel Williams 9), Concordia College 14 (Mandy Pearson 6). Total fouls-University of St. Thomas 22, Concordia College 15. A-368