From All Right To All Foul
Everything went well for the Cobbers in the first half and then everything went foul in the second half as Concordia lost 78-65 at Bethel.
ARDEN HILLS, Minn. (12/09/13)—Everything went right in the first half. Everything went foul in the second half. Concordia watched a 12-point halftime lead deteriorate at the free throw line in the second half and lost 78-65 at Bethel.
The Cobbers built a 41-29 lead at the break by shooting 48.4% (15-for-31) from the floor, 57.1% (4-for-7) from 3–point range and held Bethel to just 1-for-7 from outside the arc. That all turned around in the second half as the Royals walked to the free throw line 30 times in the final 20 minutes and shot 59.1% (13-for-22) from the floor.
Concordia was outscored 49-24 in the second half and lost for the first time in four games and the first time in conference play. The Cobbers are now 4-2 overall and 2-1 in the MIAC. Bethel remains unbeaten on the year. BU is now 5-0 in all games and 3-0 in league play.
Bethel's adjustment to turn up the defensive pressure in the second half paid dividends early in the half. The Royals erased the 14-point deficit in the first 8:37 of play in the second period. BU outscored the Cobbers 20-8 in the first part of the second half and at one point went on a 21-1 run to grab a 14-point lead at 64-50 with 5:29 to play.
The biggest statistical advantage in the game came at the free throw line where Bethel attempted 48 foul shots as compared to 20 for Concordia. The Royals wound up connecting on 29 of their 48 attempts (60.4%) as opposed to the Cobbers hitting on 12 (60.0%) of their free throw shots.
Concordia had three players with four fouls in the game and constantly fought the foul problem battle.
The Cobbers finished with a trio of players in double figures in scoring. Alexandra Lippert and Olivia Johnson had a team-high 12 points each. Lippert also had a team-high eight rebounds. Freshman guard Greta Walsh went 2-for-4 from 3-point range and finished with 10 points. She also had four rebounds and three assists. Alley Fisher added seven points, a game-high five assists and three rebounds.
Concordia will finally return to Moorhead after a three-game road trip. The Cobbers will host Augsburg in the conference home opener on Wednesday, Dec. 11 at 5:45 p.m.