Made the trek on this Groundhog Day over to Macalester's Leonard Center to take in the 1:00 P.M. clash between visiting conference leader Concordia and host Macalester. While the Scots have been in the doldrums as of late, the Cobbers have been rolling along nicely; alone at the top but this game today would be the first test of this crucial weekend roadie - today in St. Paul against Macalester and then tomorrow down the River in Winona for the titanic match-up with second-place SMU.
As Concordia Head Coach Jessica Rahman told me in her typical, pointed way before the game, "We have to focus on today's game first, then worry about tomorrow." Oddly enough, things got off to an auspicious start as the canned version of the National Anthem mysteriously cut out midway through but the resourceful crowd on hand saved the day by singing the rest of it which the Macalester PA announcer was quite grateful for afterward! In any event, as much as Macalester has been struggling this year, the National Anthem fiasco did not faze this young group - at least early on anyway. Junior post Veronika Jakubovie got the Scots on the board first with her turnaround shot at the 17:20 mark and junior guard Emma Leyden made it 4-0 Macalester when she connected on a turnaround shot at the 16:47 mark. Concordia would strike right back, though, as senior guard Emily Thesing knocked down a long "3" from the right top and then it was freshman reserve guard Hannah Jeske getting a lay-up in transition at the 15:30 mark to put the Cobbers in front and then the lead was increased to 7-4 when sophomore reserve Erin Januschka snared an offensive rebound and got a putback at the 14:10 mark.
But the Cobbers looked sluggish and slightly off of their "A" game as the Scots were employing some full-court pressure and doing just enough things on defense to make Concordia look and feel uncomfortable as both teams traded leads over the next eleven minutes. Macalester reclaimed the lead when junior reserve guard Taylor Pike knocked down a jumper from the left corner at the 13:19 mark for an 8-7 game but then Concordia took it right back when senior forward Tricia Sorensen scored on a short jumper off of an inbounds pass that made it 9-8 Cobbers. However, Pike struck gold again when she drained a "3" from the left corner spot she was camping out at for an 11-9 Macalester lead. Right back came the maroon-clad Cobbers as lanky 6'4" junior post Alexandra Lippert connected on a turnaround shot off the glass at the 10:50 mark and then freshman reserve guard Brooke Gaustad snared an offensive rebound for a putback at the 8:53 mark for a 13-11 Concordia lead. Oh, but right back came the home team as junior Carmen Whitehead was able to score off of an inbounds pass and then speedy senior point guard Kyanna Jones connected with a short jumper at the 6:55 mark for a 15-13 Macalester lead. Coming down the stretch, the Cobbers and Scots would trade the lead four more times before Macalester finally grabbed a 26-24 lead when Jones knocked down a jumper with :49 left and Jakubovie was able to put home two freebies from the charity stripe with just :17.7 left. Macalester took that slim advantage into the locker room at the half but arguably left a lot of points off the board with several missed lay-ups and short shots as the 30.30% FG shooting percentage reflected that. Now the question would be for the Scots if they could somehow find a way to shore up their shooting woes and play a full forty minutes.
The answer would soon become evident once the second half got underway as Concordia wasted no time showing why they're in first place in this topsy-turvy MIAC season. Thesing knocked down a jumper at the 19:38 mark and then it was junior guard Erika Jossart with a lay-up just twenty seconds later that had Concordia up for good at 28-26 and prompted Macalester Head Coach Ellen Thompson to call a quick :30 timeout to try and cool off this rejuvenated Cobber team. But unfortunately for the Scots, the Cobbers were just getting started. Lippert was able to score inside at the 18:24 mark and then it was Thesing behind the arc from the top of the key at the 16:57 mark and then it was Lippert again at the 16:15 mark as she was able to connect with an incredibly tough shot off the glass. Another timeout called by Thompson did not halt this Cobber charge as Jeske connected with a lay-up in transition at the 15:08 mark. Scores by Whitehead and junior Kathryn Medinger finally got the cobwebs off of the Scots basket but Macalester continued to be plagued by missed shots, lay-ups and free throws not to mention turnovers. Two free throws by Lippert at the 12:17 mark and yet another trey by Thesing from the right wing at the 11:27 mark and a jumper by the senior from Brainerd at the 10:58 mark completed this decisive 19-6 run that completely turned things around as Concordia now held a commanding 45-32 lead.
The Scots, however, do not know the meaning of the word "quit" and they did make one brief charge to try and cut into the Cobber lead. Jones knocked down a jumper from the left wing at the 10:38 mark and two freebies by freshman guard Erin Murray with 9:28 left plus one more after being fouled in a transition opportunity at the 8:58 mark got the Scots back to within ten at 45-35 and then the freshman from Sparta, Wisconsin stole the spotlight (and the ball from the Cobbers) when she got a steal and went the other way for a lay-up that suddenly had Macalester within eight at 45-37. But the Cobbers responded in their typical calm, cool and collected way and regained control of the ship. A score inside by reserve junior post Kelsey Walloch and then an offensive rebound and putback by Lippert that got her fouled in the process plus the obligatory freebie made it a 50-37 game. Sorensen's two free throws at the 5:05 mark and another three-point bomb by Fisher from the top of the key at the 4:44 mark made it a 55-40 game that snuffed out any ghost of a chance Macalester may have had. Fisher would leave her mark on the Leonard Center on this day with freebies at the 2:24 mark, a lay-up in transition with :55 left and then another three-point bomb from the left corner with just :16.9 left for the final exclamation point that made the final 66-45. Afterward, Sorensen admitted to me that they just needed to come out and play hard in the second half after looking so sluggish early on. Rahman, on the other hand, was more specific as she implored her squad to come out with more energy in the second half as they were standing around on offense in the first half. The other thing that was evident is the great teamwork and chemistry that Concordia has (and seems to ALWAYS have throughout the years). No matter who is in there (as Rahman tends to substitute liberally) they Cobbers always seem to be on the same page and they work like a finely tuned instrument when they're on. With this win in their back pocket, they now make that trip down the Mighty Mississippi and the Canadian Pacific Railway's River Sub mainline to Winona and the Sunday showdown with second place SMU.
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