Fouls and turnovers would normally be a greater concern than usual with the limited roster, yet the Cougars committed just 10 turnovers and eight fouls for the entire game. In fact, the Cougars were able to utilize the foul situation to their advantage by wasting three in the final minute of the game to slow down Lincoln Christian’s attack. The lack of turnovers allowed the Cougars to have some extra energy for the defensive end of the floor, and that effort paid off as the Preachers would shoot just 10-32 (.313) in the second half after going 13-30 (.433) in the first half. Meanwhile, the Cougars maximized their offensive opportunities by hitting 14 of 26 shots (.538) in the second half to overcome a 33-30 halftime deficit.
The game was tied at 38-38 early in the second half when a 7-0 spurt would give Concordia the lead for good. Edwin Sneed converted a lay-up off of a feed from Andre Smith for the Cougars’ first lead since late in the first half. Seconds later, Will Stelzer came up with a loose ball and outraced the Preacher defenders to the basket for a lay-up and a four-point lead. Concordia then rebounded a missed shot and cashed it in on the other end as Stelzer found Scott Pelsor for a three-point shot and a 45-38 lead.
Concordia would extend their lead to 62-52 at the 3:15 mark before the home team regrouped for a final rally. Caleb Edson’s three capped a 7-0 run for Lincoln Christian and trimmed the Cougar lead to three with 30 seconds left. However, the Cougars closed out the game at the free throw line with one by Bernard Middleton at the 22-second mark and two by Andre Smith with seven seconds left.
Middleton would lead the Cougars with a 17-point game, hitting 7-9 from the floor and 3-4 from the foul line. Tom Woodruff hit 6-11 from the floor, including 3-6 from three-point range, in finishing with 15 points. Bobby Smith, Sneed, Stelzer and Pelsor all chipped in with seven points, and Andre Smith scored all five of his points down the stretch. Edson led the Preachers with 19 points while the Cougar defense was doing well to limit Lincoln Christian’s 6’8” center Travis Chase to 15 points.
The Cougars (2-5) will play at Augustana College on Friday, Dec. 17 at 7:30 p.m. before breaking for the holidays.