The Cobbers had a chance to win the game after an Auggie player was whistled for a technical foul with 29 seconds left, and Joe Bueckers made the subsequent free throws to tie the game at 67-67. Concordia then received the ball in
their offensive half, and had a chance to win the game on the last possession of the game. Gholson stole a pass at the top of the key, raced the length of the court and was fouled on the layup attempt to set up the game-winning foul shot. Soren Nelson had a chance to win the game for Concordia but his end-to-end dribble, drive and shot fell just short of the rim.
The loss does not damage Concordia's playoff seeding. The Cobbers are locked into the third seed in the upcoming MIAC postseason tournament and will host St. Thomas on Tuesday, February 24 at 7:30pm. Concordia finished the regular season with a 14-6 conference mark and a 17-7 overall record. Both win totals are the most since the 1995-96 season. Augsburg wins for the third time in four games and ends the season with a 5-15 record in the MIAC and a 9-16 overall mark.
Keith Eckhoff led a trio of Cobber players in double figures. Eckhoff finished with a game-high 19 points
on a 5-of-9 shooting performance from 3-point range. Josh Downey added 15 points, but was only 3-of-10 from behind the arc. Nelson chipped in 13 points and hauled in a game-high nine rebounds.
Marcus Gholson scored a team-high 13 points for Augsburg, as four players scored in double figures in points. Lucas Olson-Patterson had 12 points and went 2-for-2 from 3-point range before fouling out with 1:54 left in the game.
Augsburg hit their first seven 3-point shots of the game in building their 18-point lead early in the final half. The Auggies hit on 51.9% (14-for-27) of their shots from the field in the first half, and kept the Cobbers from getting close by constantly trapping on defense. Concordia turned the ball over 13 times in the opening half and shot just 23.1% (3-for-13) from beyond the arc. The combination of aggressive defense and hot outside shooting staked Augsburg to a 38-31 lead at the break.
In the second half, Augsburg hit their first two 3-point shots and continued to create havoc for the offense in the opening five minutes. Concordia then solved the Auggie defensive riddle and cut a 18-point margin down to seven points in 4:21 by bolting on a 13-2 run. The Cobbers came all the way back when they took their first lead of the second half with 3:08 left to go in the game. The teams traded baskets before setting up the final minute theatrics.
Concordia will host St. Thomas in the first round of the MIAC playoffs on Tuesday, February 24 at 7:30pm. The winner of that game will play at Macalester on Thursday, February 26 at 7:30pm. The first round game, and any subsequent playoff game can be heard live on KVOX 1280AM in the Fargo-Moorhead area and worldwide over the internet at www.gocobbers.com.
Augsburg College vs Concordia College 02/18/04 7:30 at Concordia College, Moorhead MN At Concordia College, Moorhead MN AUGSBURG COLLEGE 68, CONCORDIA COLLEGE 67 AUGSBURG COLLEGE (9-16, 6-14 MIAC) Marcus Gholson 4-15 5-6 13; Jonathan Gholson 5-8 1-2 12; Lucas Olson-Patterso 4-8 2-2 12; Yarzue Slowon 3-7 3-3 10; Casey Zilka 4-5 0-0 9; Zac Rosen 3-4 0-0 7; Dan Graf 1-4 0-0 3; Grant Hemmingsen 1-3 0-0 2; Kevin Keto 0-4 0-0 0. Totals 25-58 11-13 68. CONCORDIA COLLEGE (17-7, 14-6 MIAC) Keith Eckhoff 5-9 4-4 19; Josh Downey 6-16 0-0 15; Soren Nelson 6-14 1-1 13; Chris Wermerson 3-4 3-3 9; Joe Bueckers 2-4 2-2 7; Nathan Ohme 1-3 0-0 2; Mark Dixon 1-2 0-0 2; Jason Miller 0-4 0-2 0. Totals 24-56 10-12 67. Augsburg College.............. 38 30 - 68 Concordia College............. 31 36 - 67 3-point goals-Augsburg College 7-16 (Lucas Olson-Patterso 2-2; Casey Zilka 1-2; Yarzue Slowon 1-3; Jonathan Gholson 1-2; Dan Graf 1-2; Zac Rosen 1-2; Marcus Gholson 0-3), Concordia College 9-26 (Keith Eckhoff 5-9; Josh Downey 3-10; Joe Bueckers 1-3; Nathan Ohme 0-2; Soren Nelson 0-2). Fouled out--Augsburg College-Lucas Olson-Patterso, Concordia College-None. Rebounds-Augsburg College 33 (Lucas Olson-Patterso 6), Concordia College 33 (Soren Nelson 9). Assists-Augsburg College 15 (Yarzue Slowon 8), Concordia College 17 (Joe Bueckers 5; Nathan Ohme 5). Total fouls-Augsburg College 18, Concordia College 14. A-435