Drew's shot for Valparaiso catapulted the Crusaders into the limelight of college basketball. Eckhoff's shot could very well catapult the Cobbers into the title race in the MIAC campaign of 2004-05.
Eckhoff's 3-point shot was part of a 36-point for performance for the junior guard. He scored 15 of the team's 17 points in the extra period. In the past three games he has scored 100 points and has carried the Cobbers to a three-game winning streak. Concordia evens both of their records on the season. The Cobbers are now 3-3 in the MIAC and 5-5 overall.
Nelson was the only other Cobber player in double figures. He recorded 18 points and was a perfect 4-for-4 from the free throw line. Mark Dixon, who threw the inbounds pass on the last-second shot, came off the bench and played 15 solid minutes - scoring eight points and grabbing four rebounds.
For Carleton, the loss snaps a three-game winning streak and brings their MIAC record down to 3-2. The Knights are now 5-5 overall on the year.
Anthony Baquero came close to carrying Carleton to the victory. He finished the game with a team-high 26 points, including 21 in the second half and overtime period alone. His ability to hit the three-point shot helped Carleton erase a six-point deficit in the second half. He went 4-of-7 from behind the arc in the final 25 minutes of the game. The other Knight player that almost came to the rescue was guard Jake Phillips. Phillips hit a tough shot with two second left in overtime to give Carleton the two-point lead at 89-87 and set up the game-winning shot. Phillips was part of the starting five that all scored in double figures for the Knights. The league's second-leading scorer, Kyle Beste was held to only 16 points, 10 below his average and 15 below his career-high total he posted in Carleton's win over defending champion Gustavus on Monday night.
Concordia continued to make critical points from the free throw line. The Cobbers were 23-of-25 (92.0%) from the free throw and have now made 49 of their last 54 free throws (90.7%) in the past two games. The Knights posted quality numbers at the free throw line as well, making 18 of their 21 foul shots (85.7%).
From the field, the Cobbers had the distinctive edge. Concordia shot a July-like 67.4% (31-of-46), while the Knights shot 48.4% (30-of-62) for the game. For the second straight game, Concordia's ability to outrebound their opponent paid off. After holding Macalester to only 17 rebounds in Monday night's win, Concordia outrebounded the Knights 30-20. The Cobbers also posted a decisive 44-18 advantage in points from around the basket.
The Cobbers will play NCAA Division I North Dakota State University on Saturday, January 8 at 2:00pm at NDSU before returning to MIAC play on Wednesday, January 12 at 7:30pm at Augsburg. The Cobber/Bison game will be broadcast on WDAY 970AM radio in the Fargo-Moorhead area and will not be aired over the internet. The game against the Auggies can be heard live live on 1280AM "The Fan" radio in the Fargo-Moorhead area and via the internet at www.gocobbers.com.
Newspaper Box Score Carleton College vs Concordia College 01/05/05 7:30 at Moorhead, MN/Memorial Auditorium At Moorhead, MN/Memorial Auditorium CONCORDIA COLLEGE 90, CARLETON COLLEGE 89 CARLETON COLLEGE (3-2 MIAC/5-5) Anthony Baquero 6-13 9-9 26; Dan Forkrud 6-11 4-4 18; Kyle Beste 7-17 2-4 16; Tommy Drake 5-7 3-4 14; Jake Phillips 4-9 0-0 10; Brian Sharkey 2-3 0-0 5; Micah Johnson 0-2 0-0 0. Totals 30-62 18-21 89. CONCORDIA COLLEGE (3-3 MIAC/5-5) Keith Eckhoff 11-17 9-10 36; Soren Nelson 7-12 4-4 18; Jason Miller 4-4 1-1 9; Luke Linz 4-5 1-1 9; Mark Dixon 2-3 4-4 8; David Whartnaby 1-2 2-2 4; Ryan Templeton 1-2 1-1 3; Eric Meichsner 1-1 1-2 3. Totals 31-46 23-25 90. Carleton College.............. 31 42 16 - 89 Concordia College............. 29 44 17 - 90 3-point goals-Carleton College 11-27 (Anthony Baquero 5-12; Jake Phillips 2-6; Dan Forkrud 2-3; Tommy Drake 1-2; Brian Sharkey 1-1; Micah Johnson 0-2; Kyle Beste 0-1), Concordia College 5-8 (Keith Eckhoff 5-6; Soren Nelson 0-2). Fouled out--Carleton College-None, Concordia College-None. Rebounds-Carleton College 20 (Brian Sharkey 5; Dan Forkrud 5), Concordia College 30 (Soren Nelson 5; Keith Eckhoff 5). Assists-Carleton College 17 (Jake Phillips 7), Concordia College 18 (Eric Meichsner 7). Total fouls-Carleton College 23, Concordia College 18.