With 10 minutes left to go in the game, Concordia trailed the Bison by five at 48-43, but NDSU was able to finish off the contest by going on a 23-13 and claim the 15-point victory.
The loss drops the Cobbers' record to 5-6 overall, while the Bison win for the first time in five games and climb to 5-9.
Keith Eckhoff led all scorers with 19 points. The junior guard was only 6-of-19 from the floor, and snapped his streak of three games where he had scored at least 25 points. Soren Nelson and Mark Dixon were the only other Cobbers in double figures on the scoresheet. Nelson scored 16 points and collected six rebounds, while Dixon was only two boards shy of a double-double. He finished with 10 points and eight rebounds.
The Bison received a total of 26 points from their two frontcourt players. Center David Erbes recorded a team-high 15 points, and forward Andy Kelchen chipped in 11. The pair also helped NDSU hold a considerable edge on the glass. Kelchen had a game-high 10 rebounds while Erbes hauled in seven boards, as the Bison outrebounded the Cobbers 42-32.
Concordia jumped out to an early 9-3 lead on the Bison. NDSU then rallied to go on a 12-4 run and take their first lead of the game at 15-13. The two teams then traded the lead six more times before the end of the first half, as the Bison made the final basket of the period and claimed a 30-28 lead at the break.
The Cobbers were never able to take the lead in the final 20 minutes, as the Bison shot 52.0% (13-of-25) in the final half and led by as many as eight in the first eight minutes of the final period.
Concordia closed the margin to five at 48-43 on a jumper by Eckhoff with 10:54 left to go in the game. In the decisive stretch of 4:00 that ensued, NDSU outscored the Cobbers 12-2.
The biggest discrepancy in the scorebook came at the free throw line. Concordia only shot seven free throws in the entire game - making six. The Bison were sent to the line 24 times and connected on 14 attempts. The seven total free throws for the Cobbers is 19 under their season average. Coming into the game, Concordia had been averaging 26.1 free throws per game.
The biggest bright spot for Duane Siverson's crew came in the turnover department. Concordia only committed a season-low eight turnovers in the game. That mark is five less than their previous season-low total of 13.
Newspaper Box Score Concordia-Moorhead vs North Dakota State 01/08/05 2 p.m. at Bison Sports Arena, Fargo, ND At Bison Sports Arena, Fargo, ND NORTH DAKOTA STATE 71, CONCORDIA-MOORHEAD 56 CONCORDIA-MOORHEAD (5-6) Keith Eckhoff 6-19 4-5 19; Soren Nelson 7-17 0-0 16; Mark Dixon 4-6 2-2 10; Eric Meichsner 2-3 0-0 5; Luke Linz 2-5 0-0 4; E.J. Adams 1-3 0-0 2; Dan Lund 0-1 0-0 0; Ryan Templeton 0-1 0-0 0; Jason Miller 0-4 0-0 0. Totals 22-59 6-7 56. NORTH DAKOTA STATE (5-9) David Erbes 5-8 5-7 15; Brandon Smith 5-8 1-2 12; Andy Kelchen 5-11 1-2 11; Phil Hahn 4-10 0-0 10; Adam Dobmeier 3-9 0-0 9; Matt Gerber 3-6 2-2 9; Dotun Obadina 0-2 5-7 5. Totals 25-54 14-24 71. Concordia-Moorhead............ 28 28 - 56 North Dakota State............ 30 41 - 71 3-point goals-Concordia-Moorhead 6-15 (Keith Eckhoff 3-9; Soren Nelson 2-3; Eric Meichsner 1-2; Dan Lund 0-1), North Dakota State 7-19 (Adam Dobmeier 3-7; Phil Hahn 2-6; Brandon Smith 1-3; Matt Gerber 1-3). Fouled out--Concordia-Moorhead-None, North Dakota State-None. Rebounds-Concordia-Moorhead 32 (Mark Dixon 8), North Dakota State 42 (Andy Kelchen 10). Assists-Concordia-Moorhead 8 (Keith Eckhoff 4), North Dakota State 19 (Phil Hahn 6). Total fouls-Concordia-Moorhead 18, North Dakota State 14. A-1241