MOORHEAD — Valentine’s Day marked the anticipated rematch between the men’s basketball team and St. Olaf. A game that would not only eliminate the Oles from playoffs but also clinch a Cobber playoff spot, the first of which since 2016.
The previous meeting of these two teams could be described as an upset as the underdog St. Olaf defeated Concordia 58-66. A loss that senior point guard Matt Johnson feels was due to an excessive amount of Cobber turnovers.
“We just got away from what we do well as a team and that led to some mistakes as a team we typically don’t make. They’re coached very well, and they made less mistakes and out executed us which helped them beat us the first time around.” Johnson said in an email to The Concordian.
In the opening minutes of this rematch, the Cobbers set the tone for the rest of the game when sophomore forward, Jacob Cook drove into the lane for two. However, the player that stuck out from either team was Concordia junior Rowan Nelson.
Shooting 10 for 11 from the field and sinking four out of his five three-point attempts, Nelson finished the game with a career-high 28 points and now stands only five points from surpassing his 1,000-point career mark. A milestone that only 14 other players in Concordia history have reached.
“It was fun to see him be really assertive, really aggressive, but also very decisive. He’s a guy who can score the ball in a lot of different ways. It’s good to see him keep it simple, and just be on the attack, because that’s what makes him a really hard match-up.” Concordia head coach, Tyler Bormann said.
The Cobbers led the entire game, marking their lead quickly with a score of 14-2 early in the first quarter. For most of the game, St. Olaf struggled to create any inside shots, relying on points from beyond the arc.
The Cobbers held the Oles to 32.2% in the first half and took down twice as many rebounds at 22-11.
“As a team, we feel as though if we execute our game plan each night it’s tough for any team in our league to beat us. Also, it was a chance for our program to clinch a playoff spot for the first time since 2016, and as a team that was a goal of ours from the first day this season.” Johnson said.
The Cobbers closed out the game 97-55, and are now 11-8 in conference wins and 15-9 overall.
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