| WATCH | LIVE STATS |
 
This Week: The Saint Benedict basketball team will look for its third straight win on Wednesday (Jan. 15) night, hosting Concordia. The defending MIAC champions, Concordia owns a 9-3 overall record and is in fourth in the MIAC with a 7-2 conference record. The Blazers meanwhile enter at 7-4 overall, and have won back-to-back games in the MIAC, sitting at 4-4 in league action.
 
About the Cobbers: Concordia comes into the game as winners of three straight, and with a 3-1 record since returning from the break. They've scored at least 70 in each of the three wins, while also holding St. Catherine to a mere 38 points last Saturday. At 73.5 points per game, the Cobbers rank second in the MIAC in scoring, while their 56.3 points allowed is third, making the Cobbers the only team in the top-three of each ranking. They have no individuals in the top-15 of the conference scoring chart, but they have four players who average better than nine points per game, and six who average six or more. Alexandra Lippert and Alley Fisher each lead the team with 11.3 points per game. Lippert also leads the team with 6.8 rebounds per game.
 
Last Year: The two teams split in the regular season last year with each team winning at home. The Cobbers won the first meeting, 81-68 in Moorhead, outscoring the Blazers 41-28 in the first half before the teams played even in the second. Then a month later in St. Joseph, the Blazers returned the favor, winning 69-63 to cap a 10-game winning streak, and pull into a first place tie with Concordia after the win. Then in the MIAC Tournament, they met for a third time, and for the third straight time the home team won, with top-seeded Concordia scoring a 64-48 win over the fourth-seeded Blazers.

L, 81-68 @ CC	W, 69-63 @ CSB	L, 64-48 @ CC

The Storyline: Can the Blazers win their third straight for the first time since the season's first three games. They opened the year with a perfect 3-0 record through the nonconference season, but since have alternated two losses and two wins in MIAC play to sit at .500 at 4-4. A win over Concordia, would break the trend and give the Blazers three straight, also pulling the Blazers just one game back in the loss column from the Cobbers in the MIAC standings.
 
Who to Watch: Brianna Barrett (Annandale, Minn.) has regained her scoring touch, averaging 12.0 points per game last week, after going two games in single digits for the first time all season. Her 13.8 points per game lead the team and rank 11th in the MIAC. Last season against the Cobbers, she scored 19 and 21 points respectively in the regular season. Morgan Dale (Jamestown, N.D.) also scored in double figures twice last season versus the Cobbers, scoring 16 on the road, and then adding 10 in the home win. So far this season, she's averaging a double-double with 10.1 points and 11.6 rebounds per game. She is one of just three players in the MIAC to average a double-double on the year.  Emily Lueck (Pequot Lakes, Minn.) has emerged to have her best season as a junior, leading the MIAC in three-point percentage, connecting at a 52.2% clip. She's scored in double figures in each of the last two games, hitting 5-of-9 from behind the arc in the process.

Brianna Barrett	Morgan Dale	Emily Lueck

 
Last Time Out: The Blazers scored a 66-51 win over St. Olaf on Saturday, leading by four at the break, and using a 37-26 second half to pull away. An 8-to-0 run with six minutes left in the second half was the difference, as the Blazers turned a one-point game into a nine-point edge. Tish Alexander (Minneapolis, Minn.) led the way with 15 points, while Barrett added 13. Dale finished with 15 rebounds.