ST. JOSEPH, Minn. – The College of Saint Benedict basketball team dropped its MIAC opener 71-60 to Concordia College Wednesday night at Claire Lynch Hall on the CSB campus.
 
The Blazers, who were down seven at halftime after shooting just 34.5 percent from the field, came out and shot better than 46 percent in the second half. But cold shooting from the line and key turnovers and missed shots ultimately cost CSB the game.
 
The Cobbers (4-2, 1-0) pushed their lead to 10 early in the second half after a pair of 3-pointers, but the Blazers chipped away at the lead and a three-point play by Katie Oswald followed by a jumper by Abby Miller made it a four-point game, 45-41, with 15:11 left to play. A jumper by Mattie Lueck a few minutes later made it a four-point game once again, 47-43, but Concordia responded with a six-point run to push its lead back to 10.
 
A three-point play by Lueck made it a seven-point game, 53-46, with 10:27 to go, but that's the closest CSB would get. The Cobbers pushed their lead back to 13, and maintained a double-digit lead much of the rest of the game.
 
The visitors took an early lead thank to back-to-back threes from Erin Januschka and Alley Fisher, but the Blazers never let Concordia out of their sights and tied the game on several occasions. CSB took a slim lead on jumpers by Niki Fokken and Alison Newton, but Concordia always had an answer. The Blazers made it a four-point game, 30-26, on a layup by Kate Banovetz with 1:53 left in the half, but Fisher hit another three to make it 33-26 heading into halftime.
 
Lueck finished with a double-double of 22 points and 11 rebounds to lead Saint Benedict, and she also had five assists. Emily Lueck added 11 points, Abby Miller finished with nine and Fokken chipped in with seven points and six rebounds. The Blazers went 14-for-24 from the line and had 34 rebounds and 12 turnovers.
 
Fisher led Concordia with 18 points, Greta Walsh added 17 and Olivia Johnson finished with 15. Januschka just missed a triple-double with 10 rebounds, 10 assists and seven points. The Cobbers shot 41.7 percent from the field, went a perfect 13-for-13 from the line and had 40 rebounds and 12 turnovers.
 
The Blazers are on the road Saturday, Dec. 6, when they take on St. Thomas at 1 p.m. in St. Paul.