ST. JOSEPH, Minn. – Neither a rally to end the first half and then a rally in the final two minutes of the game were enough for the College of Saint Benedict basketball team as it lost 74-68 to Concordia in a nonconference matchup in Claire Lynch Tuesday night.
 
CSB (2-2) was down 11, 72-61, after the Cobbers (2-2) scored with just under three minutes left in the game. Brenna Redman scored to make it 72-63 with 1:39 remaining, but then neither team scored again until McKenzie Holgate got a steal and hit a three to make it a six-point game, 72-66, with 19 seconds left. Holgate got a steal on the Cobbers' inbounds pass and scored on a layup with 11 seconds left to make it a four-point game, but that's as close as CSB would get.
 
After a pair of timeouts, Concordia was fouled and Grace Wolhowe went to the free-throw line and hit both with three seconds left to seal the win for the Cobbers.
 
The fourth-quarter rally was the second of the game for Saint Benedict. Down eight midway through the second quarter, Haylee Fingalsen hit a three to make it a five-point game, 28-23, and from there CSB outscored the Cobbers 19-7 to end the quarter and take a 42-35 lead into halftime. Holgate hit a three, then Megan Thompson had eight straight points for CSB to tie the game at 35, and a 3-pointer from Kate Seyer gave CSB the lead with 1:20 left in the half. Maddie Schmitz and Sidney Schiffler both scored to end the half.
 
The momentum swung straight back to Concordia, however, as the Cobbers opened the third quarter on a 10-0 run to go up 45-42. A three from Breanna Gates tied the game, and from there the quarter was back and forth with neither team leading by more than three points, and Thompson hit a single free throw late in the quarter to make it a two-point game with Concordia up 59-57 heading into the fourth and final quarter.
 
CSB was on fire in the first half and shot 61.5 percent from the field, including 45.5 percent from long range and 5-for-5 from the line. The team cooled off in the second half, however, as it shot 34.5 percent from the field and just 25 percent from long range. Saint Benedict ended the game shooting 47.3 percent to the Cobbers' 50.8 percent.
 
Thompson led the way for CSB with a career-high 19 points – 16 of which came in the first half. She also had four rebounds and four assists. Holgate finished with 12 points and Gates added 11, and Schiffler had six assists. CSB hit eight threes and went 8-for-12 from the line. The team had 29 rebounds and 17 turnovers.
 
Kirstin Simmons paced the Cobbers with 17 points and six rebounds and Mira Ellefson added 15 points, seven rebounds and five assists. Concordia had 35 rebounds and 14 turnovers and finished the game 6-for-7 from the line.
 
CSB is back in action right away Wednesday as it heads to Superior, Wis., for another nonconference matchup as it takes on UW-Superior at 5 p.m. The team opens MIAC play Saturday when it hosts Gustavus at 1 p.m.