Eagles steal the show from Simon Fraser
Emily Duran
Box Score Concordia's collective team effort got the group a second consecutive win at the Ayres Thanksgiving Classic in Riverside, Calif.
The Eagles took down the Simon Fraser University Clan 80-67 and improved their record to 3-4.
Mike Hauser led the first half charge for Concordia, knocking down 11 points with two assists.
"We were ready from the start and Mike Hasuer was a great spark for us off the bench," Head Coach Ken Ammann said.
The first half lead was built from five Eagles scoring more than five points to go along with Hauser's 11. Dalton Patchen, Justin Davis, Mike Mellinger and Case Bruton each scored at least five in the first 20 minutes.
The team collected four steals and held the Clan to 44.8 percent from the field and 33.3 percent from the three-point line. Simon Fraser's Tyrell Lewis' 6-6 and JJ Pankratz's 5-5 first half shooting forced the Eagles to contain other members of the Clan to earn a 44-30 lead entering the break.
Although Simon Fraser fought back, led by the offensive pressure of Lewin and his 6-6 second half, the Eagles maintained a lead throughout the second and only allowed the Clan to come within six.
Concordia saw its biggest lead of the night on a free throw from Mellinger for a 75-53 score and a 22 point advantage.
The Eagles executed their second half spread of points again, seeing a minimum of five points from four players. Geoff Gerlach led the second with nine points and one block.
Davis and Mellinger were the high scorers for the Eagles, each banking 13. Tad Dufelmeier delivered five assists, five points and a steal.
"It's nice to see our team develop to where we have different guys stepping up each night," Amman said.
The Eagles open up PacWest play at 7:30 on Thursday at CU Arena in Irvine, Calif. against the APU Cougars (3-5) and conclude the week with Dixie State in St. George, Utah.
"We'll need to be at our best next week against Azusa and Dixie. We did not beat either of those teams last year, so we'll need to be ready to go."
