Late Dixie State surge steals game from Eagles
Emily Duran
Box Score Despite holding the lead for 37 straight minutes against Trailblazers, the final 2:24 seconds proved costly for the Eagles. Dixie State swayed the game late, and overcame Concordia 67-64.
Tad Dufelmeier led the Eagles with 10 points, two assists, one steal and six rebounds. Mike Hauser provided significant play and energy off the bench with nine points – making three out of four three-pointers. Dalton Patchen pitched in eight points and Brian Chambers added seven with three steals.
Concordia controlled the game early, striking with a jumper from Justin Davis and a layup from Dufelmeier. Although the Trailblazers came close to catching up, but the Eagles kept up their speed.
Concordia captured an eight point lead with 3:01 to play in the first on a three-pointed from Mike Hauser with the pass from Josh Hauser. Concordia concluded the half with a six-point 34-28 advantage.
Although the Eagles were outrebounded 25-16 in the first, they dominated the shooting game. Concordia combined for a 66.7 three-point percentage and made 41.4 percent from the field.
Early into the second, the Eagles maintained lead. With 11:40 to play, M. Hauser's three put them up by double digits. The game changed with a seven point Trailblazer run. With 2:12 on the clock, Dixie State evened the score. They then made eight of eight free throws to take a 67-62 lead with eight seconds to play. Patchen's layup gave the Eagles one last shot. Chambers stole the ball on the inbound and tossed up a half-court shot at the buzzer, leaving all of CU Arena in silence. His final attempt fell just short, bouncing off the front of the rim.
Concordia, now 9-8 and 5-4 in the PacWest, will face the Point Loma Sea Lions on Jan. 21 at 4:00 p.m. in San Diego, Calif.Â
