Courtesy of GoCobbers.com, Release: December 3

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Gustavus Game Box Score - Now Online!

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Team	1st Half	2nd Half	Total
Concordia	37	43	80
Gustavus	46	41	87

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ST. PETER, Minn.-- Concordia senior Keith Eckhoff lived up to his preseason All-American billing by torching two-time MIAC defending champion Gustavus for 34 points, but it wasn't enough as the Cobbers fell 87-80 to the Gusties in St. Peter.

Eckhoff's 34-point output is his highest total of the season and most since he put up 36 points against St. Thomas on January 16 of last season. He has now scored 30-plus points on six occasions in the past two seasons. He also scored in double figures in the past 23 games.

Eckhoff is now averaging 22.8 points per game this season and has 91 total points in the team's first four games. He currently has 957 points in his career and needs only 43 more to become the 10th player in Cobber men's basketball history to reach the 1000-point barrier.

The loss is the first for Concordia in league play and drops their record to 1-1. The Cobbers are now 1-3 overall. The Gusties remain perfect on the year. They are now 2-0 in the MIAC and have a 5-0 record in all games.

Eckhoff started slow, but caught fire towards the middle of the first half and helped Concordia erase a 14-point deficit in the opening period. He finished with 13 points in the first 20 minutes and then went on a 21-point scoring spree in the second half. Eckhoff and the rest of the Concordia team whittled away a nine-point halftime margin and cut the lead to a single point with 14:57 remaining in the game.

The Cobbers could never get over the hump. After calling a timeout, Gustavus went on a 7-1 run in the next two minutes to retake a two-plus possession lead. The closest Concordia could get in the final 10 minutes was three points. The Cobbers pulled to within 64-61 on a pair of Anthony Boike free throws with 9:47 remaining.

Gustavus used their experience to hit clutch shots down the stretch and a tenacious defense to keep Concordia from getting within striking distance.

Besides Eckhoff's 34 points, Concordia had two other players in double digits. Mark Dixon had tied a career high in points and set a career mark in rebounds for the Cobbers. Dixon finished with 16 points and hauled in a game-high 10 rebounds. It is Dixon's first double-double of his career.

Sophomore Luke Linz added 15 points and eight rebounds. He has now scored in double figures in three of the team's four games this season.

Gustavus was led by Adam TeBrake. Tebrake finished with a team-high 21 points. He did most of his damage at the free throw line, sinking clutch shot after clutch shot. He was 9-of-12 from the foul line for the game, including 7-of-10 in the final half.

Trevor Wittwer came off the bench and added 19 points for the Gusties. He was part of a red-hot shooting team that shot 64.3% (27-of-42) from the floor for the game. Gustavus set the tone in the game by shooting a remarkable 77.3% (17-of-22) from the field in the opening 20 minutes. That included a perfect 6-of-6 from 3-point range.

Concordia will finally play its first home game of the 2005-06 season when they host St. Mary's on Wednesday, Dec. 7 at 8:00pm at Memorial Auditorium.