CONCORDIA UNIVERSITY ST. PAUL MENS' BASKETBALL TEAM OPENED THE EXHIBITION PORTION OF THEIR SCHEDULE AGAINST THE UNIVERSITY OF WISCONSIN RIVER FALLS

The 2010-2011 men’s basketball season got underway as Concordia University St. Paul opened the exhibition portion of their schedule against University of Wisconsin River Falls.


River Falls looked to take a lot off the clock in the beginning of the game. They took their time on the offensive end. They wanted to get everyone involved in the offense. River Falls also looked to push the ball in transition.


Concordia St. Paul looked to get the ball into Kenny Olafeso’s hands. Kenny knew where his teammates were on the court. He was able to feed his teammates and was able to get assists when they made a basket.


The scoring went back and forth at the beginning of the game. Neither team was able to go on a run in the contest.


Courtney Lynn Tyler for Concordia St. Paul came off the bench and provided the team with a burst of energy. On the defensive end Courtney was able to slow down his opponent. He played well on the defensive ends.


River Falls went on a run midway through the first half. They were down and they were able to cut their deficit to two points. The score was Concordia 17 and River Falls 15 with 10:38 left to go in the first half.


Concordia did a good job of getting the ball out of the net and pushing the ball up the court. They were able to get uncontested baskets in transition.


With 9:35 left to go in the first half the score was Concordia St. Paul 22 and River Falls 15.


River Falls also looked to push the ball in transition. They were able to create mismatches on the defensive end. They made a run late in the first half.


The first half was close. Neither team was able to get a huge lead. Both teams were able to counter each other’s runs.


In a half that was up and down and very close, Concordia St. Paul had a 38-34 lead over River Falls at halftime.


As the second half got underway both teams played aggressively. The second half got off to a quick pace. Both teams did a good job of running with the ball. They both were able to score baskets early in the half.


Concordia St. Paul’s Isaiah Thomas showed some life in the second half. He played well on the defensive end. He was able to defend his players and create havoc on the defensive end for Concordia St. Paul.


Concordia St. Paul played a zone defense in the second half. They wanted to spread River Falls out.


With 12:54 left in the second half the score was Concordia St. Paul 51 and River Falls 41.


River Falls went on a run after the time out. They were able to chip into their deficit.


There was media timeout with 9:47 left to go in regulation. The score at the timeout was Concordia St. Paul 55 and River Falls 49.


Concordia St. Paul switched back into a zone with 9:00 left to go in the contest. They wanted to do this because they wanted to spread the River Falls offense out. Concordia St. Paul was able to do this effectively.


River Falls was able to hang with Concordia St. Paul throughout the game. They didn’t back down. They were able to go on a run to end the game. In the end Concordia St. Paul was able to come away with the 80-72 victory over River Falls.


Concordia St. Paul was able to make shots down the stretch. I thought that they didn’t give up.


The leading scorers for River Falls were Aaron Anderson with 28, and Jake Voeltz and Shane Moner each with 13 points. The leading scorers for Concordia St. Paul were Kenny Olafeso with 16 points. Isaiah Thomas had 14 points and Peter Olafeso had 13 points.