---

MOORHEAD, Minn. (1/20/10)-- Concordia used a 47-point first half and a 16 point, 10 rebound, seven-assist performance from Erica Nord to beat St. Thomas 76-57 in Moorhead on Wednesday. The win completes the series sweep for the Cobbers over the Tommies and keeps CC just one game behind league-leading Gustavus heading into their showdown on Saturday.

Concordia's play in the first half and Nord's all-around performance shadowed the one-player effort of St. Thomas junior Rachel Booth. Booth scored a career-high 28 points and was the lone offensive threat for the Tommies for most of the game. Booth has now scored at least 20 points in three straight games and has posted five 20-plus games this year.

Concordia has now won five straight and nine of their last 10 games. CC is now 11-4 overall and 10-2 in the MIAC. The Cobbers have now won 10 league games for 27 consecutive seasons. St. Thomas loses for the first time in the last three games and falls to 10-5 in all games and 7-5 in conference play.

Concordia wasted little time exerting their offensive will power. The Cobbers shot 55.9% (19-for-34) from the floor and 50.0% (5-for-10) from 3-point range in the first 20 minutes. The Cobbers scored the first five points in the game and never let up on the gas pedal as they bolted to a 19-point lead at the break. The Tommies were still within eight points when CC used an 11-2 run to take a 17-point lead at 34-17 with 5:39 left in the half.

That run would eventually seal the win for the Cobbers. Concordia was happy to trade points with the Tommies in the second half and won by the same 19-point margin they had at the break.

Concordia wound up shooting 48.4% (31-for-64) from the floor and 47.4% (9-for-19) from behind the arc. Surprisingly the Cobbers outrebounded the much taller Tommies 36-32. For the third straight game Concordia forced more than 20 turnovers in a game. Two days after forcing 31 miscues, CC pressured St. Thomas into 21 turnovers. The Cobbers used those 21 turnovers to hold a 24-10 edge in points off of turnovers.

Nord's 16 points and 10 rebounds marked her first collegiate double-double. Besides Nord's monster game, fellow junior Maggie Bauernfeind was 3-for-6 from behind the arc and finished with 15 points. Freshman Tricia Sorensen added 10 points and has now posted back-to-back double digit scoring totals.

St. Thomas only had two other players other than Booth with more than four points in the game. Only six other UST players scored besides Booth who accounted for 49.1% of the team's total scoring output. The only other Tommie player in double figures was guard Ali Johnson who went 3-for-3 from 3-point range and finished with 10 points.

Concordia will now host league-leading Gustavus on Saturday, Jan. 23 at 1 p.m. The Cobbers are one game behind the Gusties in the league standings and will be looking to avenge a 66-61 loss at Gustavus earlier in the year.