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MOORHEAD, Minn. (2/3/10)-- If the Cobber women's team was a NASCAR racing squad, they would have been spinning out of control and headed for the wall at the end of the first half against Augsburg on Wednesday. It looked like Concordia might be headed for their third straight car wreck down the backstretch. However, against the Auggies in the second half, the Cobbers pulled off a Dale Earnhardt recovery special as they spun the wheel, righted the out-of-control machine and then stepped on the gas pedal to get back to the lead.

Concordia (14-6/13-4 MIAC) posted a 53-point second half against Augsburg which led to a comfortable 76-63 win and ended a two-game losing skid. The win clinches the Cobbers' eighth straight MIAC playoff berth.

The 53 points in the second period is the second most in a single half this season and most in any conference game this year. In the pivotal second period the Cobbers went 16-for-28 (57.1%) from the floor and an impressive 19-for-22 (86.4%) from the free throw line. For the game CC hit on 26 of their 32 foul attempts. The 26 made free throws is a season best.

The opening half was even through the first seven minutes as the teams stayed close. Concordia then went on a 11-2 run to grab a seven-point lead at 19-12. CC pushed the margin to nine points with 6:57 to play. That's when the wheels started to get loose on the Cobber race car and the back end started to drift through the turns. Augsburg finished the half on a 14-6 run and cut the lead to a single point at the break.

Augsburg (3-17/3-14 MIAC) then tied the game at 41-41 with 14:47 to play and it looked as if Concordia was about to careen straight into the retaining wall and smash into pieces. That's when the Cobbers regained control of their fate, held tight to the wheel and went on a 14-3 streak to zoom past the Auggies and take a lead they would never give back. From that point on, Augsburg was never closer than nine points and by the final minute of play CC had built a 21-point lead.

The game was plagued by numerous fouls and stoppages of play. There were 47 combined fouls in the 40 minutes of play and the two teams took a total of 58 free throws. The Cobbers held a decisive 40-25 edge in rebounds but Augsburg outscored Cobbers from around the basket. The Auggies enjoyed a 34-18 margin in points in the paint.

The wild card in the game that swung the score in the Cobbers' favor was freshman Tricia Sorensen. Sorensen had a career game as she exploded for 20 points and grabbed 10 rebounds. Both numbers are career highs and it is her first collegiate double-double. Erica Nord had another 20-point game. Nord scored a game-high 25 points and added a crisp seven assists and six rebounds. Maggie Bauernfeind broke out a scoring slump by going 10-for-11 at the charity stripe and adding 14 points.

The Auggies had five different players in double figures but couldn't match CC's scoring tandem of Sorensen and Nord. Freshman Micha Sater had a team-high 14 points and seven rebounds.

Concordia will now head into a critical two-game stretch where they will face two of the top five teams in the MIAC - both on the road. CC will play at No.2 St. Ben's on Saturday and then head to No.5 Macalester on Wednesday.