Box Score Game Summary / GameDay Preview

MOORHEAD, Minn. — For 39 minutes Monday evening, the Saint Mary's University men's basketball team had Concordia right where they wanted them — in their rearview mirror.

In that final minute, however, the Cobbers scored the game's final four points — all on John Fraase free throws — to rally for a 62-59 Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference victory at Memorial Auditorium.

Concordia clamped down on SMU's Chris Palmer — the Cardinals' high-scoring forward scored 31 points and added 11 rebounds in their 76-63 win over Macalester last Saturday — holding Palmer to just eight points, including two in the game's opening 20 minutes.

But while their focus was clearly on Palmer, the Cobbers forgot about the inside-outside tandem of Gary Seifert (Prescott, Wis.) and Will Wright, as the duo combined for 19 of SMU's 35 first-half points in lifting SMU to a 35-26 halftime advantage.

That nine-point halftime lead was anything but safe, however, as the Cobbers whittled the lead down to four, 41-37, with 12:24 remaining, and made it a one-point game on two separate occasions, before SMU used a 6-2 run to push its lead back to seven, 57-50, with 5:50 left on the clock.

The Cobbers again cut the gap to one twice, before taking the lead for good, 60-59, on the first two of Fraase's game-ending four free throws with 1:09 remaining in regulation.

The Cardinals had three opportunities to regain the lead, but a missed field goal and two turnovers sealed SMU's fate, and Fraase drained two more free throws with two seconds remaining to ice the Cobber win.

Wright finished with a team-high 15 points for the Cardinals, while Seifert chipped in 14 and Lukas Holland (La Crosse, Wis.) added 13. Palmer, named MIAC Player of the Week earlier on Monday, recorded eight points — including a perfect 6-for-6 from the free throw line — while also hauling in 12 rebounds.

Darrin Olmscheid and Fraase led the way for the Cobbers (6-8 MIAC, 10-9 overall), scoring 16 points each, while Olmscheid also pulled down 12 rebounds.

The Cardinals (4-10 MIAC, 9-10 overall) return home on Wednesday, when they host league-leading St. Thomas in a 7:30 p.m. conference game at the SMU Gym.