Concordia's Adam Herman set new career highs with 39 points, 17 rebounds and five assists in the Cavs' 113-75 win over Multnomah on Wednesday.
Cavs Blow Out Lions in Season Opener
BOX SCORE - Concordia vs. Multnomah
PORTLAND, Ore.—Behind a career night from Concordia junior forward Adam Herman, the Concordia men’s basketball team opened their 2012-13 season with a 113-75 win over Multnomah on Wednesday.
Herman led the Cavaliers (1-0) with 39 points, 17 rebounds and five assists, setting new career highs in all three statistical categories in the process.
Two other Cavaliers recorded double-doubles on Wednesday as well, as Kory Kirwan finished with 15 points and 13 rebounds, while Justyn Searle finished with 10 points and 14 rebounds in his Cavalier debut.
Searle was one of three newcomers to crack double-digits in points in the first games of their Concordia careers on Wednesday. Besides Searle, Jesse Armstrong scored 16 points for the Cavs, while Willy Ligon finished with 10.
Every player that played for the Cavs scored though, as the Cavs breezed by Multnomah (1-5) behind a well-balanced attack.
Concordia trailed only two times in the game, and both deficits came in the opening minute of play. The Cavaliers still only lead by single digits for much of the first half though, before a 9-3 run to finish the period put the Cavs up 56-43 at the break.
The Cavaliers largely rode Herman early, as the two-time first-team all-conference player scored 11 of the Cavs’ first 16 points of the game. Herman finished the first half with 20 points and 10 rebounds, numbers that had already eclipsed his per game averages last season (19.6 points per game, 7.7 rebounds per game).
Once in the second half, the Cavaliers picked up where they left off, starting the second period on a 21-4 run that put them up 77-47 with 13:02 remaining in the game. No one Cavalier player dominated during the run as Herman, Armstrong, Searle, Ligon and Anthony Holton all scored to keep the run going for the Cavs.
The Cavs did not let Multnomah back into the game after run either, as the Lions never got closer than 25 points the rest of the night.
Concordia’s bench helped stretch the lead late as well, as Kyle Atkinson sank his first career three-pointer to cap a 10-0 run from the Concordia reserves and give Concordia its largest lead of the game at 111-72 with 1:51 remaining.
Overall, Concordia’s bench outscored Multnomah’s 30-7 to give the Cavs one of their many statistical victories on Friday. Among the others, Concordia outrebounded the Lions 76-39, outscored them 70-18 in the paint and finished the game with a 21-3 advantage in second-chance points.
Next up, Concordia hits the road for the first time this season as the Cavs will play in the Lewis-Clark State Tournament this weekend. Concordia will play its first game of the tournament against Carroll College at 5:30 p.m. on Friday, Nov. 9. The Cavs will then return to action the next day, Nov. 10, when they’ll face tournament-host Lewis-Clark State at 7:30 p.m.
The Cavaliers will host their next home game on Tuesday, Nov. 13 when they’ll play New Hope Christian at 7:30 p.m. That game will immediately follow the season-opener for the Concordia women’s basketball team, who will face the women’s team from New Hope Christian at 5:30 p.m.