MOORHEAD, Minn. – Senior Austin Korba and junior Noah Beck each tallied 20 points as the St. Olaf College men's basketball team defeated Concordia (Minn.), 79-58, in a Minnesota Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (MIAC) contest Saturday afternoon at Memorial Auditorium.

St. Olaf (11-9, 10-5 MIAC) outscored Concordia (7-13, 6-9 MIAC), 45-30, in the first half while shooting 54.8 percent from the floor, and forced 13 Cobber turnovers in the half compared to three from the Oles.

Beck scored a career-best 20 points and Korba added 20 points and six rebounds. Sophomore Dominic Bledsoe finished in double digits with 13 points, six steals, four rebounds and two assists, as did junior Troy Diggins Jr., who posted 11 points, seven rebounds and three steals.

The Oles jumped out to an 8-2 start after Bledsoe finished a layup inside with 16:31 remaining in the first half, but the Cobbers came within two points after Jordan Davis made a basket with just under 15 minutes to go .

At 6:26, Thomas Schyma sank a three-pointer to give the Cobbers a one-point lead over the Oles before a 14-1 run by St. Olaf made the score 39-28 in favor of the Oles. St. Olaf extended the lead to as many as 17 points before Collin Larson sank a pair of free throws to make the score 45-30 heading into the second half.

Beck finished a layup inside at 16:05 in the second half as St. Olaf took a 20-point lead over Concordia. The Cobbers scored the next two baskets and came within 15 points of St. Olaf. Back-to-back three-pointers from Beck extended the Oles' lead to 21 points with 12 minutes left in the game.

With 9:46 to go, a three-pointer from Bryden Urie of Concordia brought the Cobbers within 14, but the Oles answered with a 13-5 run, capped by a three-pointer from Korba, that extended St. Olaf's lead to 22 points with just under five minute to go.

The Oles held the Cobbers to five points in the last six minutes of the game and kept their lead in double digits the entire second half.

St. Olaf forced 17 turnovers by Concordia in the game and posted 19 points off turnovers, while the Oles committed just eight turnovers in the game. St. Olaf sank nine three-pointers in the contest, including four from Beck.

The Oles are back to action on Monday, Feb. 4 as they host Bethel University for a MIAC contest at Skoglund Center beginning at 7 p.m.