Concordia University 82, Doane College 64 (view stats)
Concordia University pulled away for an 82-64 men’s basketball win over Doane College on Wednesday evening in Seward. The Bulldogs improved to 7-3 overall and 3-0 in the GPAC with the win. Doane fell to 2-7 overall and 1-2 in the GPAC with the loss.
The first half remained tightly contested throughout. Concordia took a 37-34 lead into the halftime break. The Bulldogs used solid shooting from the field and tough defense to gradually pull away in the final half. Concordia hit 12-of-23 shots (52.2 percent) in the second half, while Doane managed to connect on just 10-of-30 shots.
For the game, the Bulldogs hit 26-of-55 shots for 47.3 percent. Concordia was 5-of-11 from the three point line and 25-of-38 from the free throw line. The Bulldogs dominated the glass with a 47-26 rebounding advantage in the game.
Doane hit 24-of-60 shots in the game for an even 40 percent. The Tigers were just 3-of-16 from the three point line and 13-of-15 (86.7 percent) from the foul line.
Porter Birtell had a huge night for the Bulldogs in the win. Birtell scored a game-high 22 points on 8-of-15 shooting from the field and added a game-high 12 rebounds for Concordia. Dustin Weber added 13 points and seven rebounds, while Sam Huebner delivered 12 points and nine rebounds for a balanced Concordia attack.
Following the game, Concordia senior Dustin Weber talked about the win. “We played really hard all night,” said Weber. “We didn’t move the ball very well in the first half, and they beat us off the dribble quite a bit early on. We made some adjustments in the second half. We were able to stop some of their drives, and that allowed us to attack more offensively.”
Trent Schlautman scored a team-high 20 points for Doane in the loss. Tyler Cyboron added 10 points for the Tigers.
“This win gives us some confidence heading into the weekend,” commented Weber. “We have a huge test coming up at Dakota Wesleyan. They have a good team, and that game will let us know where we are as a team.”
The Bulldogs travel to Dakota Wesleyan on Dec. 5.