ORANGE CITY, Iowa – Up against GPAC favorite Northwestern, Concordia University, Nebraska Men’s Basketball built a second half lead of 18 points before surviving a barrage of Red Raider triples in the waning moments. Ultimately, the Bulldogs escaped the Bultman Center a 78-73 winner on Saturday (Nov. 22) night. The flourishing backcourt tandem of Dane Jacobsen and Brooks Kissinger silenced the fans in red time and again on Saturday (Nov. 22) while sparking the win.
Head Coach Ben Limback’s squad has pushed its win streak to four while moving to 2-0 in league play (5-2 overall). It was an impressive week on the road when factoring in how closely Concordia competed with NCAA Division I University of Nebraska Omaha on Wednesday.
“We were solid defensively throughout the game,” Limback said. “(Jesse) Van Kalsbeek and (Jalen) Langsy got their points, but I thought they had to work for it. We showed good rotations most of the time and rebounded well. Offensively, we got a little stagnant in the last six or eight minutes, but it was a gutsy road win – in large part because of our defensive effort.”
The final score doesn’t show it, but the Bulldogs controlled much of the action in the face of a star-studded Northwestern opponent. The white hot Jacobsen drained his first five shots from the floor (four from 3-point range) in a dizzying start. Kissinger and Logan Wilson later joined the act and helped grow the lead to 69-51 with fewer than seven minutes to play. Jacobsen and Kissinger equaled each other with 21 points apiece.
Missed free throws (two front ends of one-and-ones) by Concordia left the door open a crack, and the Red Raiders nearly slithered through it. Northwestern’s Blake Aalbers netted three treys and Jalen Langsy canned one of his own over the final two minutes, bringing the Red Raiders within four (74-70). Tate Odvody proceeded to provide a sense of calm for the visitors by going 4-for-4 from the foul line in the closing 25 seconds.
When it comes to Northwestern, stars Jesse Van Kalsbeek and Jalen Langsy are typically going to get theirs. That duo combined for 47 points on Saturday. The rest of the team shot 9-for-29 (.310) from the floor. Van Kalsbeek and Langsy alone weren’t enough to overcome Concordia’s hot start and 47.2 percent (25-for-53) shooting for the night. The Bulldogs also owned a 35-33 edge on the glass.
Concordia’s shift to a more guard-oriented lineup is working. Kissinger has scored at least 17 points in each of the past five outings as a rising star. Kissinger added eight rebounds, three steals and two blocked shots in Saturday's win. Meanwhile, Jacobsen posted five rebounds, four assists and two steals to go with the 21 points. Jaxon Stueve played all 40 minutes (while bodying up Van Kalsbeek) and notched nine points and four rebounds while Wilson registered 10 points and nine rebounds and Odvody finished with eight points. Garret Johnson came off the bench to snipe two treys.
Said Limback, “Brooks is getting a lot of attention right now and he still had some big plays in big moments for us. Dane had a huge spurt in the first half to really get us rolling. He continues to be a steady presence for us. I thought Jaxon Stueve showed heart and toughness defensively guarding a bigger guy. Our guard play is certainly a strength of this team. It’s not just one guy all the time. Logan Wilson also had a huge second half for us.”
The result marked the first time the Bulldogs have defeated a top 10 opponent on the road since The Chanimal (Chandler Folkerts) starred in a 109-106 overtime victory at No. 7 Dakota Wesleyan in February 2017.
The Bulldogs will hit the road one more time prior to Thanksgiving. This coming Tuesday brings a matchup with Mount Marty (3-5, 2-1 GPAC) in Yankton, S.D., where tipoff is set for 7:45 p.m. CT. Pegged eighth in the GPAC preseason poll, the Lancers fell, 86-63, at Morningside in Saturday league action.