SIOUX CITY, Iowa – Concordia and Morningside only play thrillers. In the latest heart thumper, the Bulldogs finally slayed the arch nemesis Mustangs, 92-87, in Sioux City, Iowa, while earning a trip to the GPAC Championship Game. Ashland stars Brooks Kissinger and Dane Jacobsen traded clutch buckets down the stretch on Saturday (Feb. 28) in a contest oozing with all the drama one could handle. Kissinger equaled a career-high 33 points in a big-time performance with the season on the line.
Head Coach Ben Limback’s squad has kept GPAC title and national tournament dreams alive. Before thinking about Tuesday’s championship clash with Northwestern, Concordia University, Nebraska Men’s Basketball (19-11) will enjoy this one.
“It was huge. I’m so proud of our guys,” Limback said. “Zac Kulus got us going in the beginning of the game. He was incredible. I thought that really settled us into the game. Obviously Brooks was incredible and got to the free throw line. Man, Dane Jacobsen in that second half. There was a stretch where he made two big 3s and got that post and-one. He just made those big-moment plays. Tremendous road win.”
Based on matchups from recent seasons, the Bulldogs were well aware of Morningside’s tendency to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat. In Saturday’s GPAC semifinal, the Mustangs nearly erased an 81-71 deficit in the final four-plus minutes. A trey by the Mustangs’ Alex Wilcoxson slashed Concordia’s lead to 88-87 with roughly a minute remaining. In the closing 60 seconds, the Bulldogs dodged two bullets in the form of arrant Morningside 3-point tries and sewed up the game with 2-for-2 free throw trips from Kulus and Jacobsen.
It took an efficient offensive effort to knock off the high-powered Mustangs on their home court. Concordia shot 54.2 percent (32-for-59) overall while Kissinger’s star burned brightest. He accumulated his game-high 33 points on 11-for-19 shooting (3-for-4 from 3-point range). BK also added eight rebounds and five assists to his stat line. Early in the second half, Kissinger etched his name onto the program’s list of 1,000-point career scorers (currently at 1,010).
But he couldn’t have done it alone on Saturday. His backcourt mate Jacobsen went off for 19 of his 23 points after halftime. He made winning plays, dropping in a trey apiece at the 7:15 and 6:27 marks before later assisting a Kissinger layup at the 5:53 mark and then striking for a three-point play with 3:10 to go. The Bulldogs led 86-75 at the time. Concordia enjoyed the advantage for almost the entirety of the afternoon while holding off Morningside’s late charge.
Kulus finished with 19 points (14 in the first half) on 7-for-11 shooting. Hayden Frank came off the bench to supply nine points and two steals. As part of the guard-heavy lineup, Jaxon Stueve recorded six rebounds and four assists. The Bulldogs held their own on the glass (32-29 in the Mustangs’ favor) despite their lack of size.
On the other side, GPAC regular season champion Morningside (22-7) shot 51.9 percent (28-for-54), which is actually below its season clip. Wilcoxson topped the Mustangs with 22 points while Kaden Van Regenmorter posted 19 points. The loss was the first one suffered at home by Morningside all season. The result also snapped the Mustangs’ five-game series winning streak over Concordia.
Said Limback, “They’re a load. They have a lot of confidence. Wilcoxson hits two big shots and makes it interesting. I’m proud of our guys. At our place, that was a similar game where we let it slip away. In this one, we had the big finish at the end. What another great battle between two great teams. I’m so glad that we finished this one off.”
Added Limback of Kissinger, “He’s a tremendous player – 1,000 points. I think he’s got 1,000 more in him the way he’s playing.”
Limback has now led the Bulldogs to the GPAC Championship Game for the second year in a row and for the fourth time in seven seasons. Concordia celebrated GPAC tournament titles in 2020 and 2022. The program also won two GPAC postseason championships prior to Limback’s tenure (in 2003 and 2005).
The GPAC Championship Game is slated to tip off at 7 p.m. CT on Tuesday (March 3) at No. 2 seed Northwestern (ranked 20th in the NAIA coaches’ poll). The GPAC tournament path for the Red Raiders (25-5) has included wins over Dakota Wesleyan, 112-79, and Mount Marty, 78-71. Concordia earned a regular season sweep of Northwestern, winning by scores of 78-73 in Orange City and 85-82 in Seward.