SEWARD, Neb. – Concordia University, Nebraska Men’s Basketball played hot potato around the perimeter while blistering the nets on day two of the 26th annual Cattle Classic. A 33-6 splurge in the first half made it a runaway as the Bulldogs blew out Clarke University (Iowa), 107-68, inside Friedrich Arena on Saturday (Nov. 8). Concordia rained in 23 treys while following the lead of unofficial Cattle Classic MVP Brooks Kissinger.
Head Coach Ben Limback’s squad completed a 2-0 weekend that included an 87-76 win over Oklahoma City University on Friday. The Bulldogs sit at 3-2 on the season.
“With their defense, they play heavy gaps,” Limback said. “I’m really proud of our guys. I think our defense led to our offense. We were at our best in transition. A lot of guys stepped up. When you have 28 assists, it’s not just a one-man show. I’m very pleased with our offensive and defensive effort today.”
The aforementioned run in the first half sucked all drama out of the contest. Concordia’s ball movement led to consistent open looks that yielded at least one trey from eight different players. A day after dropping a career-high 31 points, Kissinger was up to his high-wire acts once again. An attempt at a thunderous one-handed slam would have brought the roof down had it not rimmed out. Kissinger tallied 18 points on 7-for-13 shooting in the latest victory. He also posted eight rebounds and eight assists in a near triple-double.
The Ashland, Neb., native had plenty of help from his teammates. Seven Bulldogs other than Kissinger notched at least eight points: Logan Wilson (14), MJ Coffey (14), Garret Johnson (14), Zac Kulus (11), Jacob Duitsman (nine), Dane Jacobsen (eight) and Jaxon Stueve (eight). Four triples apiece were buried by Coffey, Johnson and Wilson. Concordia shot several more 3s and 2s (49 to 35) and posted a 46.4 overall shooting percentage.
Said Limback, “Brooks did what he needed to do today. He probably could have scored more, but he was able to get assists today with the way they were collapsing. It really showed we have guys who can score and shoot from the perimeter. Duitsman and Johnson gave us some really good minutes, especially in the first half. Those are some important things. Kulus is someone who continues to give us energy right away. I love our bench and what MJ Coffey did at the end. He rang the bell because our guys noticed his effort level.”
Clarke (2-4) earned a Friday win over Hastings, 84-69, at the Cattle Classic. However, on Saturday, the Pride ran into a buzzsaw. Clarke shot only 35.8 percent (24-for-67) on its end. DeMarco Clayton led the way with 15 points and was named to the All-Cattle Classic team. In addition to being outgunned from a shooting perspective, the Pride were beaten on the boards, 53-37.
Stueve added nine rebounds and three assists to his stat line and joined Kissinger with all-tournament honors. At the point guard spot, sophomore Dane Jacobsen supplied seven assists and six rebounds.
The Bulldogs will open conference play next Saturday (Nov. 15) with a visit from Waldorf (3-3, 0-0 GPAC). Tipoff is set for 4:45 p.m. CT from Friedrich Arena. The Warriors are in their second season as a GPAC member. Concordia took both of last season’s meetings from Waldorf.
2025 Men’s All-Cattle Classic Team
Jonas Carlisle, Oklahoma City
DeMarco Clayton, Clarke
DaRon Hall, Hastings
Brooks Kissinger, Concordia
Jaxon Stueve, Concordia