SEWARD, Neb. – The Concordia University Men’s Basketball team started the new year strong on the defensive end in taking care of Doane, 60-50, on New Year's Day. The 23rd-ranked Bulldogs currently reside in first place in the GPAC standings nearly halfway through the league slate. Head Coach Ben Limback’s squad will look to maintain its perch this week while playing at Mount Marty on Wednesday and at home versus Dakota Wesleyan on Saturday. Concordia stands at 14-3 overall (7-2 GPAC).
This Week
Wednesday, Jan. 5 at Mount Marty (4-14, 0-9), 7:45 p.m.
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Saturday, Jan. 8 vs. Dakota Wesleyan (6-8, 3-4), 3:45 p.m.
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By the numbers
· The Bulldogs ended their Christmas break on Dec. 29 with a nonconference contest at Ottawa University (Kan.) in what was a rematch of the first round of the 2020 NAIA Division II national tournament (won by Ottawa, 87-84). In this meeting, Concordia shot 54.0 percent from the floor and made 11-of-22 shots from beyond the arc in the process of claiming a 91-82 win. Five Bulldogs reached double figures: Carter Kent (19), Noah Schutte (18), Ryan Holt (16), Tristan Smith (11) and AJ Watson (10). In addition, Justin Wiersema grabbed a career high 14 rebounds. Concordia played without Gage Smith.
· The contest on New Year's Day was played at a much slower pace. In a span of four days, the Bulldogs showed they are capable of winning in multiple ways. Concordia did not allow Doane a single point over the final six minutes and held the Tigers to 33.9 percent shooting for the night. The top scorers for Concordia were Wiersema (14), Gage Smith (13), Watson (12) and Schutte (11). Wiersema added seven rebounds and two steals to his stat line. Many others contributed to the stellar defensive outing, including Kent, who often guarded Doane leading scorer Anthony Laravie. The Tigers managed very little offense on the perimeter.
· Kent has moved into a tie for 10th place with Scott Ernstmeyer on the program’s all-time scoring list with 1,417 career points. Kent is the third player coached by Limback who ranks in the top 10, joining Chandler Folkerts (1,963) and Tanner Shuck (1,579). Kent needs 83 more points to become the ninth player in program history to reach at least 1,500 points. On the school’s all-time lists, Kent also ranks 10th in 3-point field goals (217) and 12th in assists (268). The all-time leading scorer in program history remains Jon Ziegler (2,099), who played from 2004 through 2007.
· Based on overall record, the 2021-22 Bulldogs continue to track closely with the standard setting 2004-05 national runner up squad. At 14-3 overall, Concordia is one game off the pace that ’04-05 squad that stood at 15-2 after 17 games. The current team aspires to do something no other team in program history has done – win the GPAC regular season title (the ’04-05 team placed second in the regular season). The Bulldogs reside in first place with a 7-2 league mark. Jamestown (5-2) and Briar Cliff (5-2) also have just two league losses. All teams play 20 conference regular season games.
· The win at Ottawa marked Concordia’s third true road victory of the season. The others came at Dordt and at Hastings. Meanwhile, the home win streak has grown to 12 (including 8-0 this season). The Bulldogs have won 24 of their last 25 games played inside Friedrich Arena. Seven of the eight home wins this season have come by double-digit margins, including the signature 92-76 triumph over then 10th-ranked Jamestown on Nov. 23.
· Among GPAC teams, Concordia ranks second in free throw percentage (.768), third in scoring offense (79.9), fourth in rebound margin (+2.3), sixth in field goal percentage offense (.488), sixth in scoring defense (70.1) and sixth in field goal percentage defense (.434). All five Bulldog starters are averaging 9.8 points or more per game: Kent (16.0), Schutte (14.3), Wiersema (13.0), Gage Smith (12.6) and Watson (9.8).
The opponents
Mount Marty remains in search of its first GPAC win of the season after falling at home, 83-73, to Dordt on New Year's Day. First-year Head Coach Collin Authier’s squad ranks 10th in the GPAC in scoring offense (69.6) and 11th in field goal percentage offense (.440). A player to watch is Tyrell Harper, who averages 13.9 points and 9.7 rebounds per game. While the record isn’t pretty, the Lancers have been close in a number of games and are coming off a season in which they reached the GPAC tournament championship game. Concordia has won four in a row in the series versus Mount Marty. In this season’s first meeting in Seward, the Bulldogs won, 87-72, behind a 25-point, 11-rebound performance from Gage Smith.
Dakota Wesleyan ended an extended break in the schedule with a 69-58 loss at Northwestern on New Year's Day. The Tigers had scheduled games in Fort Lauderdale, Fla., (Dec. 18-19) canceled and played only three games during the month of December. Head Coach Matt Wilber’s squad is used to playing in low scoring affairs this season. DWU sports GPAC rankings of second in scoring defense (66.7) and last in scoring offense (68.5). The team’s biggest star has been senior Koln Oppold, who averages 13.6 points, 6.9 rebounds and 4.4 assists per game. The last time Concordia and DWU met, the Tigers claimed a 70-58 win in the quarterfinals of the 2021 GPAC tournament.
Next week
The Bulldogs will have a bye in the middle of the week while preparing for another showdown with Jamestown, set for Jan. 15 in North Dakota.