SEWARD, Neb. – A return home is just what the Concordia University Men’s Basketball team needs after suffering a 92-77 defeat at Northwestern over the weekend. That result means there is little margin for error left as it relates to the GPAC regular season championship race. The Bulldogs will aim for a bounce-back win on Wednesday when they host Hastings. Head Coach Ben Limback’s squad begins the week at 17-5 overall and at 10-4 in conference play.
Game Info
Wednesday, Jan. 26 vs. Hastings (6-16, 1-11 GPAC), 7:45 p.m.
--Live Webcast/Stats | 104.9 Max Country
By the numbers
· With six games left in the regular season, Concordia is nearing the stretch run as it tries to catch Briar Cliff (10-2 GPAC) at the top of the conference standings. Lurking close behind are the likes of Northwestern (9-4), Jamestown (8-5) and Morningside (8-5). Based on many of the metrics, the Bulldogs have been as good as any team in the GPAC. Concordia was rated as the top team in the GPAC in the NAIA’s latest RPI (T-12th) and in the North/Central Region rankings (second). The Bulldogs remain ranked 25th in the NAIA coaches’ poll, although a new poll will be released on Wednesday. There will likely be a shakeup within the conference – Jamestown has been rated as the top team in the GPAC for much of this season.
· In the middle of last week (Jan. 19), Concordia put together a strong performance in front of the largest home crowd of the season. The Bulldogs finally solved Morningside in what amounted to an 83-68 victory. Concordia shot 59.6 percent (31-for-52) from the floor while limiting the Mustangs to 39.1 percent (27-for-69) shooting. The result snapped what had been a 12-game series win streak for Morningside, the reigning GPAC regular season champion. The Mustangs played the game without star big man Trey Brown, but remain a dangerous foe with plenty of veteran talent. Carter Kent paced the Bulldogs with 25 points and Gage Smith (20 points and 11 rebounds) recorded a double-double. Justin Wiersema supplied 13 points, five rebounds and three assists.
· That work on the defensive end did not carry over in the road trip to Orange City, Iowa, on Jan. 22. The 92 points allowed and 59.6 field goal percentage for Northwestern both represented season highs for Concordia opponents. It was a big day for Red Raider star Alex Van Kalsbeek, who poured in 35 points on 14-for-19 shooting from the floor. From the perimeter, Trent Hilbrands collected 19 points while netting four treys. Kent posted 19 points and led a group of four double figure scorers for the Bulldogs that included Noah Schutte (17), Gage Smith (16) and AJ Watson (11). The loss ended a run of six-straight series wins over Northwestern. The Red Raiders are 11-1 at home this season with the only defeat coming against Briar Cliff.
· Kent’s career point total has now grown to 1,541 after his 44-point week. In the win over Morningside, Kent became the ninth player in program history to surpass 1,500 career points. The top eight scorers in school history are listed below. Kent could soon leapfrog former teammate Tanner Shuck on the list. Elsewhere on the school’s career lists, Kent ranks eighth in 3-point field goals (229) and ninth in assists (285). The Crete High School product is the current GPAC leader in free throw percentage (.883) and ranks in a tie for fifth in the conference in scoring average (18.0).
o Jon Ziegler – 2,099
o Tom Raabe – 2,016
o Chandler Folkerts – 1,963
o John Puelz – 1,955
o Devin Smith – 1,659
o Rick Dietze – 1,625
o Matt List – 1,608
o Tanner Shuck – 1,579
o Carter Kent – 1,541
· Dominance at home continues to be a theme. The program’s home win streak has reached 14 (10-0 this season) after last week’s victory over Morningside. Entering this week, every GPAC men’s basketball program has fallen in its most recent trip to Seward. Remarkably, 13 of the 14 home wins during the active streak have come by double-digit margins. The only exception was the 91-90 squeaker this season over Peru State College (Ryan Holt buzzer beating 3-pointer). On the flip side, Concordia has slipped to 3-4 in GPAC road games this season. The Bulldogs boast strong road wins over No. 11 Jamestown and Ottawa University (Kan.).
· Last week, the Omaha World-Herald caught up with Limback to discuss the team’s bid for a GPAC regular season title. Limback was actually a player for the Bulldogs the last time they won a conference regular season championship – the 1995-96 season. At that time, Concordia played in the Nebraska-Iowa Athletic Conference (NIAC) and was coached by Grant Schmidt. During the GPAC era, the Bulldogs have placed second in the league once (2004-05) and third three times. The program celebrated GPAC tournament titles in 2003, 2005 and 2020.
The opponent
It’s been a tough run for Hastings, which will carry a 13-game skid into Wednesday’s action. The lone GPAC win for the Broncos occurred on Nov. 20 when they defeated Mount Marty at home, 87-67. Head Coach Bill Gavers’ squad has two primary scorers in Karson Gansebom (16.6 ppg) and Dashawn Walker (15.0 ppg). Some of the team’s biggest struggles have come on the defensive end. Among GPAC teams, Hastings ranks 10th in field goal percentage defense (.477) and last in scoring defense (77.4). The Broncos (6-19 in 2020-21) have been on the wrong end of each of the past 12 meetings with the Bulldogs.
Next week
Concordia will get back to playing twice in the GPAC next week, which features a trip to Midland on Feb. 2 and then a home game with Dordt on Feb. 5.