SEWARD, Neb. – The transition game of the 19th-ranked Concordia University, Nebraska Men’s Basketball team was on full display on Friday (Nov. 6) on day one of the 27th annual Cattle Classic. Superstar Brooks Kissinger jolted the crowd in the first half and then sat out most of the second half as the Bulldogs cruised to a 113-63 win over Maharishi International University (Iowa). Concordia guard Jacob Duitsman went for 13 of his game-high 17 points after the break.
Head Coach Ben Limback’s squad made its 2026-27 home debut at the Cattle Classic. The blowout nature of the contest allowed Limback to empty the bench.
“The starters set the tone,” Limback said. “That was important in a game like this. We stayed disciplined and stayed consistent despite the score. We had guys saying that on the bench. Don’t look at the scoreboard. Let’s do our thing. I thought the starters were fantastic to get us going.”
That’s no joke. The Bulldogs put the game away early, roaring to a 29-2 lead. The high-flyin’ Kissinger rattled off nine of his side’s first 19 points. The final tallies in that stretch occurred when Kissinger stole the ball and then rattled the rim on the break. The Ashland product finished with 15 points (6-for-9 shooting), five rebounds, four steals and three assists in just 15 minutes of action. He had plenty of help from his friends.
Four others in the home whites reached double figures in scoring: Duitsman (17), Dane Jacobsen (15), Hayden Frank (10) and Garret Johnson (10). One of the four Ashland-Greenwood alums on the roster, Jacobsen dropped six dimes, including one on an alley-oop lob to freshman Colby Rautenberg for a dunk. The Milford High School product Rautenberg plucked a team-high eight rebounds.
The stats were a reflection of the lopsided score. Concordia shot 57.3 percent (47-for-82) overall, owned the boards (50-29) and finished at plus-11 in turnovers (20-9). The miscues led to 33 points off turnovers for the Bulldogs. On the flip side, the Pioneers shot 41.1 percent. They were led by 15 points from KeeMaryon Hargrow. Both teams struggled from the foul line as Concordia went 11-for-20 and Maharishi went 9-for-21.
In mounting a 50-point final margin of victory, the Bulldogs placed 16 players in the scoring column. In rounding out a starting five that included the aforementioned Frank, Jacobsen and Kissinger, Jaxon Stueve posted eight points and four rebounds and Derek Tonjes notched six points and four boards. Cal Kissinger and Jerry Ingison contributed six points apiece off the bench.
Continued Limback, “Duitsman did some good things offensively and was aggressive. There were some good spurts here and there from an execution perspective. It was great to get everybody in and see what we’ve got with our bench guys. Colby did some very nice things and had some hustle plays. It was a game that was hard to play for both teams, but a lot of credit to our guys.”
On day two of the 27th annual Cattle Classic, the Bulldogs will draw an NAIA opponent out of the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference. Game time versus Judson University (Ill.) is set for 2 p.m. CT on Saturday. In Friday action, the Eagles played the late game against Hastings. For more details on the Cattle Classic, click HERE.