HONOLULU, Hawaii – The Concordia University men’s basketball team hung its hat on the defensive end on Sunday (Dec. 22) while making enough plays to avoid coming up empty in Hawaii. Senior Brevin Sloup broke a tie in the final seconds with a floater that lifted the Bulldogs to a 59-57 win over Menlo College (Calif.). For the second day in a row, Concordia played at The Shark Tank, the Hawai’i Pacific University home gym in Honolulu.
Head coach Ben Limback’s squad fell by a 65-60 score at the hands of MidAmerica Nazarene University (Kan.) on Saturday. Sunday’s victory snapped a four-game skid and pushed the Bulldogs to 8-5 overall.
“It was a lot of the same stuff we’ve been facing offensively,” Limback said. “We’ve been a little out of rhythm and turning the ball over too much. This game we closed out with made free throws, big defensive stops and the game-winning shot at the end by Brevin. The bench was huge today. Thomas Young gave us a great spark. Justin Wiersema has been huge this weekend. He’s really developed as a leader through his confidence level.”
Led by the likes of Carter Kent and Wiersema, the Bulldogs started out 9-for-13 from the floor before this contest settled into a grind. Just like the previous day, Concordia built a double-digit first half advantage before the opposition rallied back. Menlo (6-4) led Sunday’s game as late as the one-minute mark in what turned into a nail-biter.
Two free throws by Ryan Holt with 1:00 remaining knotted the score at 57-57. The Bulldogs responded with a defensive stop and then came up with an offensive board on the ensuing possession. With :5.1 left, Concordia called timeout. Sloup received the in-bounds pass and lofted a 10-foot high archer into the basket for the winner.
In holding off the Oaks, the Bulldogs showed resilience. The game featured eight ties and eight lead changes. Concordia could not have won it without focused energy on the defensive end, where it held Menlo to 29 percent (18-for-62) shooting from the floor. Big man Corey Le’aupepe (14 points on 6-for-9 shooting) supplied a large chunk of the Oak offense. Menlo defeated Hastings, 89-80, two days earlier.
The Bulldogs overcame a minus-11 disadvantage in the turnover battle. A key sequence occurred nearly midway through the second half when Concordia found itself down 41-38. Young surfaced off the bench with back-to-back treys and Ryan Holt followed with another for a 9-0 run. The Bulldogs, who shot 35.7 percent (20-for-56) for the night, did just enough.
“We’re not playing pretty right now, but we’re still getting after it defensively,” Limback said. “We’re holding teams well below their averages. We’re getting good effort and that’s how you stay in games.”
Kent led the way with 16 points while adding five rebounds. Wiersema chipped in with 11 points, four assists and four rebounds. Holt contributed seven points and six rebounds while Chuol Biel paced all players with nine rebounds. Concordia held a 46-39 edge on the boards.
The next time out, the Bulldogs will be back inside Walz Arena. They will host Peru State College at 3 p.m. CT on Saturday, Dec. 28. With it being Seward County Appreciation Day, all fans will be admitted free of charge. Concordia and Peru State also met last season in Peru with the result being a 77-71 Bulldog win.
Before returning to Nebraska, the Bulldogs will make some more memories in Hawaii. Said Limback, “We have to play with confidence on offense, first and foremost. Hawaii is supposed to be fun and basketball is supposed to be fun. Sometimes you get caught up in your personal struggles and you let it affect the next play. We’re not sustaining a high level offensively and that’s what we have to improve on.”