LAMONI, Iowa – After trailing by 14 at the break, the Concordia University, Nebraska Men’s Basketball team fell short of completing its comeback bid while slipping in a road matchup with No. 23 Graceland University (Iowa) to open the 2025-26 season. Reigning Heart of America Athletic Conference Player of the Year Cole Bowen poured in 23 points to lead the Yellowjackets to a 79-69 win in Lamoni, Iowa, on Saturday (Oct. 25). New Bulldog point guard Dane Jacobsen notched a career-high 19 points.
Head Coach Ben Limback’s program enters the ’25-26 campaign having qualified for the national tournament in each of the past four seasons. This new-look Concordia squad is not yet a finished product.
“We’re trying to figure out how to handle these moments on the road with an evolving group,” Limback said. “Other than (Zac) Kulus and (Jaxon) Stueve, some of these guys have never been in these roles before. It’s great to see how they handle it early, but it’s also tough to lose these games. I think it can make us tougher if we learn our lesson. That’s why we played this game. They’re a great team. They’ll get even better, just like we will.”
The Bulldog deficit reached 18 (45-23) early in the second half in Lamoni. As a positive takeaway, Concordia fought back within three (63-60) with 4:02 left to play when Logan Wilson canned a pair of free throws. Jacobsen sparked the rally as he notched 12 points and all five of his assists after halftime in a career performance. Graceland responded with an 8-1 run that put it back in front by double digits. The Yellowjackets salted the game away at the foul line down the stretch.
Kulus and Stueve joined Jacobsen in double figures with 14 points apiece. The play of Stueve helped keep the Bulldogs afloat in the first half. He made 5-of-10 shots from the floor in 34 minutes. Jacobsen, Kulus and Wilson (nine points) also logged more than 30 minutes. Tyler Harre came off the bench to provide six points and three rebounds. Concordia shot 42.6 percent (23-for-54) as a team.
Graceland used a significant rebound advantage (35-19) and 54.4 percent (31-for-57) shooting from the floor to begin its season in the win column. The Yellowjackets qualified for the national tournament last season and were placed atop the Heart preseason coaches’ poll. The returning All-American Bowen played 38 minutes and stuffed the stat sheet with five rebounds, five assists, two blocks and two steals to go with his 23 points. Three teammates also hit double figures: Carson Busch (16), Deundra Roberson (15) and Micah Lamberth (10).
The Bulldogs will endeavor to learn from the experience. Said Limback, “I thought Jaxon played a great game throughout. He kept us in the game with some timely buckets and things that we needed. Dane made some plays, especially in the second half. I thought Harre hit some big shots in our comeback in the second half. The loss makes it a long ride home, but it will make us tougher if we handle it the right way.”
The next road trip will take the Bulldogs to Tabor, Kan., for the Tabor Classic the weekend of Nov. 31-Nov. 1. On day one of the event, Concordia will take on host Tabor College at 8 p.m. CT. The Bluejays are set to open the 2025-26 season at Doane on Monday.