SEWARD, Neb. – There were ebbs and flows in a performance not quite as crisp as desired, but the end result was another double-digit home victory for the Concordia University Men’s Basketball team. A 16-4 Mount Marty run made for some drama before the Bulldogs restored order behind Gage Smith’s monster second half. Concordia defended the home court, 87-72, while shooting 53.6 percent from the floor inside Friedrich Arena on Wednesday (Dec. 8).
Head Coach Ben Limback’s program has won 11 in a row and 23 of its last 24 at home. The Bulldogs have moved to 10-2 overall (5-2 GPAC) on the season.
“That’s a tough basketball team,” Limback said. “I told the guys that Mount Marty has talent and they change the pace up on you. They’re very methodical – and they don’t quit. We got up 16 in the second half and then I thought we became unaggressive. Once Gage started to go to work inside, that really changed the momentum … I really liked how we finished the game. We stepped up and made some free throws. Any win in this league is a good win.”
Concordia had its hands full with Tyrell Harper, who paced the Lancers (3-12, 0-7 GPAC) with 24 points and 10 rebounds. With Harper at the forefront, Mount Marty chiseled a 14-point halftime deficit down to just two points midway through the second half. That’s when Smith took over. He poured in nine points during a 16-2 Bulldog run that supplied a 70-54 advantage with just over four minutes remaining. The Lancers never got closer than nine points the rest of the way.
Smith took the baton from Noah Schutte, who enjoyed a stellar first half (10 points on 4-of-5 shooting). Carter Kent also played an instrumental role down the stretch and finished with 19 points (6-for-11 shooting), one day after being named the GPAC Player of the Week. When at its best on Wednesday, Concordia asserted its will.
“It was 54-52 and it was just like, boys, we’re not playing like ourselves,” Smith said. “We have to play our game and not play their game. We came out and did what we do best – back screens and cuts. You’re going to have to fight every night. There are no days off in the GPAC. Everybody’s really good.”
Smith beasted his way to 25 points and 11 rebounds with 18 of his points coming after halftime. Schutte (14 points) joined Smith and Kent in double figures in scoring. AJ Watson and Justin Wiersema chipped in eight points apiece. Wiersema dished out five assists and Watson dropped four dimes. Off the bench, Ryan Holt put up six points and four rebounds. As of late, the Bulldogs have become a dead-eye free throw shooting team. They made 19-of-21 from the charity stripe on Wednesday.
“The guys knew in the locker room we didn’t play our best,” Limback said. “We turned it over a little too much and offensively didn’t get in a rhythm until later in the second half. We wanted to get a win and protect our home court and keep fighting in this league.”
Mount Marty had lost by just seven points four days earlier at No. 18 Morningside. The Lancers got 19 points from Elijah Pappas in addition to the 24 from Harper. Mount Marty (2020 GPAC tournament runner up) fell in Seward despite shooting 47.2 percent from the field.
The Bulldogs will close GPAC play for the calendar year 2021 when they play at Hastings (6-6, 1-4 GPAC) on Saturday. Tipoff is slated for 3:45 p.m. CT from Lynn Farrell Arena. Concordia will attempt to extend its 11-game series win streak over the Broncos, who slipped, 83-78, at Midland on Wednesday.