FREMONT, Neb. – It was one of those nights on the road in the GPAC. The seven-game winning streak fell by the wayside with an 82-67 loss endured at the hands of Midland in Fremont, Neb., on Wednesday (Dec. 10). The 24th-ranked Concordia University, Nebraska Men’s Basketball team managed only one field goal for the final 12 minutes of the first half and never fully recovered. The Bulldogs fell despite another strong performance from Brooks Kissinger, who scored a game-high 25 points.
Head Coach Ben Limback’s squad suffered its first GPAC defeat while slipping to 5-1 in league play (8-3 overall). Concordia was hoping to reach 6-0 in the GPAC for the first time in program history.
“They turned it up,” Limback said of Midland. “Our lesson was that we were not the tougher team today. I was not the tougher coach. We were not good, and they deserved to win. They beat us on the glass and forced us to make terrible decisions with the ball. We haven’t been doing that – 16 turnovers and getting outworked on the glass. That’s toughness and they were the tougher team today.”
The Bulldogs fell behind by as many as 23 points in the second half. To their credit, they whittled the deficit to eight (75-67) via a 17-2 run sparked by a Jaxon Stueve 3-point field goal. A steal by Kissinger and slashing layup by Stueve capped the spurt with just over two minutes to play. Concordia then failed to score down the stretch as Midland picked up its first series win in the rivalry since the 2018-19 season (breaking a string of 14 consecutive series wins for the Bulldogs).
The Warriors (6-5, 4-2 GPAC) used their length to win the rebounding battle, 44-31, while forcing 16 turnovers. Four Midland starters posted 15 or more points: Amari Rahaman (19), Jeff Rozelle III (19), Butch Lordeus (15) and Jake Orr (15). Rozelle grabbed 11 rebounds in a double-double outing. The Warriors shot 46.9 percent (30-for-64) from the floor and went 15-for-25 from the foul line.
The complete reversal was a shocking result considering the Bulldogs led 19-9 midway through the first half. They went ice cold and trailed by a 36-24 score at the break. Kissinger made 6-of-7 shots from 3-point range on his way to 25 points. He was 3-for-9 from the foul line. The only other Concordia player in double figures was Stueve with 10 points. Point guard Dane Jacobsen notched six points, five assists, five rebounds and two steals while Hayden Frank, Tate Odvody and Logan Wilson chipped in seven points apiece.
A switch to zone defense played a role in the Bulldogs roaring back within striking distance. It proved too little too late.
Said Limback, “We got hit with adversity and just didn’t handle it well tonight … Brooks had a good offensive game. They dared him to shoot, and he shot it. Everybody saw what he’s capable of doing from the 3-point line. We weren’t very consistent offensively with ball movement. Offense wasn’t the problem in the second half. We couldn’t get the stops. We went zone and they got a little stagnant. They deserved it tonight.”
Before dipping outside of league play later this month, the Bulldogs will be back on the road on Saturday for a battle with Dordt (6-6, 3-3 GPAC). Tipoff is set for 3:45 p.m. CT from De Witt Gymnasium in Sioux Center, Iowa. The 2024-25 GPAC regular season champions, the Defenders split two meetings last season with Concordia. In Wednesday action, Dordt protected its home court and won, 77-69, over Dakota Wesleyan.