SEWARD, Neb. – This was more like it. After a week of slogging at a slower tempo than desired, the 23rd-ranked Concordia University Men’s Basketball team got out on the run on Saturday (Jan. 8) and remained perfect at home. The Bulldogs forced 18 turnovers while pulling away from Dakota Wesleyan for an 88-71 win inside Friedrich Arena. Carter Kent led a group of four Concordia double-figure scorers with 19 points.
Head Coach Ben Limback’s squad has yet to be beaten at home this season and extended the program’s home win streak to 13. The Bulldogs remain right in the thick of things near the top of the league standings at 8-3 in the GPAC (15-4 overall).
“It was a gut check,” Limback said. “We didn’t play well Wednesday (at Mount Marty). Offensively you always wonder if it’s going to be a funk or if you’re going to bounce back. I was really proud. You could sense it in a shootaround today that these guys were hungry and ready. They didn’t let Wednesday affect the next day, even in practice. Our seniors like Carter were phenomenal again today – Justin (Wiersema), Gage (Smith) – all those guys.”
It was indeed a tough spot to have to go up against Concordia, which was forced to refocus after Wednesday’s overtime loss. The turnovers helped spring the Bulldogs loose and leave no doubt in the second half. With DWU still hanging around down 74-64, Concordia put the game on ice with an 11-0 run that featured three steals from Noah Schutte, who throw down a thunderous jam during the surge. The Bulldogs built a lead as large as 21 points while shooting 56.7 percent from the floor.
It was an exceptional week for Kent, who poured in a career high 35 points at Mount Marty. In this outing, the Crete native added six assists and five rebounds to his stat line. Three teammates joined him in double figures: Gage Smith (16), Schutte (15) and AJ Watson (10). Smith also notched nine rebounds, four assists and two steals while just missing a double-double. Schutte put home 13 of his 15 tallies after halftime.
Kent and his class of fellow fourth-year standouts know how to respond after a poor outing. Said Kent, “It was a tough loss at Mount Marty. We made sure that we stayed together and focused on what we do. We didn’t let that result define what we were doing in practice. We just got back to playing our game. We felt like these past couple games we haven’t been pushing it. People have been trying to slow us down. This game we kept pushing it.”
For the most part, the Bulldogs exerted control all night while leading for almost the entire 40 minutes. It was a true team effort that saw different players emerge at different times. Twelve Concordia players registered in the scoring column. Justin Wiersema chipped in with seven points and three assists and Ryan Holt notched seven points.
DWU (6-10, 3-6 GPAC) got 17 points apiece from Teegan Evers and Nick Wittler. After shooting 51.7 percent in the first half, the Tigers slipped to 34.5 percent in the second half. DWU, which played only three games in December, has dropped four in a row.
Said Limback, “It’s fun to be around. Guys don’t care who gets the credit. They’re more interested in the outcome of the game. We had great balance.”
The Bulldogs will have a bye in the middle of next week while preparing to travel to North Dakota for this season’s second matchup with 12th-ranked Jamestown (16-3, 6-3 GPAC). Tipoff next Saturday (Jan. 15) is slated for 3:45 p.m. CT. In the meeting played on Nov. 23, Concordia rode a 27-point outing from Schutte to a 92-76 win over the Jimmies.
