HILLSBORO, Kan. – A rally from a double-digit deficit saw the Concordia University, Nebraska Men’s Basketball team pull even with Wayland Baptist University (Texas) down the stretch. The Pioneers’ Brett Leach then sparked a 6-0 run with a triple and led his side to a 75-72 win on day two (Nov. 1) of the Tabor Classic in Hillsboro, Kan. Dane Jacobsen and Brooks Kissinger paced the Bulldogs with 17 points apiece.
Head Coach Ben Limback’s squad went 1-1 on the weekend with a victory over host Tabor College. Concordia had a quick turnaround after playing late on Friday night.
“We went up against a good team, and we knew coming in that their athleticism was something we were going to have to deal with,” Limback said. “Unfortunately, we didn’t shoot it well enough, but we had some good stuff happen. Brooks looked better today and was attacking and getting to the free throw line. Rebounding is tough against a team like that, but our effort was there. I think we learned a lot of lessons against a national tournament type of team.”
One day after netting 15 treys, the Bulldogs cooled to 6-for-25 (.240) perimeter shooting on Saturday. Concordia nearly overcame those struggles with efficiency inside the arc and solid free throw shooting. In a game of swings, the Bulldogs trailed by 10 in the first half (25-15), then led at the break (36-35) before slipping behind by nine (60-51) midway through the half before a tense finish. A Kissinger free throw with just over four minutes to play knotted the score, 68-68.
The Tabor Classic saw the reemergence of Kissinger, who hastily returned to the court after coming back from an injury that occurred during the preseason. Kissinger made 5-of-6 shots from the floor versus Wayland Baptist. At point guard, a strong start to the sophomore season of Jacobsen continues as he added 10 rebounds and five assists to his stat line. Tate Odvody also reached double figures with 10 points and Jaxon Stueve supplied eight points.
A national tournament qualifier in 2023 and 2024, Wayland Baptist (2-0) got double figures in scoring from three players: Julian Perez (19), Rico Yarbrough (15) and Damonze Woods (11). The Pioneers shot 50.9 percent overall (28-for-55) and went 8-for-21 from 3-point range.
Said Limback, “It’ll make us better. We approached it like a tournament where you have to win the first day to play the second day. Everybody’s legs are going to be tired. We didn’t shoot well like we’re capable. We had to find other ways to score and I thought we did that towards the last five-six minutes. We were able to get to the rim and score against their length. Against teams like this, you have to have good execution. We weren’t sharp enough.”
After three games away from home to open the season, the Bulldogs will make their first Friedrich Arena appearance of 2025-26 next week when they host the 26th annual Cattle Classic (Nov. 7-8). As part of the event, Concordia will go up against Oklahoma City University and Clarke University (Iowa). More information about the event can be found HERE.