GLENDALE, Ariz. – In a major road test, the Concordia University, Nebraska Men’s Basketball team raced out to a 13-point lead and then endured an extended drought in the Arizona desert. Dominic Gonzalez and fourth-ranked Arizona Christian University stormed back and toppled the Bulldogs, 73-65, inside the cozy confines of the ACU Events Center in Glendale. Concordia junior guard Zac Kulus tallied 14 second-half points in attempting to lead a rally.
Head Coach Ben Limback’s squad slipped to 7-4 overall with one game left on its Christmas break trip. This contest marked the Bulldogs’ first outing since the road win over Waldorf on Dec. 14.
“I thought we were ready to go and did a good job being aggressive and playing with intensity at both ends,” Limback said. “Obviously that changed midway through the first half. We guarded well overall in the first half. We felt like we could make a comeback, but we didn’t start the second half well. Zac Kulus did some great things and hit some 3s to get us rolling. Tristan (Smith) getting in foul trouble was a tough thing. When he picked up his third, that’s when we really started to struggle to get into an offense.”
Concordia looked like it had brought its ‘A’ game on the road when it blitzed the Firestorm with a 17-4 run out of the gate. The tables turned quickly. By the 4:38 mark of the first half, ACU had tied the game, 24-24. The Firestorm did so by firing up the heat defensively. Concordia did not manage a single field goal over the final 10 minutes of the opening half.
ACU took a 35-28 lead to the halftime break and then opened the second half on a 14-0 run that severely crippled the Bulldogs’ chances. During the spurt, Gonzalez got on a roll and proceeded to finish the contest with a game-high 20 points on the strength of 6-for-10 shooting from 3-point range. Though it dug a 23-point hole (57-34) in the middle of the second half, Concordia battled to the finish. Noah Schutte’s bucket in the closing seconds put the Bulldogs within seven (72-65).
Foul trouble for star Tristan Smith played a factor in Concordia’s daunting deficit. Smith picked up his third foul midway through the first half and eventually fouled out at the 4:06 mark of the second half. While limited to 19 minutes, Smith finished with nine points. The charge was led by the likes of Schutte and Kulus. Now the program’s second all-time leading scorer, Schutte amassed 18 points, 15 rebounds and two steals in another gritty outing. Meanwhile, Kulus nailed four 3-point field goals in the second half and swiped four steals.
Seven points apiece were contributed by Brad Bennett, Hayden Frank and Lukas Helms. Bennett also plucked four steals in a game that included a combined 39 turnovers (21 for the Bulldogs and 18 for the Firestorm). Concordia shot 38.5 percent (20-for-52) from the floor and went 17-for-20 from the foul line.
On the other end, Arizona Christian (11-2) shot 51.8 percent (29-for-56) from the field. Amaechi Chukwu made his presence felt with three blocked shots off the bench. Arik Nicholas added 15 points as a second option to Gonzalez. The Firestorm will also host No. 14 Morningside on Saturday.
Said Limback, “We knew coming into it that this was going to be a national tournament type of game. It was a loud environment. We had wonderful alumni and family support. It felt sometimes like a home game for us. Tom Raabe was there, two of my teammates were there and two of Coach Schmidt’s sons were there. It was a fun atmosphere from that regard. I just wish we would have played better in the middle stretch.”
The Arizona tour will continue on Saturday when the Bulldogs will play on the home court of Embry-Riddle Aeronautical University (5-6) in Prescott, Ariz., at 3 p.m. MT / 4 p.m. CT. In Friday’s action in Prescott, the Eagles earned an 89-71 victory while up against GPAC foe Doane. Saturday’s game can be streamed live via the GSAC Sports Network.