BALDWIN CITY, Kan. – Third-seeded and NAIA 10th-ranked Baker University played at a level on Saturday (March 15) that the sixth-seeded and NAIA 11th-ranked Concordia University, Nebraska Men’s Basketball team simply couldn’t match. In the NAIA National Championship Round of 32, the Bulldogs dug a 22-point first-half hole while surrendering separate runs of 12-0 and 15-0. Buoyed by their ultra-aggressive defensive play, the Wildcats pulled away for an 80-65 victory inside the Collins Center in Baldwin City, Kan., where strong crowds for both sides gathered.
Head Coach Ben Limback’s squad finished the 2024-25 campaign at 26-7 overall. Concordia reached the national tournament for the fourth-straight year and for the fifth time in six seasons. Baker has advanced to play at the final site.
“That’s a good team and we knew that going in,” Limback said. “Great atmosphere – this is why you play the game. They got hot early. No. 2 (Ty Henry) got going and we were missing some good looks. Then they went on their run, and we just couldn’t get that momentum play to stop the bleeding. An eight-point lead gets to 12 and then it ballooned to 18. We didn’t play the same way we started the game. Second half, we challenged them, and I was proud of them. There’s a lot of fight in this team.”
As the final seconds ticked away, Noah Schutte subbed out of the game and received a lasting embrace from fellow star Tristan Smith. It marked the end of an era as Bulldog fans in attendance rose for a standing ovation in acknowledgement. Schutte and Smith went out as one would expect, playing fearlessly and relentlessly on the national stage. For the second-straight evening, both players registered double-doubles as Schutte posted a game-high 26 points and 10 rebounds and Smith notched 13 points and 10 rebounds.
It wasn’t quite enough on a night that saw the host Wildcats (30-3) put together a stunningly impressive first half. The length and athleticism of Baker caused problems after Concordia hung tight early on. It was 9-7 in Baker’s favor at the first media timeout before the onslaught hit the Bulldogs like a brick wall. During a 10-minute stretch in the first half, Concordia managed only one field goal (although it did find ways to get to the foul line) and fell behind by a 38-16 score. Ahmed Mahgoub and Ty Henry led the charge for the Wildcats with a combined 23 points in the first half.
The deficit sat at 48-26 at the break. To make matters worse, Tristan Smith picked up his third and fourth fouls early in the second half. Smith still managed to play 31 minutes and Schutte went to work scoring tough buckets in the paint. An 11-4 run capped by Elijah Gaeth’s trey at the 5:35 mark got the Bulldogs back within 10 (66-56). The dagger for Baker was delivered by Mahgoub, who drained a three with under three minutes remaining to push the advantage back to 18 (75-57).
The Wildcats shot 51.7 percent (31-for-60) overall while limiting Concordia to 33.3 percent (19-for-57). The Bulldogs were able to climb within shouting distance in the second half with the help of 19-for-27 foul shooting. Off the bench, Gaeth, the hero of Friday night’s win over Bethel College (Kan.), notched seven points and Zac Kulus contributed six. On the other side, Nick Whittick dished out nine assists in steering his side’s offensive display.
The result means the conclusion of the college careers for Schutte, Smith, Brad Bennett (973 career points) and the rest of the senior class. Schutte moved his program all-time record totals to 2,340 points and 948 rebounds. Meanwhile, Smith finished with 1,577 points and 755 rebounds for his career. Limback and those who have gotten to know them personally cherish them for more than those statistics.
Said Limback, “With Tristan and Noah, everyone is going to see their points and rebounds and the accolades. They deserve those, but those of us in the locker room aren’t tearing up and having emotions because of the points and the rebounds. It’s because of who they are and the work they put in for the sake of the team. That’s all the seniors – from Matt (Weismann), Tony (Tubrick), Brayson (Mueller), Brad (Bennett) – all those guys laid it out there. It’s a special group. I told them, I’m never going to forget this team.”
The accomplishments in 2024-25 included the fourth highest win total in program history (tied with two other squads), a school record for conference wins in a season, an NAIA final regular season ranking of No. 11 and a CIT championship.
In summing up the season, Limback stated, “It was a blast. We thought we could go a long ways if we kept playing as well as we could. Unfortunately, it doesn’t always work out that way. God gives us lessons in life. Sometimes they’re fun lessons and sometimes they’re tough lessons. Certainly, a lot to be proud of. We gave it our all. I’m going to walk away – and I think they will too – proud of what we accomplished.”
Additional Thoughts:
Noah Schutte – It's meant everything. What I'll remember the most is the guys that were part of the journey. The relationships and brotherhood we have created in this program will last a lifetime and all I can do is thank every teammate and coach that have pushed me every day to be a better player and person. I hope I represented Concordia in the best way that I could, and I'll always be thankful for my time here. The support has been endless for all of us and I'll miss wearing Concordia across my chest every time I stepped on the court.
Tristan Smith – These past four years have been some of the greatest of my life. I've made lifelong friends I never thought I'd meet through basketball and Concordia. The community behind Concordia basketball has shown us support through the ups and downs and has made college basketball an amazing memory I'll never forget. In the everyday grind you sometimes take it for granted, but now as an old head, I can say I'd do anything to be able to do it again. Not for the awful ‘Bern-outs’ but for the brotherhood, relationships and memories it brought. Concordia basketball will forever be a part of me, and I'll forever be a Bulldog. I hope that the culture of Concordia and the brotherhood continues to impact its players like it has for me. I just want to say thank you to every teammate, the coaches and the community for an amazing four years. I've loved every part of it.