SEWARD, Neb. – It was a win the Bulldogs simply had to have. Coming off back-to-back losses to conference teams receiving votes nationally, the Concordia University, Nebraska Men’s Basketball team fought through a sluggish start on Tuesday (Nov. 26) while rallying for an 89-78 win over rival Midland. The ninth-ranked Bulldogs overcame a 33-point outing from the Warriors’ Jake Orr with the help of 27 points from All-American Noah Schutte.
Head Coach Ben Limback’s squad picked up its first GPAC victory while improving to 4-2 overall. Concordia shored up its defense after halftime on Tuesday.
“They got in a rhythm in the first half and had us playing on our heels,” Limback said. "I thought our offense got stagnant. I think we took the first available shot too much instead of finding a rhythm. That led to some quick, easy buckets on their end. We put ourselves in a hole, but then we started to extend our defense and it picked up the pace that way. Noah Schutte was really good in the second half, and we needed that leadership.”
Facing the potential of slipping to 0-3 in the GPAC, the Bulldogs played with a greater sense of urgency out of the halftime break. A steal and a layup for Hayden Frank sparked an 11-0 run that erased what was a 43-37 deficit. Lukas Helms capped that spurt by throwing down a dunk in transition. The extension of full-court pressure and better intensity on the defensive end results in a rash of Warrior turnovers right out of the break.
To its credit, Midland (5-4, 1-3 GPAC) absorbed the run by Concordia and made it a dogfight. The Bulldogs found the answer in the form of a Helms trey at the 3:56 mark (81-73 lead) and later a Tristan Smith layup (83-76 lead) off the dish from Schutte. Then in the final 66 seconds, Concordia went 6-for-6 from the foul line to shut the door on a potential upset. Midland’s field goal percentage dipped from 56.0 in the first half to 43.8 in the second half.
Schutte came to the rescue when the Bulldogs needed him most. The Warriors blitzed Concordia with a 20-4 run to open the game. The Bulldogs started 1-for-10 from the field, but Schutte got going with 16 of his 27 points coming in the first half. He kept the team afloat before Concordia became more balanced after halftime. Schutte added 10 rebounds, six assists and two steals to his stat line. He was joined in double figures by five teammates: Frank (13), Brad Bennett (11), Jaxon Stueve (11), Helms (10) and Smith (10). The Bulldogs shot 44.1 percent overall and netted 17-of-25 from the foul line.
Said Limback of the adjustments that were made, “We had to do something to disrupt their rhythm, and it jump-started us. I thought we started playing harder and bringing more energy. I thought Lukas Helms was good in the second half. The message was that we’re not there yet. There’s something holding this team back where we’re not playing with that edge defensively. We have to get better.”
Orr went 12-for-21 from the floor on his way to a game high 33 points. His big night wasn’t enough to negate the team’s 19 turnovers (compared to 10 for Concordia). Midland has dropped each of the past 12 meetings with the Bulldogs.
Following the Thanksgiving break, the Bulldogs will get back to action on Dec. 4 with a trip to Morningside (7-1, 3-1 GPAC). Tipoff is set for 7:45 p.m. CT on that date from the Rosen-Verdoorn Sports Center in Sioux City, Iowa. The two sides will meet for the second time in less than three weeks. The Mustangs took the meeting in Seward, 95-88, on Nov. 16.