SEWARD, Neb. – The schedule does not let up for Thanksgiving week. Despite a break for students, the Concordia University men’s basketball team will be in action Tuesday, Friday and Saturday this week. Up next is Seward County Appreciation on Tuesday when Mount Marty visits for a GPAC tilt inside Walz Arena. No admission will be charged. The contest will be carried live on the Concordia Sports Network and 104.9 Max Country radio.
This week’s schedule
Tuesday, Nov. 21 vs. Mount Marty, 8 p.m. CT
Colorado School of Mines Classic
Friday, Nov. 24 at Colorado School of Mines, 4 p.m. CT (Exhibition)
Saturday, Nov. 25 vs. Colorado Christian, 2 p.m. CT
Head coach Ben Limback’s squad split its first two GPAC contests of the season as conference play opened up last week. Budding point guard Jake Hornick (20 points, nine assists, eight rebounds) came up just shy of a triple-double while leading the Bulldogs (5-2, 1-1 GPAC) to an 86-72 home win over Midland on Nov. 15. Hornick and company sank 15 treys in the victory. Three days later, Tanner Shuck went off for a career best 29 points, but a 15-3 run to close the game lifted 10th-ranked Dakota Wesleyan to a 77-69 triumph over Concordia.
Hornick and the sophomore class have emerged as a big story in the early going for the Bulldogs. The star trio of Hornick, Shuck and Clay Reimers combined to average 22.4 points per game last season as freshmen. That figure has skyrocketed to 47.2 this season. As a class, the sophomores have accounted for 81.3 percent (453/557) of the team’s scoring so far this season. Hornick currently sports GPAC rankings of second in assists (5.1), ninth in scoring (16.7) and 10th in rebounding (5.9). Reimers is the league’s second most prolific rebounder (8.5) and Shuck ranks sixth in 3-point field goal percentage (.458).
Mount Marty (1-6, 0-2 GPAC) owns a record that is a bit misleading on the surface. The improved Lancers have suffered five of their six losses by margins of seven points or less. In conference play, they have dropped games to Morningside, 75-72, and Hastings, 70-65. Augustana University (S.D.) alum Cody Schilling is in his first season as head coach. His squad feature’s the GPAC’s second leading scorer in Marcus Mathieu (22.7 ppg), a transfer from Oklahoma Christian University.
The weekend will provide two significant challenges with games against two foes from the Rocky Mountain Athletic Conference of NCAA Division II. Friday’s game is officially an exhibition contest for Concordia. Colorado Mines is off to a 4-0 start behind top scorers Luke Schroepfer (15.8 ppg) and Ben Sonnefeld (15.0 ppg). Colorado Christian (0-4) is still seeking its first win. The Cougars of Lakewood, Colo., went 19-16 overall last season. Both weekend games will be hosted by Colorado School of Mines at Lockridge Arena in Golden, Colo., and both will be streamed live HERE.
Following this week, Concordia will have a break before returning to action Saturday, Dec. 2 for a matchup at Dordt.
Tuesday’s projected lineups
Concordia (5-2, 1-1)
G – Jake Hornick: 16.7 ppg, 5.9 rpg, 5.1 apg, 1.3 spg, .534 fg%, .458 3-pt fg%
G – Cordell Gillingham: 5.9 ppg, 5.3 rpg, 3.1 apg, .400 fg%
G – Tanner Shuck: 14.0 ppg, 2.7 rpg, .493 fg%, .449 3-pt fg%
F – Kyle Pierce: 8.5 ppg, 4.3 rpg, 1.3 apg, .417 fg%, .333 3-pt fg%
F – Clay Reimers: 16.5 ppg, 8.5 rpg, .593 fg%, .667 ft%
Mount Marty (1-6, 0-2)
G – Conlan Callahan: 10.8 ppg, 3.3 rpg, 1.0 spg, .371 fg%, .833 ft%
G – Marcus Mathieu: 22.7 ppg, 5.8 rpg, 3.0 apg, .382 fg%, .389 3-pt fg%
G – Zane Schumaker: 2.7 ppg, 2.5 rpg, 2.5 apg, .412 fg%
F – Sheldon Siemonsma: 6.8 ppg, 4.5 rpg, 0.8 bpg, .382 fg%, .400 3-pt fg%
F – Drew Cheskie: 11.5 ppg, 5.2 rpg, 1.5 bpg, 1.0 spg, .580 fg%