2006-2007 - Basketball schedule/results

10-21 Overall, 5-13 GPAC

OCTOBER
Preacher Earlybird Classic:
Oct. 27	vs. Concordia Selma	St. Louis, Mo.	L 94-87
Oct. 28	vs. Concordia Seminary	St. Louis, Mo.	W 94-75
NOVEMBER
Clarke College Holiday Tournament:
Nov. 10	vs. Ottawa	Olathe, Kan..	L 87-64
Nov. 11	vs. Sterling College	Olathe, Kan..	L 89-57
Nov. 18	Doane College*	Crete, Neb.	L 78-61
Nov. 21	Nebraska Wesleyan Univ.*	Seward, Neb.	L 70-65
Nov. 25	MidAmerica Nazarene	Seward, Neb.	L 98-85
DECEMBER
Dec. 2	Northwestern College*	Orange City, Iowa	L 81-62
Dec. 6	Doane College*	Seward, Neb.	L 87-84 (OT)
Dec. 9	Morningside College*	Sioux City, Iowa	L 91-79
MidAmerica Nazarene Pioneer Classic:
Dec. 28	vs. Cardinal Stritch	Dubuque, Iowa	L 90-69
Dec. 29	vs. Tri-State Univ.	Dubuque, Iowa	W 72-70
Dec. 30/31	vs. Bethel	Dubuque, Iowa	L 66-59
JANUARY
Jan. 3	Hastings College*	Seward, Neb.	L 94-73
Jan. 6	Briar Cliff University*	Sioux City, Iowa	L 76-63
Jan. 10	Dana College*	Seward, Neb.	L 62-58
Jan. 13	Dordt College*	Seward, Neb.	L 72-66
Jan. 16	Nebraska Wesleyan Univ.*	Lincoln, Neb.	W 73-58
Jan. 19	Dakota Wesleyan Univ.*	Mitchell, S.D.	L 89-65
Jan. 24	Midland Lutheran College*	Fremont, Neb.	L 80-64
Concordia Invitational Tournament:
Jan. 26	Concordia-Chicago	Ann Arbor, Mich.	W 66-47
Jan. 27	Concordia-Ann Arbor	Ann Arbor, Mich.	L 64-58
Jan. 31	Briar Cliff University*	Seward, Neb.	L 59-58 (OT)
FEBRUARY
Feb. 3	Mount Marty College*	Seward, Neb.	W 75-72
Feb. 7	Dana College*	Blair, Neb.	W 75-71
Feb. 10	Hastings College*	Hastings, Neb.	L 97-90
Feb. 13	Midland Lutheran College*	Seward, Neb.	W 72-62
Feb. 17	University of Sioux Falls*	Seward, Neb.	W 87-78 (OT)
GPAC Tournament:
Feb. 20	vs. Doane	Crete, Neb.	W  82-81 (OT)
Feb. 22	at Dakota Wesleyan	Mitchell, S.D.	W 63-49
Feb. 24	at Univ. of Sioux Falls	Sioux Falls, S.D.	L 74-59
NAIA National Tournament:
TBA	vs. TBA	Point Lookout, Mo.	TBA

*Indicates Great Plains Athletic Conference Games
Italics Indicate Tournament Games
All Home Matches in BOLD

2006-07 Roster

No.	Name	Pos.	Ht.	Yr.	Hometown
10	Alex Michel	G	6-0	JR	Billings, Mont.
12	Garrett Rathke	G	5-11	JR	Cairo, Neb.
20	Brandon Schmidt	G	6-0	SO	Seward, Neb.
22	Austin Thoms	G	6-0	FR	Fort Wayne, Ind.
24	Richard Schwartz	G	6-3	SR	Westminster, Colo.
30	Dustin Weber	G	6-2	FR	Pierce, Neb.
32	Jon Ziegler	G	6-2	SR	Lincoln, Neb.
34	Scott Hannon	F	6-7	JR	York, Neb.
40	Andy Miner	F	6-5	SO	Seward, Neb.
42	Shawn Seevers	G	6-3	FR	Toyko, Japan
44	Benjamin Buhr	G	6-3	JR	Lincoln, Neb.
50	Reggie Corbin	F	6-5	SR	Beaumont, Texas
52	Brady Borslien	F	6-4	FR	Crookston, Minn.
54	Jason Owens	P	6-6	FR	Seward, Neb.
	Jacob Hischke	F	6-4	SO	North Glenn, Colo.
	Benjamin Koehnke	G	6-2	SO	Anaheim, Cali.
	Ben Wilshusen	F	6-4	SO	Schuyler, Neb.
	Jake Harley	G	6-3	FR	Salt Lake City, Utah
	Nick Leonard	G	6-3	FR	Salt Lake City, Utah
	Heath Hansen*	G	6-1	JR	Herman, Neb.
	Andy Banahan*	P	6-7	FR	Steele City, Neb.
	Casey Schrader*	F	6-5	FR	Syracuse, Neb.

Coaching staff

Head coach: Grant Schmidt

Buhr buries six triples in CIT win

26 JAN 2007

The Concordia University, Nebraska men’s basketball team picked up their fourth win of the season, 66-47, over Concordia University Chicago on the opening day of the 56th Annual Concordia Invitational Tournament (CIT) being held in Ann Arbor, Mich., on the campus of Concordia University Ann Arbor.

The tournament is the second longest running college basketball tournament in the nation, trailing only the National Invitational Tournament (NIT).

The Bulldogs (4-17, 1-11 GPAC) will face defending tournament champion Concordia Ann Arbor on Jan. 27 at 8:00 p.m. (EST). The Cougars of Concordia Chicago (3-14) turned the ball over 20 times in the loss.

Jon Ziegler led the Bulldogs in the first half scoring 10 of his game high 21 points. He was one of just four Concordia University, Nebraska players to score during the opening half.

After a low scoring first half the Bulldogs led by a score of 28-21. Benjamin Buhr sparked the Bulldogs in the second half, hitting four of his six three point field goals en route to 20 points.

Bobby Smith led the Cougars with 18 points, but was kept in check for the most part by Reggie Corbin for the Bulldogs. Corbin finished with three blocks, all against Smith, to complement eight rebounds.

Ziegler led all scorers with 21 points. He also ripped down eight boards, dished out four assists had three blocks and a pair of steals. Scott Hannon was also in double figures with 12 points.

As a team the Bulldogs knocked down nine three-point field goals, six by Buhr, two by Austin Thoms and one by Hannon. The Bulldogs took care of the ball, committing just nine turnovers in the game, compared to the 20 by the Cougars.

The CIT championship game is a rematch of last years title tilt which saw the Cardinals of Ann Arbor won their first title in school history. The Cardinals are coached by former Bulldog player Ben Limback. The Bulldogs have won the CIT title 20 of the last 24 years.

Cardinals down Bulldogs for 2nd CIT title

27 JAN 2007

The Concordia University-Ann Arbor Cardinals used a 10-0 run to open the second half and held on for a 64-58 victory over the Concordia University, Nebraska Bulldogs in the 56th annual Concordia Invitational Tournament championship game.

Troy Weisshaar was a thorn in the Bulldogs side all game especially in the first half, knocking down 2-of-3 three-point shots. The last one coming with less than three seconds remaining in the first half to give the Cardinals a 31-26 lead going into the intermission.

Concordia’s defense held the high powered Ann Arbor offense to 27 percent shooting in the first half, while the Bulldogs shot 39 percent to keep the game close. Concordia’s offense went cold after the break as the Bulldogs failed to score during the first four minutes of the second half. Ann Arbor went on to score ten un-answered points to a lead that proved to be insurmountable for the Bulldogs.

The Bulldogs pulled within one as the second half was drawing to a close but the free throw shooting of Ann Arbor proved to be the difference as the Cardinals drained 13-of-19 second-half free throws. For the game Ann Arbor was 70 percent from the charity stripe.

Senior guard Jon Ziegler led the Bulldogs offensively with a double double, scoring 19 points and pulling down 10 rebounds. He also dished dished out four assists. Senior post player Reggie Corbin added 11 points and nine rebounds, while Junior Scott Hannon contributed 10 points.

For his performance during the tournament Ziegler was named to all-tournament team. It marks the second consecutive year Ziegler was named to the team.

Ann Arbor was led by by Weishaar who finished with 26 points on 9-of-14 shooting, including 4-of-6 from beyond the arc. The only other Cardinal in double figures was 6-7 freshman Mike Dabney with 12

The next action for the Bulldogs comes this Wednesday night, Jan. 31 as the Chargers of Briar Cliff make their way to Seward for an 8:00 p.m. contest.

Final free throws doom Bulldogs in OT

31 JAN 2007

Kurt Webb of Briar Cliff hit three free throws with no time on the clock in overtime to give the Chargers a 59-58 win over the Concordia University, Nebraska men’s basketball team on Wednesday night in Seward.

The Bulldogs (4-19, 1-12 GPAC) seemingly had the game won after Benjamin Buhr buried a three on the left wing to put Concordia up 58-56 with 22 ticks left in overtime.

After a Concordia timeout the Chargers (11-13, 5-9 GPAC) had their first shot go off the mark, grabbed an offensive rebound, missed again before Kurt Webb hurled a desperation shot towards the hoop as time expired. The Bulldogs’ Garrett Rathke was whistled for a foul on the hectic last-second shot, sending Webb to the line for what proved to be the game-winning free throws.

Webb finished a perfect 6-of-6 from the charity stripe for the game as the Chargers converted 77.8 percent of the time from the free throw line as a team. Webb hit was fouled shooting from beyond the arc twice during the overtime period.

Scott Hannon gave the Bulldogs a three point lead in regulation on a traditional three-point play after an offensive putback. Neither team scored a field goal in the final 2:02 of regulation.

Offense was tough to come by for both squads the entire night as they struggled from the field. Concordia had the better shooting percentage of the teams at 36.7 percent compared to 33.9 percent for the Chargers.

Jon Ziegler scored 13 of his 19 points in the second half and overtime for the Bulldogs, including three three-point field goals. As a team Concordia shot 50 percent from beyond the arc in the second half after struggling in the first half, hitting just 1-of-10 attempts.

The Bulldogs also had their woes from the charity stripe, going just 7-of-13 for the game. On the contrary the Chargers converted on 14-of-18 attempts from the free throw line.

Ziegler paced the Bulldogs with 19 points and seven rebounds. Scott Hannon and Benjamin Buhr were also in double figures for Concordia with 15 and 12 points respectively. Reggie Corbin grabbed nine boards to go along with six points and a pair of blocks.

Adi Cizmic had a double double for Briar Cliff with 19 points and 12 rebounds. Webb and Neil Rohe were also in double figures with 12 and 11 points each.

Concordia is back in action on Saturday as they host the Mount Marty Lancers at 4:00 p.m. The game is part of a women’s/men’s double header.

Bulldogs get GPAC win over Mount Marty

3 FEB 2007

Four different players were in double figures for the Concordia University, Nebraska men’s basketball team as they downed the Mount Marty Lancers, 75-72, on Saturday afternoon in Seward.

Concordia (5-19, 2-12 GPAC) moves out of the GPAC cellar with the win while Mount Marty (9-17, 4-11 GPAC) dropped their second straight game.

Mount Marty dominated the first half of play, leading for more than 15 minutes. The Lancer lead swelled to nine points with 3:16 remaining in the half on a layup by Travis Ptacek. A free throw by Benjamin Buhr cut the Mount Marty lead to seven points with two seconds remaining in the first half.

The Bulldogs opened the second half with a 6-0 run to pull within one, 36-35, on a tip-in by Scott Hannon. Three minutes later a three by Buhr tied the game at 43 with 14:24 left in the game. The Bulldogs never trailed from that point, opening up an eight point advantage on a pair of free throws by Jon Ziegler.

Mount Marty was able to battle back thanks in part to some sharp shooting by Pat Anderson. Anderson hit five three-point field goals in the second frame, including a pair in the final 13 seconds.

As a team the Bulldogs hit 7-of-8 free throws in the final 31 seconds to preserve the win, including four by Brandon Schmidt. Two of Schmidt’s free throws came with just three ticks left on the clock and pushed the Concordia lead to three.

Ziegler led the Bulldogs offensively, scoring 29 points on 11-of-22 shooting from the field, including three three-point field goals. He also converted 4-of-5 free throws and grabbed eight rebounds. Scott Hannon just missed the double double with 18 points and nine rebounds.

Reggie Corbin and Buhr were also in double figures for Concordia, scoring 10 and 13 points respectively. Corbin pulled down seven rebounds, five of the offensive, as the Bulldogs scored 12 second chance points.

Anderson led Mount Marty with 31 points, going 7-of-8 from beyond the arc, before fouling out with three seconds left. Nathan Fischer also reached double figures with 14.

Concordia hits the road for a pair of games before returning home to close out the regular season against Midland Lutheran on Feb. 13 and the University of Sioux Falls on Feb 17.

Hastings wins offensive shootout

10 FEB 2007

The Concordia University, Nebraska men’s basketball team had their second highest point output of the season, but it wasn’t enough as the Hastings College Broncos shot 80.8 percent from the field in the second half as they defeated the Bulldogs, 97-90, Saturday in Hastings.

Hastings (17-11, 10-7 GPAC) missed just five shots in the second half en route to the win. Concordia (6-20, 3-13 GPAC) see their modest two-game winning streak come to an end.

The Bulldogs had the hot hand from the field in the first half, shooting 65.4 percent from the field, hitting 6-of-12 attempts from beyond the arc. Half of the threes came from freshman Austin Thoms who came off the bench to score 11 points in the opening half.

Thoms was perfect from the field (4-of-4) as the Bulldogs opened up a six-point advantage at intermission, 42-36. Benjamin Buhr added a dozen points in the opening frame as well.

After the break Hastings cranked up their offense, scoring 61 points and shooting at a blistering 80.8 clip from the field. Krae Dutoit led the Bronco offense with 22 points. In all nine different players scored for Hastings including Cory Fehringer (18), Mike Snyder (14) and Scott Wissing (12).

Concordia was able to stay close thanks in part Jon Ziegler and Scott Hannon who combined to score 39 of the Bulldogs 48 points in the second half.

Ziegler finished the game with 32 points, four rebounds and four assists. It was the fourth time he has scored 30 or more points in a game this season. Hannon added 24 points along with five rebounds.

Others in double digits for Concordia included Buhr (14) and Thoms (11) while Brandon Schmidt just missed double figures with nine points in 40 minutes.

The Bulldogs wrap-up the regular season at home with pair of games next week. Concordia hosts Midland on Tuesday, Feb. 13 before closing the regular season on Saturday, Feb. 17, against the University of Sioux Falls.

Buhr reaches 1,000 in win over Midland

13 FEB 2007

Four players scored in double figures as Concordia University, Nebraska men’s basketball team defeated Midland Lutheran College, 72-62, Feb. 13 in Seward. 

Concordia (7-20, 4-13 GPAC), who has won three of their last four games, led from start to finish against Midland (9-17, 8-9 GPAC). The Warriors have dropped five of their last six contests.

The Bulldogs jumped out to a 13-point lead just under five minutes into the game. Concordia limited Midland to just one field goal in the first 4:55 en route to the big lead.

Midland countered with a 9-0 run of their own to make things interesting but the Bulldogs answered the Warrior surge with a pair of defensive stops and back-to-back threes by Scott Hannon and Austin Thoms.

At the half Concordia led 34-25. Midland continued making runs throughout the second half only to see the Bulldogs come up with a big bucket or a defensive stop.

Twice in the final 3:13 the Warriors cut the lead to four, but could get no closer. The Bulldogs went 7-of-8 from the charity strip in the final 76 seconds to seal the win.

The Bulldogs had one of their better performances from the free throw line, hitting 21-of-26 (80.8 percent). Concordia also shot well from the field converting on 52.3 percent of their attempts.

Leading the way for the Bulldogs was Jon Ziegler who finished with 22 points, seven rebounds, three assists and a pair of steals. Zeigler is just 17 points shy of 2,000 in his career.

Another Bulldog hit a career mark in points in the win. Benjamin Buhr’s layup with 3:41 remaining gave him 14 points to for the game and an even 1,000 for his career.

Other Bulldogs in double figures included Hannon with 17 and Brandon Schmidt with 12. Schmidt shot 75 percent for the game, including 2-of-3 from beyond the arc. Reggie Corbin led the Bulldogs on the glass with a game-high nine boards.

Zac Gradoville paced Midland with 13 points while Luke Simons chipped in with 11. Nine different players scored for the Warriors.

The Bulldog close out the regular season on Saturday as they host No. 11 University of Sioux Falls at 4:00 p.m.

Ziegler sets all-time mark

17 FEB 2007

Concordia University, Nebraska senior Jon Ziegler (Lincoln, Neb.) had the game of a lifetime on Saturday afternoon. Not only did he lead the Bulldogs to a win over the No. 11 University of Sioux Falls Cougars, 87-78 in overtime, but he topped the 2,000 point mark for his career, scored a career-high 47 points and became Bulldogs all-time leading scorer with 2,030 career points.

Ziegler, averaging just over 20 points per game this year, came into the Sioux Falls matchup needing 17 points to reach the 2,000 point plateau. If he could somehow get 34 points, he would surpass Concordia's all-time leading scorer, Tom Raabe (2,016). Raabe played for the Bulldogs from 1967-71, starting 101 consecutive games. He was inducted in the Concordia Athletic Hall of Fame in 1994.

After 16 points in the first half, Ziegler hit jumper with 18:32 left in the second half for career points 2,000 and 2,001.

Ziegler tied the Concordia all-time scoring mark and pulled the Bulldogs within a one, 67-66 with 32 seconds remaining. With five seconds left in regulation he tied the game at 68 and became the all-time leading scorer in Concordia history on another layup, this one coming after a steal.
Concordia outscored the Cougars 19-10 in the extra frame. Ziegler scored 12 of the Bulldogs 19 points in overtime and finished the game with a career-high 47 points, going 14-of-19 from the field (73.6 percent) and 16-of-21 from the charity stripe.

A three-time time all-GPAC player, Ziegler was named to the NAIA Division II all-tournament team in 2004-05 when the Bulldogs finished as runner-up. He has averaged 16.2 points per game and shot 45.5 percent from the field for his career. He has scored over 500 points in three of his four seasons, including 304 points as a freshman, 577 in his sophomore year, 600 as a junior and 549 points this year, entering the Great Plains Athletic Conference tournament.

Bulldogs upset Doane in OT

20 FEB 2007

Concordia, the 11 seed, pulled the only upset in the first round of the men's Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) Tournament, downing six seed Doane College, 82-81 in overtime, on Tuesday night in Crete, Neb.

This marks the third straight season the Bulldogs (9-20, 5-13 GPAC) have ended the season for the Tigers (16-12, 10-8 GPAC) in the first round of the GPAC Tournament. Concordia will now face third seed Dakota Wesleyan on Thursday, Feb. 22 at 5:00 p.m. in Mitchell, S.D., at the Corn Palace.

Doane built a double digit lead midway through the first half, 19-9, before a pair of Benjamin Buhr three-pointers and a jumper by Jon Ziegler cut the Tiger lead to three. Doane countered with a run of their own, pushing the lead back to nine with 3:07 left in the first half. 

Concordia held the Tigers to just one field goal, closing out the half with an 11-2 run to knot the score at 40 at intermission. 

Midway through the second half the Bulldogs broke open a 50-50 tie with a jumper by Scott Hannon followed by three consecutive triples by Ziegler, Buhr and Hannon. Another bucket by Buhr gave Concordia their biggest lead of the night, 63-52, with 9:40 left in regulation. 

Again Doane countered with a run of their own over the next five minutes, outscoring the Bulldogs 12-2 to tie the game at 65.

A timely three by Buhr, his fifth of the night, pulled the Bulldogs back to even after the Tigers opened up a three-point cushion. A free throw by Doane's Wade Janssen extended the Tiger lead back to three with 39 seconds in regulation. 

Reggie Corbin's tip-in pulled the Bulldogs within one with 23 ticks left. Corbin added a free throw with six seconds on the clock to again cut the lead to one, 75-76. 

Fortunately, the Bulldogs got the offensive rebound and Ziegler was fouled with just one second left. Ziegler missed the first, but hit the second free throw to tie the game. He then stole the deep inbounds pass by Doane and his three-quarter court shot hit the front of the rim, falling away as time expired. 

In the overtime frame Hannon hit a pair of jumpers and Buhr hit two free throws to give the Bulldogs all the points they would need, hanging on for the victory. 

Buhr led all scorers with a career-high 35 points. Buhr was 14-of-22 from the field, including 5-of-7 from beyond the arc. Ziegler and Hannon finished with 22 and 18 points respectively. Ziegler also grabbed 10 boards en route to a double double. Corbin added 13 rebounds as Concordia edged the Tigers on the boards, 39-37.

As a team the Bulldogs shot an impressive 60.7 percent from the floor in the first half. They finished the game converting on 49.2 percent of their attempts from the field. Doane also shot well going 43.5 percent from the floor. 

The Tigers were led by Brent Cole with 25 points and 13 rebounds. He was one of four Doane players in double digits.

Another upset, men advance

22 FEB 2007

The Concordia University, Nebraska men's basketball team upset No. 16 Dakota Wesleyan University, 63-49, on Thursday to advance to the semifinals of the GPAC Tournament on Saturday, Feb. 24. Dakota Wesleyan was the No. 3 seed.

Three differnt players were in double figures and the Bulldogs (10-20, 5-13 GPAC) made 19 free throws in the second half to knock off the third seeded Tigers (24-5, 13-5 GPAC). as a team Concordia was 80.8 percent from the free throw line for the game (21-26).

Jon Ziegler led the Bulldogs with 17 points despite being held without a field goal in the second half. Scott Hannon added 16 points while Benjamin Buhr had 14, including three from beyond the arc.

The Concordia defense was equally impressive, holding DWU to just 24.2 percent shooting for the game, including just one three-point field goal. The Tigers were 1-of-22 (4.5 percent) from long range.

Brock Seim led the Tigers with 25 points, 14 coming from the charity striple.

The Bulldogs will play the winner of the Morningside/Sioux Falls contest on Saturday, Feb. 24. Time and location will depend on the winner of that contest.   

Three differnt players were in double figures and the Bulldogs (10-20, 5-13 GPAC) made 19 free throws in the second half to knock off the third seeded Tigers (24-5, 13-5 GPAC). as a team Concordia was 80.8 percent from the free throw line for the game (21-26).

Jon Ziegler led the Bulldogs with 17 points despite being held without a field goal in the second half. Scott Hannon added 16 points while Benjamin Buhr had 14, including three from beyond the arc.

The Concordia defense was equally impressive, holding DWU to just 24.2 percent shooting for the game, including just one three-point field goal. The Tigers were 1-of-22 (4.5 percent) from long range.

Brock Seim led the Tigers with 25 points, 14 coming from the charity striple.

The Bulldogs will play Sioux Falls on Saturday, Feb. 24, in Sioux Falls, S.D. The game is scheduled has been moved up to a 1:00 p.m. start  in anticipation of a winter storm forecasted for the area.

Ziegler garners NAIA honor

Concordia University, Nebraska senior Jon Ziegler (Lincoln, Neb.) has been named the NAIA Division II Men's Basketball Player of the week after helping the Bulldogs to a pair of wins, including a nine-point victory over nationally ranked Sioux Falls (S.D.), a game in which he poured in 47 points on 14-of-19 from the floor and 16-of-21 at the foul line.

Ziegler averaged 34.5 points and seven rebounds per game, finishing 24-of-36 from the floor and 3-of-5 from the 3-point arc in the two-game stretch. In addition to its win over Sioux Falls, Ziegler also helped the Bulldogs beat Midland Lutheran (Neb.) by 10, scoring 22 and finishing with three assists. He had two blocks and two steals in the game.

In addition he topped the 2,000 point mark for his career, scored a career-high 47 points and became Bulldogs all-time leading scorer, eclipsing the old school mark set in 1971 by Tom Raabe.

According to Concordia Head Coach Grant Schmidt, Ziegler is the first Bulldog to be named the NAIA Men's Basketball Player of the week during his 17-year coaching career.

"Jon is just a true competitor," said Schmidt. "On an individual level his performance against Sioux Falls was amazing, but he also helps bring everybody on this team to a higher level."

A three-time time all-GPAC player, Ziegler was named to the NAIA Division II all-tournament team in 2004-05 when the Bulldogs finished as runner-up. He has averaged 16.2 points per game and shot 45.5 percent from the field for his career. He has scored over 500 points in three of his four seasons, including 304 points as a freshman, 577 in his sophomore year, 600 as a junior and 571 points this year.

Cinderella run ends in GPAC semifinals

24 FEB 2007

The Concordia University, Nebraska men's basketball team's Cinderella run in the postseason come to an end on Saturday as the second seeded University of Sioux Falls Cougars downed the Bulldogs, 74-59, in the semifinals of the GPAC Tournament on Saturday in Sioux Falls, S.D.

Concordia (10-21, 5-13 GPAC) won seven of their final 11 games, including defeating a pair of ranked teams. Sioux Falls avenged a loss to the Bulldogs in the regular season finale and advance to the finals of the GPAC Tournament.

The first half was a back and forth battle, with the teams trading leads five times. The Cougars opened up a six point lead with 4:30 left in the first half, but senior Jon Ziegler kept the Bulldogs within striking distance, hitting three consecutive three-point field goals to cut the lead to one. A three by Sioux Falls in the final seconds of the opening frame pushed their lead to six, and excited the crowd of over 1,100 heading into intermission.

Sioux Falls opened the second half with a 12-4 run to push their advantage to 14, and the Bulldogs would get no closer than nine the rest of the way.

The Cougars used sharp shooting from the field and the charity stripe in the second half to keep the Bulldogs at bay, hitting 57.2 percent of their shots from the field and 73.1 percent (19-of-26) from the free throw line.

After hitting four threes in the first half the Bulldogs struggled from beyond the arc in the second half, going 0-of-8, finishing just 27.7 percent from long range on the game.

Individually Concordia was led by Ziegler, who after a 47 point performance against the Cougars just a week ago, with 30 points, seven rebounds three steals and an assist. Zeigler finishes his career as the all-time leading scorer at Concordia with 2099 points.

The only other Bulldog in double figures was Scott Hannon with 17 points.

Four different Cougars were in double figures, including Dylan Kvaale (15), Gerad Van Leur (14), Tut Yual (14) and Kyle Johnson (12).

Ziegler highlights All-GPAC selections

The Concordia University, Nebraska men's basketball team has placed three players on the 2006-07 Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) All-Conference Team. The list, released last week, consists of 10 first-team members, 10 second-team members and an honorable mention list.

Senior Jon Ziegler (Lincoln, Neb.) headlines the Bulldogs earning honors, being named to the first-team as well as being tabbed the defensive player-of-the-year. It is the third time in four years a Concordia player has been tabbed the GPAC defensive player-of-the-year.

Others earning honors included junior forward Scott Hannon who was named to the second-team and fellow junior Benjamin Buhr was tabbed as an honorable mention selection.

This marks the second consecutive season that Ziegler has garnered first-team honors. He also earned GPAC honors his freshman year (honorable mention) and sophomore season (second-team).

"Throughout his career he (Ziegler) has done a great job defensively," said Head Coach Grant Schmidt. "He is very versatile, being able to guard a variety of players, from posts to guards. Jon is just a true competitor." 

Ziegler finished his career as the all-time leading scorer in Concordia history with 2,099 points. During the 2006-07 season he led the Bulldogs in both points and rebounds, averaging 21.3 points per game and 7.4 rebounds per game.

Hannon (York, Neb.) was the second leading scorer for Concordia. The 6-7 forward was a threat inside and out for the Bulldogs, averaging 18.2 points per game. He also pulled down 4.7 boards and hit 43 three-point field goals on the season.

Buhr (Lincoln, Neb.) led the Bulldogs from beyond the arc, hitting 58 three-point baskets on the season while averaging 11.8 points. On his career Buhr has hit 175 field goals from long range. 

Ziegler named to NAIA third-team

Jon Ziegler, a senior on the Concordia University, Nebraska men's basketball team, was named to the 2007 NAIA Division II All-American Team as third-team selection. The NAIA All-American teams are comprised of ten first-team members, ten second-team members, ten third-team members and an honorable mention list. Zeigler was one of five Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) players to be named to the top three teams.

Ziegler (Lincoln, Neb.) finished his career as the all-time leading scorer in Concordia history with 2,099 points. During the 2006-07 season he led the Bulldogs in both points and rebounds, averaging 21.3 points per game and 7.4 rebounds per game.

Other honors for Ziegler included being named to the GPAC first-team as well as being tabbed the GPAC defensive player-of-the-year. It is the third time in four years a Concordia player has been tabbed the GPAC defensive player-of-the-year.

During the 2006-07 campaign Ziegler averaged 21.3 point per game and 7.4 rebounds per game. On five occasions he scored 30 or more points in a game, including a career and school-record 47 point performance against Sioux Falls.

Ziegler, Brown named 2006-07 Athletes of the Year

The 2006-07 Bulldog athletes of the year were named at the annual all-sport banquet on Wednesday evening, April 25. The male recipient was Jon Ziegler, while Gentri Brown was honored as the female athlete of the year.

Ziegler, a senior from Lincoln, Neb., has been a leader for the Bulldogs men's basketball team for the last four years. He finished as the all-time leading scorer in Concordia history with 2,099 points, eclipsing the mark set in 1971.

During the 2006-07 season he led the Bulldogs in both points and rebounds, averaging 21.3 points per game and 7.4 boards per game. On five occasions he scored 30 or more points in a game, including a career and school-record 47 point performance against Sioux Falls in his final home game.

Other honors for Ziegler in his final season include being named All-GPAC first-team as well as being tabbed the GPAC defensive player-of-the-year. In addition, Jon was honored by the NAIA being tabbed as a third-team All-American.

A four-time time all-GPAC player, Ziegler was named to the NAIA Division II All-tournament team in 2004-05 when the Bulldogs finished as national runner-up.

Jon also garnered other honors including being named the NAIA Men's Basketball Player of the Week, the first time a men's basketball player from Concordia has earned the honor. He was also named to the All-Tournament team at CIT 2005 and 2006 as and at the St. Xavier Midwest Tourney in 2006.

In addition to Jon's 2,099 points, he also tallied 762 rebounds, 287 assists, 223 steals and made 173 three-point field goals during his four-years on the court for the Bulldogs.

Brown, a senior from West Jordan, Utah, led the Bulldog women's soccer team in both goals with 19, and points with 42. Her 19 goals were second best in the Great Plains Athletic Conference. In addition, her 2.33 points per game ranked No. 2 in the GPAC.

Early in the season Brown had a stellar week, netting six goals during three Bulldog picked wins. She also added an assist, playing a part in seven of the Bulldogs eight goals during that week. Her performance earned her GPAC and NAIA Region III Player of the week Honors.

Overall, during her senior season she scored just over 45 percent of the Bulldogs total goals on the season.

During her four years on the field she was named Honorable Mention All-GPAC Three times. In her senior campaign she was named a NAIA Honorable Mention All-American Selection as well as being named to the First Team All-GPAC and NAIA Region Three.

An NAIA Scholar-Athlete, Gentri has continued to move up the Concordia women's soccer statistical charts, finishing in the top five in goals, assists and points.

On her career she has amassed 47 goals, 27 assists and 121 total points. She also had seven game-winning goals.