Bulldogs Beat Northwestern 81-55
By Zack Gentry
The Concordia men’s basketball team beat the Northwestern Red Raiders today 81-55, with junior guard A.J. Watson scoring 17 points and sophomore forward Tristan Smith adding 16.
Sophomore guard Joel Baker went four for eight from 3-point range and finished with 12 points. Senior forward Gage Smith had 10 points, five rebounds, five assists and two blocks.
The Bulldogs won the tip to start the game, but the Raiders took an early 5-0 lead on the strength of scoring by Gage Smith. The Bulldogs came back to tie the game at seven and pulled into the lead after back-to-back 3-point shots, two by Baker.
The Bulldogs called their first timeout, after which Watson hit a 3-pointer to gain momentum. The Bulldogs extended their lead and finished the half in the lead, 35-24.
The second half started slowly, with neither team scoring in the first couple of minutes. Tristan Smith finally put the Bulldogs on the board while the Raiders followed with a layup and back-to-back 3-pointers.
The Raiders fought hard but still trailed by five points. After a Bulldog timeout to slow the Raiders down, Baker hit his third 3-point shot, followed by another 3-pointer from freshman forward Logan Wilson that forced a quick timeout by the Raiders.
The Bulldogs pulled away with a quick 14-0 run and continued to extend their lead to finish the game 81-55.
Watson said after the Bulldogs’ previous lost that the team had to return to “Bulldog basketball and become more confident with each other and playing together as a whole.”
Junior guard Garrett Seagren said this past week the team “watched film and learned from that game and had had two good days of practice.”
