Men’s basketball defeats Northwestern 85-70, maintaining lead for entire game
Senior forward Noah Schutte (12) leaps up to make a basket (photo from previous game).
Photo credit: Maddy Peters
By Isaac Dawson
Concordia men’s basketball kept up a lead over No. 3 Northwestern for the entire game this Saturday, taking a decisive win in the second half with a final score of 85-70.
The Bulldogs had a very balanced game on offense and defense. Their field goal ratio was consistent at 14-28 in the first half and 13-26 in the second, while they dominated the paint and kept Northwestern to 13-34 and 13-36 in each half respectively. Concordia also kept out of too much foul trouble, only allowing 14 free throw attempts while taking 30 themselves.
Coach Limback’s team showed great teamwork. Several players boasted high scores, including people from the bench who don’t typically get as much attention.
Four people achieved a double-digit score this Saturday. Senior Tristan Smith was the leading scorer with 17 points alongside 5 assists and 15 rebounds. He was closely followed by freshman Elijah Gaeth with 16 points and senior Noah Schutte with 15. Sophomore Brooks Kissinger had just enough to clear the bar at 10 points.
The Bulldog defense played a huge part in the win by keeping some of Northwestern’s top scorers out of the limelight. Red Raiders players Jalen Langsy and Jesse Van Kalsbeek were kept to 12 and 10 points respectively, four and 10 points below their season averages. Sophomore Jaxon Stueve played a big part in keeping them in check as well as putting up nine points of his own.
It was a close race following tip off. The game saw Concordia dominate under the basket while the Raiders preferred going for threes. At 17-17, the Bulldogs’ defense came alive, and Concordia made some three-pointers of its own. This combo created a big lead for the Bulldogs that they held on to fairly well for the rest of the game.
Concordia almost lost Schutte halfway through the first half to a bloody nose after he hit the ground, but he was back on his feet minutes later to finish out the half. Concordia went into halftime ahead by six at 39-33 after Nortwestern almost turned the momentum around with several threes in a row.
The second half got more physical as the Raiders got more desperate to get ahead. The Concordia defense was forced into high gear again as the Van Kalsbeeks attempted to turn the game around. It also meant the Raiders fouled more often and gave the Bulldogs a huge number of free throws to offset the odd missed shot. Concordia was gifted 21 free throw attempts and made 18. A dunk by Tony Tubrick was the icing on the cake with 15 seconds left to end the game at 85-70.
Concordia’s next match is at Ann Arbor Michigan against the Concordia University Chicago Cougars on day one of the Concordia Invitational Tournament at 2 p.m. on January 24.
