Concordia dogs Wesleyan teams
Concordia scored its first six points against Nebraska Wesleyan on a pair of backdoor layups by Scott Beck and a point-blank shot from Jason Jisa.
The Bulldogs were just as successful when they finally moved farther from the basket. Concordia shot 72 percent from the field (18-of-25) in the first half on its way to a commanding 45-20 halftime lead.
The ninth-ranked Bulldogs kept Wesleyan at bay in final 20 minutes to coast to a 71-46 men's college basketball win Thursday night before an estimated crowd of 500 at Snyder Arena.
With the victory, Concordia solidified its hold on first place in the Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC), improving to 6-1 in the conference and 15-2 overall.
"When you're on the road and your offense executes for backdoor layups like that early in the game, it sends a message that you're going to do things right, and it blossoms from there," said Concordia coach Grant Schmidt, whose team finished 25 of 47 from the floor for 53 percent.
"The first half was flawless. You talk about playing 40 minutes, but that half was good enough to win the game.''
Wesleyan (8-5, 4-3 in the GPAC) got no closer than a 21-point deficit in the second half. The result left NWU coach Mark Franzen a bit puzzled after the game.
"We didn't bring the energy level we've been playing with on the road, and I'm not sure why,'' Franzen said. "They're (Concordia) a great team. We were a step slow tonight on defense, and they exposed us in a lot of areas."
Beck, a 6-foot-1 junior guard from Scribner, made all five shots he attempted in the first half and scored 10 of his 16 points during that span. The Bulldogs also knocked down 5-of-8 three-pointers in the first 20 minutes, led by 6-3 freshman Benjamin Buhr, a Lincoln East graduate who made all three of his three-point attempts.
The Prairie Wolves never recovered from a 21-4 Concordia run that stretched a 12-7 lead at the 13:50 mark into a 33-11 bulge with 4:45 left in the half. Jon Ziegler, a 6-2 sophomore from Lincoln Lutheran, had nine of his game-high 17 points during the flurry, including a three-pointer from the left wing, a 15-foot fadeaway jumper as the shot clock expired and a layup following a steal.
A Buhr three-pointer from the left corner capped the rally. He also ended the first half with a three.
"That's probably the best half of basketball we've played all year,'' Ziegler said. "This is a big rivalry and an important game in the conference. We had to sit around and wait an extra day to play this (the game was postponed Wednesday because of the snowstorm), so we were ready to go."
Almost as impressive as the offensive show was Concordia's man-to-man defense. The Bulldogs registered 14 steals, forced 23 Wesleyan turnovers and limited the Wolves to 36 percent shooting (18-of-50). Concordia's 6-9 senior Marcus Wernke blocked seven shots, and that kept the Wolves operating mostly on the perimeter.
"Our ball pressure was outstanding,'' Schmidt said. "Marcus is becoming frustrating for opponents to deal with. He's a presence in there (inside) and it's forcing teams to change what they want to do."
Joseph Easley, a 6-4 junior from Lincoln Pius X, led Wesleyan's scoring with 10 points, all in the second half.
Concordia women 100, Nebraska Wesleyan 35
Kari Saving's 20 points, six assists and four steals led five Bulldogs scoring in double-figures as NAIA fourth-ranked Concordia improved to 7-0 in the GPAC and 15-1 overall.
Jenni Lovegrove, a freshman from Fillmore Central, added 15 points off the bench and was 6-of-6 from the field. Three others — Keyna Kobza, Kayla Luehmann and Sarah Harrison — netted 10 each. The Bulldogs had 14 players score in the game.
Concordia, which led 53-17 at halftime, registered 24 steals and forced 38 turnovers by the Prairie Wolves. The Bulldogs shot 60 percent from the field, led by Saving's 8-of-11 performance that included 4-of-4 shooting on three-pointers .
Wesleyan (2-8 overall, 1-5 GPAC) was paced by Lisa German's 13 points.
Reach Ron Powell at 473-7437 or rpowell@journalstar.com.
The Bulldogs were just as successful when they finally moved farther from the basket. Concordia shot 72 percent from the field (18-of-25) in the first half on its way to a commanding 45-20 halftime lead.
The ninth-ranked Bulldogs kept Wesleyan at bay in final 20 minutes to coast to a 71-46 men's college basketball win Thursday night before an estimated crowd of 500 at Snyder Arena.
With the victory, Concordia solidified its hold on first place in the Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC), improving to 6-1 in the conference and 15-2 overall.
"When you're on the road and your offense executes for backdoor layups like that early in the game, it sends a message that you're going to do things right, and it blossoms from there," said Concordia coach Grant Schmidt, whose team finished 25 of 47 from the floor for 53 percent.
"The first half was flawless. You talk about playing 40 minutes, but that half was good enough to win the game.''
Wesleyan (8-5, 4-3 in the GPAC) got no closer than a 21-point deficit in the second half. The result left NWU coach Mark Franzen a bit puzzled after the game.
"We didn't bring the energy level we've been playing with on the road, and I'm not sure why,'' Franzen said. "They're (Concordia) a great team. We were a step slow tonight on defense, and they exposed us in a lot of areas."
Beck, a 6-foot-1 junior guard from Scribner, made all five shots he attempted in the first half and scored 10 of his 16 points during that span. The Bulldogs also knocked down 5-of-8 three-pointers in the first 20 minutes, led by 6-3 freshman Benjamin Buhr, a Lincoln East graduate who made all three of his three-point attempts.
The Prairie Wolves never recovered from a 21-4 Concordia run that stretched a 12-7 lead at the 13:50 mark into a 33-11 bulge with 4:45 left in the half. Jon Ziegler, a 6-2 sophomore from Lincoln Lutheran, had nine of his game-high 17 points during the flurry, including a three-pointer from the left wing, a 15-foot fadeaway jumper as the shot clock expired and a layup following a steal.
A Buhr three-pointer from the left corner capped the rally. He also ended the first half with a three.
"That's probably the best half of basketball we've played all year,'' Ziegler said. "This is a big rivalry and an important game in the conference. We had to sit around and wait an extra day to play this (the game was postponed Wednesday because of the snowstorm), so we were ready to go."
Almost as impressive as the offensive show was Concordia's man-to-man defense. The Bulldogs registered 14 steals, forced 23 Wesleyan turnovers and limited the Wolves to 36 percent shooting (18-of-50). Concordia's 6-9 senior Marcus Wernke blocked seven shots, and that kept the Wolves operating mostly on the perimeter.
"Our ball pressure was outstanding,'' Schmidt said. "Marcus is becoming frustrating for opponents to deal with. He's a presence in there (inside) and it's forcing teams to change what they want to do."
Joseph Easley, a 6-4 junior from Lincoln Pius X, led Wesleyan's scoring with 10 points, all in the second half.
Concordia women 100, Nebraska Wesleyan 35
Kari Saving's 20 points, six assists and four steals led five Bulldogs scoring in double-figures as NAIA fourth-ranked Concordia improved to 7-0 in the GPAC and 15-1 overall.
Jenni Lovegrove, a freshman from Fillmore Central, added 15 points off the bench and was 6-of-6 from the field. Three others — Keyna Kobza, Kayla Luehmann and Sarah Harrison — netted 10 each. The Bulldogs had 14 players score in the game.
Concordia, which led 53-17 at halftime, registered 24 steals and forced 38 turnovers by the Prairie Wolves. The Bulldogs shot 60 percent from the field, led by Saving's 8-of-11 performance that included 4-of-4 shooting on three-pointers .
Wesleyan (2-8 overall, 1-5 GPAC) was paced by Lisa German's 13 points.
Reach Ron Powell at 473-7437 or rpowell@journalstar.com.
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