Concordia Escapes; Defeats Doane in 2OT

Senior forward Chuol Biel makes a basket for Concordia. CUNE’s men’s basketball defeated Doane 83-77 on December 4th. Photos by Lyric Allen.

By Elisha Meyer

The Bulldog men’s basketball team survived a scare at Walz Arena Wednesday night, beating the Doane University Tigers 83-77 in double overtime. 

“This is a game that we’re just gonna have to move past and learn quickly,” coach Ben Limback said. “We’re better than that.”

The Bulldogs seemed to be pulling away in the second half. Concordia led by as many as 18 points with just under eight minutes remaining in regulation. From this point in the game, the Tigers, fought back all the way to a 60-57 deficit. Needing a miracle to extend the game, Isiah Sykes hit a clutch three with 13 seconds remaining to tie the game at 60 apiece. Concordia failed to score with the time remaining, sending the game into the first of two overtimes.

Doane came into Wednesday night’s game with a mere 4-8 record. Furthermore, Doane was also 0-3 in conference play. Coming off solid victories against  Presentation College and Dakota State University, the Tigers were seeking to end their winless conference record. Giving them a shot was Anthony Lavarie, who recorded a double-double with 24 points and 12 rebounds. 

Doane took advantage of the momentum provided by Lavarie, taking a five point lead in overtime with less than two minutes remaining. A clutch three from Scarpelli and layup from Wiersema kept the Bulldogs alive to tie the game at 71-71. An in-and-out shot from Doane sent the game to double overtime. 

The Bulldogs would never look back, showcasing a resparked offensive performance that had gone dormant since the middle of the second half. In the end, Concordia would come out on top, surviving what could have been a second heart-breaking loss.

Leading the scoring for the Bulldogs was Carter Kent with 22 points. Kent also recorded nine rebounds, one short of a double-double. Behind Kent in the scoring was Justin Wiersema with 16 points, Chuol Biel with 13 points, and Sam Scarpelli with 12 points. 

“We gutted this one out,” coach Limback said. “We faced some adversity, and, you know, it’s nice to win through that.”

The Tigers (4-9) will return to their home court Dec. 7 to face Mount Marty College at 4 PM

The Bulldogs (7-1) will also stay home on Dec. 7 to take on Dakota Wesleyan University at 4 PM.