Bulldogs Avoid Disaster Against Red Raiders

Photos Courtesy of Lyric Allen

By Graham Friske

The Concordia Bulldogs (8-5 GPAC) escaped with a 86-82 win against the Northwestern Red Raiders (7-6 GPAC) on Wednesday night. 

 This matchup was the first game for the Bulldogs since they won the Concordia Invitational Tournament in Chicago over the past weekend. The game was much closer than originally anticipated. Sweating Concordia fans watched the Red Raiders cut a 24 point lead down to 3 points. Northwestern set themselves up for two chances to tie the game but failed.

 Both teams quickly exchanged blows to start off the night and neither team could gain the upper hand through the first 15 minutes. The Bulldogs put together a nifty 13-3 run enforced by Chuol Biel and Justin Wiersema to grab a 10-point lead before half. Concordia’s fierce defense held Northwestern to only 3 points in the final 5 minutes of the first half.

 Chuol Biel was devastating on the defensive end. He snagged 7 boards in the first half of play and was featured in a highlight reel double block against Northwestern’s Grand Rohrer. He would finish with 11 rebounds and 6 blocks. Justin Wiersema also was a headache for Northwestern as he failed to miss a single shot while he contributed 10 points in the first half.

 The Bulldogs continued to hammer the Red Raiders as they continued to pound Northwestern in an impressive 19-9 run to run up the lead to 24 in the second half. Tanner Shuck played a huge roll in the second half and would finish with 23 points. Three other players from Concordia would… finish with double digits in points scored (Brevin Sloup, Carter Kent, and Justin Wiersema).

 However, the game got frustratingly close when Northwestern made an easy, blowout win into a one possession game. Trent Hilbrands, Jay Small, Craig Sterk helped get them back into the game. Northwestern had two chances to tie the game with 10 seconds left, but air balled both shot attempts.

 Concordia’s next game will be against the No 10 Dakota Wesleyan Tigers (9-4 GPAC) on the road this Saturday.

 At halftime, the university honored the 2004-2005 Concordia Bulldog team by recognizing their achievements throughout the breakout year. Under head coach, Grand Schmidt, the Bulldogs went 32-6 during the season, became GPAC champions, and were championship runner ups against Walsh. Their legacy lives on as one of the best teams in school history.