Bulldogs Turn To Defense; Shut Down Broncos
Photo Courtesy of Sonja Brandt
By Elisha Meyer
While Carter Kent did not come up with another 20-point performance, the Concordia University Bulldogs had no trouble as a team defeating the Broncos of Hastings College 83-62.
Unlike past games, defense was the key to victory this time for the Bulldogs. Eleven turnovers, six of them steals, paved the way to victory. Coach Ben Limback said that his team played up to physical standards on the defensive side of the ball.
“Physicality was the name of the game,” coach Ben Limback said. “I felt like we really, defensively, gave great effort tonight.”
No shot was easy for the Broncos in this one. The offense struggled throughout the contest, resulting in the lowest scoring effort since a 75-62 loss to MidAmerican Nazarene University on December 19. From missing easy layups to shooting as low as 7.1% from behind the three-point arc, the Broncos could not find the answer on offense on their home court.
Zach Kitten led the Broncos with 15 points, the majority of which came from inside the paint. Keeping close behind was Bart Hiscock with 14 points and Ryan Ierna with 13 more.
Concordia, on the other hand, came up with all it needed. The first half was everything the Bulldogs wanted, shooting 48.4% from the floor and hitting six threes to cruise to an early double-digit lead. The progress, while not as plentiful as in past games, progressed in the second-half just as smoothly, finishing just under 50% shooting.
Carter Kent’s streak of 20+ points came to an end in the contest, but he still managed to lead the scoring on either side with 17 points. Following closely was Brevin Sloup with 15 points and nine rebounds in a near double-double performance.
The win extends the Bulldogs’ winning streak to five games, matching the team’s longest streak since a 5-0 start to the 2019-2020 campaign. Coach Limback spoke after the game about keeping the team focused, while being careful not to overlook future opponents.
“You celebrate tonight and then you look past and move on to the next one,” Limback said.
Hastings (9-10) will have a week off before its next contest at Midland University (6-9) next Wednesday.
Concordia (12-5) will look to continue its run on Saturday, as the Bulldogs travel home to play the University of Jamestown (12-6).
