Offensive Woes Continue; Tigers Upset Bulldogs
Sam Scarpelli jumps for the hoop. Photo courtesy of Lyric Allen
By Elisha Meyer
Anthony Lavarie scored 23 points for Doane University, while Concordia’s offense stayed cold as the Tigers pulled off a huge upset against the men’s basketball team 64-59 Wednesday night in Crete.
The matchup between Concordia and Doane this season has been out of the ordinary. The Bulldogs (17-7) and Tigers (6-22) have had different levels of success, but the Tigers have given Concordia its fair share of trouble. Earlier this season, the two teams played a double overtime thriller in which Concordia won 83-77 at home in Walz Arena.
Neither team found a spark to feed off of during the first half. Concordia held a 28-26 lead at halftime, but neither team was able to pull away. A total of eight lead changes were exchanged between the two schools, who both shot 11-31 from the floor, a shooting percentage of 35.5%.
Lavarie was a thorn in Concordia’s side throughout the first half, hitting shots inside and outside the 3-point arc for 13 points. No other Doane player scored more than four points in the half.
Offensive struggles for the Bulldogs carried right into the second half, highlighted by the numbers of shots from beyond the 3-point arc. Concordia could never get on a roll from three-point range, hitting 10 of 46 shots. No Bulldog player recorded more than three made shots in the category.
The Bulldogs were unable to get inside the arc for most of the contest, but were successful when getting inside, hitting 14 of 24 shots. Sophomore Justin Wiersema gave Concordia the most life on the scoreboard with 17 points and 12 rebounds. He was followed by seniors Tanner Shuck and Brevin Sloup with 12 points each.
It was not enough, however, as Doane was the first team to break through, reaching a seven-point lead on numerous occasions. Lavarie could not be cooled down by the Bulldog defense, posting a game-leading 23 points. Doane’s Joe Burt caught fire in the second half, going 5-12 in a 14-point effort.
Concordia would continue to fight to regain the lead. Faced with a 62-59 deficit with 7.2 seconds left, the Bulldogs could not capitalize. Bulldog fans left stunned as Doane completed only its second conference win of the season.
The Tigers will look to take advantage of their newfound momentum in Saturday’s match against Northwestern College.
The Bulldogs will look to shake off their latest setback in their game against Dordt University, which will also be played this Saturday.
