Seward, Neb. - Men's Basketball team traveled to Seward, Neb. to participate in the Cattle Classic, where their first matchup was against the host team Concordia Bulldogs.

Head coach Brandon McGruder said, "We weren't ourselves tonight, we were out of sorts at times. I think we focused on taking away the shooters so much that we forgot how to rotate. We just have to be committed to stopping the ball and less concerned about our man."

The first half was a defensive battle while the second half saw the offenses open up, in the end Concordia was able to win on their home floor 88-73.
The Bulldogs were able to jump out to a 13-5 lead by taking advantage of some early Comets turnovers.

Both defenses clamped down as neither scored a point for a four minute stretch. The teams traded points for a time as Concordia maintained an 8-11 point lead.

A Thomas Gieske dunk capped off a 7-0 run that slashed the lead to 27-26 with three minutes remaining. The Bulldogs rattled off a 7-0 run of their own to end the first half leading 36-28.

Concordia started the second half on fire from the field as they connected on seven of their first eight shots to boost their lead to 50-35 five minutes in.

The next five minutes belonged to the Comets, as Jamison Kramer and John White Jr. combined for nine points in a 12-1 run to get within 55-51 at the 10:53 mark.

However, the Bulldogs managed to run the lead back into double digits then hit eight consecutive free throws when the Comets were forced to foul to stop the clock and ended up winning 88-73.

"They're a top tier program. I think they'll make a deep run in the national tourney. This was a great experience for us to see what a national tournament team looks and plays like," added McGruder.

Gieske paced the Comets with 20 points and seven rebounds, while Kramer added 16, Juan Carlos Canahuate scored 12 and dished out five assists, and White, Jr. also reached double figures with 11.

Quick turnaround on Saturday to play a game at noon against Hastings, McGruder commented, "I think it plays in our favor have a quick turnaround. We're use to it in the NSAA playing back to back and getting back to the hotel late last night. It's also good for the newcomers to get a taste of what travel is like in the league."