2007-2008 Concordia Falcon Basketball (14-11)
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NEWS:
February 23, 2008
Improved season ends for Falcon men’s basketball
Wisconsin Lutheran 90 Concordia 84
The Falcon season ended prematurely via a 90- 84 defeat at the hands of arch-rival WisconsinLutheran Saturday evening in Milwaukee. Only the teams with the eight best NAC conference records make the post season tournament and Shawn Cassidy’s cagers ended their campaign in ninth place, compiling a 9-9 conference mark.
Concordia fell behind by 15 points five minutes into the second half, but DeShaun Robinson combined with reserve Tyler Granrath to help scrappy CUW regain the lead 63-62 before Lutheran regrouped down the stretch.
Robinson (23) and Granrath (16) led Falcon scorers while senior Dave Lipanot added 14. Marcus Zondag led WLC with 23 points and Danny Behm hit a pair of pressure charity tosses with ten seconds remaining and the Warriors clinging to an 86- 84 lead that sealed the win.
CUW (14-11) will graduate four outstanding seniors including Josh Atkinson, Travis Moulton, Steve Huenink, and Lipanot.
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February 16, 2008
Aurora 98 Concordia 89
CUW (9-8 in the NAC) rallied in the second half to cut a 15 point deficit to two, but the Falcons third techincal foul of the game turned into a 5 point play to get Aurora (15-2) off the hook.
Senior Dave Lipanot was outstanding for Concordia with 28 points and six rebounds, but his efforts were negated by Aurora's talented inside- outside duo of Larry Welton (27 points) and Chad Trudo (23). Trudo kept the Falcons at bay with 9-10 free throw shooting down the stretch.
Concordia actually outrebounded the leaping Spartans 40- 33 but 54% field goal marksmanship by the first place visitors way a key to their fifteenth conference victory.
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February 14, 2008
Concordia 86 Marian 72
One advantage of team athletic competition is the potential for learning to collectively deal with and overcome adversity. Shawn Cassidy’s Falcons had dropped three of their last four against “middle of the pack” NAC competition so a win over second place Marian did not seem likely without a herculean effort.
“We came in focused, passed the ball better than we have all year, and took it to them as a team,” praised Cassidy. After trailing 7-0 early, CUW eventually took their first lead at 22-19 on a Steve Huenink 3 pointer and never trailed again.
John Ulrich (21), Huenink (14), Dave Lipanot (14), and Andy Becker (10) all reached double figures as 10 separate Falcons tallied. An excellent rebounding performance by all involved (44-33 advantage) was also a key to CUW’s success.
“From the frying pan…” go the Falcons as they host first place Aurora on Saturday at 4:15pm.
Score by Periods 1st 2nd Total
Marian College................ 26 46 - 72
Concordia Wisconsin........... 39 47 - 86
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February 12, 2008
MSOE 80 Concordia 67
The Falcons led 56- 54 with less than seven minutes remaining, but things fell apart down the stretch. Brian Miller’s Raiders (16-7) passed the ball effectively for open looks against CUW’s trapping defense, shooting 60% in the second half including a sizzling 8-11 over those final seven minutes.
The visitors had perfect balance with five players in double figures and outrebounded CUW by a 38-33 margin. Concordia, which shot poorly from the field (36%), was led by Dave Lipanot’s 14 point performance. Edward Newton-Kemp added 11, but all of those came in the first half.
1st 2nd Total
MSOE.......................... 31 50 - 81
Concordia Wisconsin........... 34 33 - 67
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February 9, 2008
Concordia 97 Rockford 74
Fourteen of the 18 Falcons who played found their way into the scorebook as CUW(13-8) strolled past winless Rockford in the Buuck Fieldhouse Saturday afternoon.
Reserve guard John Ulrich led the CUW offensive parade with 19 points and Edward Newton-Kemp came off the Falcon bench to tally 17. It was 55- 40 by halftime and Coach Shawn Cassidy made ample use of his complete squad for the remainder of the contest.
Backup center Erik Condia, for example, had a team-high 8 rebounds in 13 minutes of action. Joe Heisler provided most of the RC highlights with a 31 point effort that included 17 of 21 free throws. The Falcons host MSOE on Tuesday and then Marian comes to town for a makeup game on Thursday.
Rockford College.............. 40 34 - 74
Concordia Wisconsin........... 55 42 - 97
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February 7, 2008
Edgewood 84 Concordia 80
The lead changed hands five times in the second half but Edgewood made plays down the stretch to defeat the Falcons 84- 80 in a NAC thriller. "We really executed well in the last two minutes," said Edgewood mentor Todd Adrian. "Concordia had the momentum most of the game (the Falcons led 11-0 at one point) but we stole it back."
Chris De Marco finished with 27 points to lead the visitors, who held a commanding 44-25 advantage on the boards. Dave Lipanot led CUW with 23 points and Josh Atkinson chipped in 18 but the Falcons were a meagre 19- 32 from the charity stripe (including 2 of 7 in the final four minutes). CUW also missed several open mid-range shots in the closing minutes when the outcome was in the balance.
The Falcons (12-8) host winless Rockford on Saturday at 4:15pm.
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February 2, 2008
Benedictine 78 Concordia 77
The Falcons let this one slip away in disappointing fashion. CUW’s Travis Moulton missed the second of two free throws with :19 remaining and CUW leading 77- 74. Then Benedictine star Jared Bailey was fouled and hit a pair of free throws with :14 left to get the hosts within one. Concordia immediately turned the ball over, allowing Bailey the opportunity to hit a game-deciding jumper with :05 left. 
CUW, now 7-5 in the NAC, had battled back from a 10 point halftime deficit behind strong bench play. Reserves Tyler Granrath and John Ulrich combined to score 27 points, hitting 11- 15 shots as Concordia got back into the game.
BU hero Bailey was actually unstoppable from the outset with a 30 point effort that included 6-7 from beyond the arc. The Eagles improved to 6-7 in the conference and 7-13 on the season while CUW is 12-7 overall and had their six game winning streak snapped. The Falcons host Edgewood on Wednesday at 7:00pm in the Buuck Fieldhouse.
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January 31, 2008
Concordia 95 Wisconsin Lutheran 90
The final score was absolutely predictable because both WLC and CUW love to push the ball up the court. It was just a matter of which team would have the higher number at the final horn. Superior game-long shooting was the difference on this night as the Falcons fired away at a 54% clip in the process of leapfrogging the visiting Warriors in the NAC standings.
Dave Lipanot’s 32 point effort featured 12of 15 shooting from the floor whileJosh Atkinson (20 points) hit 7 of 12 shots including an amazing 6-7 from beyond the arc for the red-hot Falcons who have won six straight.
Concordia built a 52- 40 halftime cushion but WLC battled back to tie the contest at 65- 65 before Atkinson’s long range shooting rebuilt the lead.Tyler Granrath came off the CUW bench for 13 huge points and 3 rebounds.
Down the stretch CUW kept things interesting by missing the front end of a trio of bonus opportunities while the Warriors crept back to within 93-90. Finally CUW’s John Ulrich restored order by hitting two free throw with ten seconds left to provide security. WLC had five players in double figures paced by Christian Lindberg’s 22 point performance.
Shawn Cassidy’s cagers improved to 12-6 and 7-4 in the NAC while WLC fell to 12-6 and 6-4 in the league.
Score by Periods 1st 2nd Total
Wisconsin Lutheran College.... 40 50 - 90
Concordia Wisconsin........... 52 43 - 95
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January 26, 2008 CIT Championship
Concordia WI 87 Concordia Chicago 67
The current Falcon team bears little resemblance to the one that lost a 2 point home decision to CU-Chicago in November. This time CUW already led by 14 at the half and was never challenged by the Cougars.
The CIT has been in existence for 57 years, but the CUW men have only participated since 1994 and this was CUW's first title. "That's a long time, so it's great to get the monkey off our back," said Cassidy.
Excellent balance was one key as Travis Moulton (17), DeShawn Robinson (15), Josh Atkinson (14), and Dave Lipanot (10) all scored in double figures. Lipanot's final basket gave him 1000 points as a Falcon. Moulton was named Tourney MVP and Lipanot also joined the elite all-tourney squad.
Not known as a '3 point success story', the Falcons were amazing on this night, hitting 13-27 from beyond the arc including 5-6 from long range for point guard Moulton.
Concordia,11-6 overall and winners of five straight, will host Marian on Tuesday at 7:00pm.
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January 25, 2008 CIT Semi-Final
Concordia WI 82 Concordia NE 61
With CUW trailing 28-27 at the half, no evidence of the Falcon knockout that was about to occur was visible. True, the scrappy Wisconsin boys had rallied from an 11 point deficit at 20-9 to get within a digit at the break, but the opponent was Concordia- Seward and the event was the CIT where the tournament victory stand was almost always reserved for the Nebraska contingent.
This, however, was not to be a normal night at the CIT. From the time the Falcons took their first lead at 33- 32 the momentum never shifted again as the Bulldogs were frazzled into fifteen second half turnovers and outrebounded 46- 28 on the evening by Shawn Cassidy’s hustling upstarts. After shooting a paltry 29% in the first twenty minutes, CUW blistered the nets with 70% accuracy (17-24) in the second half.
Once the lead surpassed 20 points everyone got into the act for the Mequon squad with 12 players accumulating stats. Steve Huenink (21), Dave Lipanot (19), and Andy Becker led the CUW scoring parade, but team defense was once again the key to the Falcon’s sixth win in the past seven outings.
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January 23, 2008
Concordia 68 Edgewood 53
The Falcon's fifth win in their last six starts featured the return of guard John Ulrich who led CUW to the important road win with an 18 point performance. Ulrich, who had been out recently with a sprained ankle, scored 13 of his markers in the opening twenty minutes as the Falcons took a 32-30 lead at the break.
Coach Shawn Cassidy's cagers used outstanding defense to hold the Eagles in check the rest of the way as they upped their overall record to 9-6, including 5-4 in the NAC. CUW had not won in Madison since the '04-5 season, snapping a 3 game skid at the Edgedome. Steve Huenink added 17 and DeShawn Robinson 10 while Josh Atkinson pulled down a game-high 7 rebounds. The Falcons hope to continue their recent roll at the CIT this Friday and saturday.
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January 19, 2008:
Concordia 62 Dominican 50
Following an eye-opening overtime victory over the second place Lakeland College Muskies on Tuesday, the Falcon men’s basketball team put together another stellar performance on Saturday, winning at Dominican 62-50.
Early on, the Falcons fell behind 9-4 and had no answer in stopping the Stars top post player, Mike Haiduc. After a number of defensive adjustments, the Concordia pressure proved to be too much at times for Haiduc and his Dominican teammates, as the Falcons went on a 14-0 run to take complete control.
Opening up a 10 point lead by halftime, CUW knocked in six straight three point field goals down the stretch. Senior Josh Atkinson registered his 1,000th career point, and moved into 10th place all-time in Concordia career scoring, finishing with 20 points and nine rebounds. David Lipanot and Travis Moulton each scored 13 points, while Robinson added 10. The only other Falcon to score in the game was Steve Huenink, with defense being the main key in the victory.
Shawn Cassidy's cagers improved to 8-6 overall, 5-4 in conference play, and will travel to Madison, to battle Edgewood College on Wednesday, with tipoff at 7pm.
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January 15, 2008
Concordia 73 Lakeland 70 OT
Behind a strong 24 point performance from David Lipanot, the Falcon’ men’s basketball squad held on to win a thriller at Lakeland on Tuesday, 73-70 in overtime.
Concordia led be as many as 18 points in the first half after Lakeland missed its first 11 shots of the game, but had to rely on a Tyler Granrath lay-up to force the extra period. Neither team scored in the final 2:08 of regulation.
In the overtime, Travis Moulton provided a spark on both ends of the court, coming away with a couple of steals and sinking some clutch free throws. The Falcons outscored the Muskies 8-5 in the extra session.
Lipanot was one of four Falcons to finish in double figures, with Steve Huenink scoring 14 points, Moulton adding 11, and Josh Atkinson tallying 10 points in just his third game back from injury.
With the win, CUW improved to 7-6 overall, 4-4 in conference play, as they travel to River Forest, Illinois, on Saturday to battle Dominican University at 4:15pm.
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January 12, 2008
Aurora 90 Concordia 66
CUW trailed only 39- 32 at the break, but any hopes of pulling an upset over the conference-leading Spartans were scuttled early in the second half as Aurora (11-3 overall) pulled away quickly. Dave Lipanot was the only Falcon to reach double figures with an 11 point effort. Tyler Meerdink came off the bench to add nine points and a trio of rebounds in a dozen minutes of action.
Aurora used effective 3 point shooting (13-29) to foil the trapping efforts of Concordia defenders and wound up with five players in double figures. Shawn Cassidy’s cagers (6-6 overall) travel to Lakeland Tuesday for a 7:00pm NAC matchup.
Concordia Univ. WI............ 32 34 - 66
Aurora University............. 39 51 - 90
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January 10, 2008
Concordia 91 Maranatha 69
Concordia improved to 6-5 on the season with a dominating 91- 69 conquest of host Maranatha last evening. Forward Steve Huenink tallied a career-high 29 points for the Falcons who blistered the nets with 54% shooting and a near-perfect 22-24 from the charity stripe.
Twelve CUW players scored as the game marked the return to action of senior center Josh Atkinson who has been sidelined with an injury for the past six weeks. Atkinson managed 5 points in limited action.
Concordia led by 9 at the break and Coach Shawn Cassidy was able to get everybody significant playing time. The Falcons travel to Aurora for a 4:15pm Saturday matchup with the first place Spartans.
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December 29, 2007
Concordia 101 Bethany MN 89 OT
It was 45 minutes of up and down basketball as CUW (5-5) ran past Bethany in the consolation game of the Thrivent Hoiday Classic. Steve Huenink led the victors with23 points but DeShaun Robinson (22), Dave Lipanot (21) and Travis Moulton (16) were close behind.
Lipanot's brace of free throws were the final points of regulation, tying the game at 80, before the Falcons poured it on in the extra session. Bethany (2-10) was paced by Tommy Saffert's 26 point effort.
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December 28, 2007
Cal Lutheran 61 Concordia 50
The Falcons could not get anything going offensively in this game, shooting a lowly 28% from the floor against a defensive-minded opponent in their California road trip opener. Three point shooting has never been a CUW strength but 1-19 defied description as Concordia fell to 4-5 on the season.
Cal Lutheran improved to 6-1 on the season but also struggled to get decent shot opportunities against CUW's staunch defensive effort.
Score by Periods 1st 2nd Total
Concordia (WI)................ 18 32 - 50
Cal Lutheran.................. 23 38 - 61
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December 8, 2007
Marian 80 Concordia 60
Leading 32-29 at the break, Concordia looked to be in great position against a talented Marian team. Who would have imagined the Falcons shooting at a 21% clip and commiting a dozen second half turnovers in the process of dropping an 80 -60 decision?
While CUW was connecting on only 7- 32 second half chances, the Sabres ran their offense to precision, hitting 12-19 from the field and 22-25 from the charity stripe. DeShaun Robinson and Dave Lipanot scored 13 points each to lead Concordia but Marian dominated the boards 42- 29 in the process of improving to 3-0 in the NAC. Jerid Holewinski led the hosts with 24 points and a solid floor game. CUW, 2- 20 from beyond the arc, is now 2-3 in the league and 4-4 overall.
Score by Periods 1st 2nd Total
Concordia-Wisconsin........... 32 28 - 60
Marian College................ 29 51 - 80
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December 6, 2007
Concordia 90 Maranatha 76
After a back-forth 47-45 first half, the Falcons (4-3) eventually wore out the visiting Crusaders and cruised to a 90 -76 win in the Buuck Fieldhouse last evening. Concordia’s DeShaun Robinson was all over the court, providing 21 points,4 steals, and a blocked shot to the CUW stat sheet.
John Ulrich (18), Dave Lipanot (17), Andy Becker (12), and Tyler Granrath (10) also reached double figures. The Falcons shot 54% as a team while Maranatha fired away at a 52% clip.
After an amazing 28 point first half, MBBC’s Mike Knepp finished as the game’s high scorer with 31. The CUW men travel to Marian Saturday for a 4:15 encounter.
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December 4, 2007
Concordia 89 Rockford 51
Thirteen Falcon players scored as CUW (3-3) routed host Rockford 89- 51 last evening on the road. Shawn Cassidy’s troops broke from a 7-6 deficit to a 17-7 lead and were never challenged by the winless Regents.
Concordia dominated the boards 46- 30 and forced 33 turnovers during the contest. Dave Lipanot and Steve Huenink led the way for CUW with 13 points each while DeShawn Robinson and Tyler Granrath also reached double figures.
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December 1, 2007
Lakeland 96 Concordia 81
The Muskies shot a blistering 55% from the floor in the process of methodically taking apart the Falcons 96- 81 in the CUW Fieldhouse Saturday evening. Guards Kris Saiberlich (22 points) and Aaron Regal (21) led the way for the Muskies- shooting a combined 14- 22 from the floor including 7 -14 from long range. Three other players also talllied in double figures for the Lakeland squad, but Saiberlich and Regal provided the highlight reel.
Concordia was paced by Steve Huenink who scored 26 points but the Falcons were outrebounded 45- 35 and only hit 37% of their field goal attempts. Dave Lipanot (13); DeShaun Robinson (12) and Andy Becker (11)reached double figures for Concordia, now 2-3 on the young season.
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November 27, 2007
Concordia 75 Trinity International 65
A solid TEAM performance on both ends of the court was evident as CUW climbed to 2-2 on the season via a 75- 65 win over Trinity International last evening in the Buuck Fieldhouse. "Sharing the ball" was the theme as five Falcons scored in double figures and excellent help defense corralled the NAIA visitors.
Concordia’s De Shaun Robinson and Josh Atkinson led the way offensively with 14 points apiece while Steve Huenink added 11. Andy Becker and Dave Lipanot each chipped in with 10. Ten CUW players saw significant court time and constant Falcon pressure frustrated the opposition. Chad Reilly led TIU (2-7) with 20 points.
Score by Periods 1st 2nd Total
TIU........................... 26 39 - 65
Concordia Wisconsin........... 35 40 - 75
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November 24, 2007
Concordia 88 Bethany Lutheran 78
Sophomore John Ulrich led the way with 25 points, including 9-11 shooting from the floor, as CUW (1-2) broke into the win column via an 88- 78 conquest of Bethany Lutheran(1-4).
Ulrich hit three consecutive treys during a 4 minute second half stretch when the Falcons turned a 52- 50 deficit into a 67- 55 lead. Tyler Granrath came off the bench to add 13 important markers as Concordia hit five of six 3 point attempts in the second half. Bethany had balanced scoring paced by Andy Wills’ 19 point performance.
Bethany Lutheran.............. 34 44 - 78
Concordia Wisconsin........... 35 53 - 88
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November 23, 2007
Carroll 79 Concordia 70
Cold shooting doomed the Falcons in round one of the Wisconsin Lutheran Classic on Friday. CUW was an ugly 6-24 from beyond the arc and Shawn Cassidy’s cagers shot only 35% overall as they fell to 0-2.
Carroll (1-2) put up 22 less shots than CUW, but the winners hit 30- 36 from the charity stripe while Concordia was able to convert only 10-16 chances.
John Ulrich paced balanced Concordia scoring with 15 points while Josh Atkinson (14), Dave Lipanot (12), and Tyler Granrath (10) also reached double figures.
Score by Periods
Concordia Wisconsin........... 28 42 - 70
Carroll....................... 40 39 - 79
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November 20, 2007 Men’s Basketball
Concordia Chicago 76 Concordia WI 74
The Falcons made a game of it after erasing a 12 point first half deficit. Eventually Travis Moulton’s lean-in jumper with two seconds remaining fell off the rim as CUW went down to defeat in their opener.
Senior Dave Lipanot, returning after a year’s absence due to an ACL injury, led the Falcons with 23 points while Andy Becker (11) and De Shaun Robinson (10) were the other CUW players in double figures. CU- Chicago (1-2) was led by Ryan Ward who scored 19 points and was 10-10 from the charity stripe.
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