CRETE, Neb. – Monday evening’s matchup between Tabor and Doane lived up to the billing, featuring plenty of excitement from wire-to-wire, giving fans a glimpse of what could be this season.
SCORE
- Tabor: 70 – Doane: 75
GAME NOTES
- With the loss, the Bluejays start the 2025-26 season with an 0-1 record
- Monday’s contest marked the 17th all-time meeting between the two programs, dating back to the 1952-53 season
- Doane currently owns a 10-7 record in the series
NOTABLE PERFORMANCES
- Niieihii Blackbear made the most of his first game back after missing most of last season with an injury, recording his first double-double of the season with 23 points and 15 rebounds
- Marque Wilkerson added 12 points of his own in his Bluejay debut, while also dishing out six assists
- Zach Hiebert rounded out the team in double-figures with 10 points, while also dishing out five assists and picking up three steals
- Jake Weaver made the most of his college basketball debut, adding eight points, 12 boards, two assists, and two blocks
- The Bluejays outrebounded Doane, 41-38
FROM THE COACH
- “I loved the fight from our guys tonight; they never lost belief throughout the game, and we took the lead late and had a chance to win because of that.”
- “I thought our defense was good enough to win tonight, we competed our butts off on that side of the ball.”
- “I did not do a good enough job of having our guys prepared for their zone defense, we just struggled to get good looks early against it.”
- “We will get things figured out offensively, we just need to stay the course.”
NEXT UP
- The Bluejays return to action this coming Friday as they open the 2025 Tabor College Classic against Concordia. Tipoff is scheduled for 8:00pm.
Be sure to stay up to date with all information regarding Bluejay Athletics by following us on X at @gotaborbluejays, on Instagram and Facebook @taborbluejays, and on our official athletic website, taborbluejays.com.
Tabor College is a Christ-centered institution located in Hillsboro, Kansas. The Bluejays are members of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) and compete in the Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference (KCAC).
