Game Time... The Red Raiders continue tournament play this afternoon when they face unseeded Oklahoma Wesleyan in the second round of the 2008 NAIA D-II Men's Basketball National Championship. Northwestern, the fifth seed, is 28-4 overall while the Eagles are 26-7 overall. Tipoff is scheduled for 1:45pm at the Keeter Gymnasium in Point Lookout, Mo and can be heard via the NWC webcast at the following link: web-cast.
Scouting Report... Oklahoma Wesleyan is making their first ever trip to the national tournament and picked up their first ever win in the first round, 75-73 over William Penn. The Eagles are one of three Midlands Collegiate Athletic Conference teams to advance to the second round (Ozarks, Bellevue) and carry a 26-7 record into today's contest. They set a school record for wins this season. OWU finished third in league play and received one of the final at-large berths to get to the national tournament.
First year Head Coach Donnie Bostwick's squad is averaging nearly 81ppg and is shooting 46% from the floor. The Eagles have made 306 three pointers this season, shooting 36% from beyond the arc. Defensively, Oklahoma Wesleyan gives up 72ppg and opponents are shooting 40% from the field. The Eagles have out-rebounded their opponents this season (+5).
Individually, sophomore guard Steve Briggs leads the Eagles averaging 18.5ppg. The MCAC Newcomer-of-the-Year and first team all-league player ranked second in the NAIA with 135 three pointers (4.2 per game) and is shooting 39% from beyond the arc. Sadiel Rojas, a 6-5 freshman, averaged 14.5ppg and a team-best nine rebounds per contest. He also earned first team all-MCAC honors as well as Freshman-of-the-Year accolades. Murray Shaw, a 6-4 freshman, comes off the bench to score 9.1ppg. A second team all-league selection, Shaw also pulls down seven boards per game. Senior forward Austin Johnson and juniors Isaiah Peterson and Josh Dennis round out the starting lineup for the Eagles. A 6-1 guard, Dennis is the top scorer of the three averaging 8.3ppg and has dished out a team-best 98 assists. Johnson, a 6-4 forward, is second on the team with 54 three pointers. Peterson is shooting 56% from the field. Levi Mooney and Aaron Crowley are the other top reserves for Coach Bostwick's squad. Mooney is a 6-8 freshman who averages 6.3ppg.
Last Time Out... OWU upset #12 William Penn 75-73 in the first round of the national tournament on Thursday, March13. Trailing by three at the half, the Eagles used a 14-4 run to pull ahead 50-43 and never relinquished the lead. The game stayed close the entire second half but OWU converted enough free throws down the stretch to seal their first ever win at the national tournament. Steve Briggs led four Eagle players in double figures with 20 points, making 4-of-10 three pointers. Murray Shaw scored 14 points off the bench. OWU committed 22 turnovers but also forced William Penn into 27.
Northwestern College defeated Minot State (N.D.) 97-90 in the first round and advanced to the second round for the 11th time in their history. The win was their 26th at the national tournament which is the most wins by any team.
The Red Raiders started strong with an 8-0 run to grab an 8-2 lead and led by six, 40-34, at intermission. Minot State tied the game at 42 early in the second half but NWC pulled ahead again, 53-47, with 15 minutes to go. The Red Raiders built the lead back to nine before another Minot State run put the Beavers within one, 71-70. Northwestern then scored the next 10 points and sealed the win with clutch free throw shooting down the stretch.
The Red Raiders shot 47% for the game compared to 37% by the Beavers. NWC made 36-43 free throws (84%) which helped seal the win. Chad Schuiteman led four players in double figures with 22 points. He recorded the double-double with 12 rebounds and also dished out six assists. Andrew Stimson scored 20 points, all in the second half, and Curt Schilling (18) and Ben Brown (career high 15 points) were also in double figures. NWC held a 45-42 advantage on the boards.
Red Raider Notes... Head Coach Kris Korver has led the Red Raiders to the national tournament in each of his eight years at NWC, twice winning the national championship. Northwestern will be making their 10th straight tournament appearance, 13th overall. They are the winningest program in the tournament's history (26-10).
Northwestern is the fifth highest scoring team in the NAIA, averaging just over 87ppg. They are third in the nation with a shooting percentage of 51% and shoot 41% from beyond the arc. Defensively, the Red Raiders give up 76ppg and opponents shoot 44% against the NWC defense. Northwestern is out-rebounding their opponents by a +5 margin this season.
Individually, NWC is led by a pair of 2,000 point scorers, seniors Chad Schuiteman and Curt Schilling. Both first team all-GPAC players, Schilling led the conference in scoring (19.7) and three pointers (85) while Schuiteman averaged 14.7ppg and a league-best 11.3rpg. Schuiteman also led the league in steals (58) and was among the conference leaders in assists with 127. Junior Kale Wiertzema earned second team all-league honors after averaging 13.3 points, 3.3 rebounds and dishing out 112 assists. He has scored 989 points in his career. Mark DeYounge is the most recent NWC player to break the 1,000 point milestone and is averaging 9.3ppg and 3.7 rpg. Andrew Stimson is second on the team with 48 three pointers and is one of the leaders on the defensive end. Sharpshooter Ben Brown (6.2ppg), Ryan Hoogeveen (4.8ppg) and Travis Van Regenmorter (4.6ppg) are the other top scorers for NWC.
Next up... The winner will advance to the Elite Eight on Saturday and will play either #4 Walsh (Ohio) or #13 Northwood (Fla.) at 3:00 pm.
2007-08 Media guide
