Northwestern at Sioux Falls

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Game Time... The 16th-ranked Red Raiders travel to Sioux Falls, S.D., to play USF in a GPAC men's basketball match-up. Northwestern has won seven straight games and comes in with a 13-2 overall record, 4-1 in the league. USF is 4-11 overall and 2-3 in the GPAC. Tipoff for the game is at 8:00 pm.

Scouting Report... The Cougars and Head Coach Shane Murphy are coming off a 2006-07 season in which they were the GPAC postseason champions and qualified for the NAIA national tournament for the second consecutive year. USF, however, graduated several key players off of those squads, including first team all-league players, Dylan Kvaale and Ryan Millsap. This season, USF comes in with a 4-11 overall record and are 2-3 in the GPAC. They are led by a trio of players, Gerad Van Leur, Jesse Huser and Tut Yual, who all average 10 points per game. Van Leur, a 6-7 junior forward and two-year starter, leads the league in field goal percentage (60%) and boasts a team-best 5.4 rebounds per game. He also leads the Cougars in assists with 37. Huser, a senior sharp-shooting guard, leads USF with 35 three pointers and is shooting 45% from beyond the arc. Yual, a 6-7 senior and one of the more athletic players in the league, ranks second on the team with five boards per game. Juniors Kyle Johnson and Adam Herther average 8.5 and 8.3 points per game,respectively. A 6-8 forward, Johnson pulls down 4.7 rebounds per game. Herther, a 6-3 guard, ranks second on the team with 23 three pointers and shoots a team-best 46% from the perimeter. Freshmen Matt Malloy (9.4 ppg) and Dwight Pederson (5.5 ppg) also contribute for the Cougars. Tyler Fluth, a 6-7 sophomore, averages 5.3 points, 3.2 rebounds and has dished out 23 assists.

As a team, the Cougars average 71 points per game and give up 72 points per game.

Last Time Out... USF defeated Dana College, 77-50, in a conference game played in Blair, Neb. Sioux Falls led by seven at the half, 29-22, but outscored the hosts, 48-28 in the second half. Offensively, USF shot 50% from the floor and converted 8/14 (57%) shots from beyond the arc. Jesse Huser paced a balanced scoring attack with 14 points, which included three trifectas. Matt Malloy added 13 while both Adam Herther and Tut Yual chipped in 12 points each. Defensively, USF held Dana to just 28% from the field, forced 17 turnovers and out-rebounded the Vikings, 40-29. Kyle Johnson ripped down a game-high 10 rebounds for the Cougars.

The Red Raiders won their seventh straight game with an impressive 87-74 win over eighth-ranked Hastings College last Saturday night. The Red Raiders shot 49% from the field compared to 38% for Hastings. NWC also out-rebounded the Broncos, 41-33. Curt Schilling led four players in double figures with 20 points and nine rebounds. Kale Wiertzema netted 18 points and dished out six assists while Chad Schuiteman recorded his 11th double-double of the season with 16 points and 11 rebounds. Andrew Stimson added 15 points including four three pointers.

Red Raider Notes... Northwestern comes into Wednesday's contest with a 13-2 overall record and in second place in the GPAC at 4-1. They have won seven straight games and have not lost since back in November when they suffered a 87-75 setback to #1 MidAmerica Nazarene. Coach Korver's squad leads the league averaging over 90 points per game while giving up 79. They are also the top shooting team in the GPAC at 52%. Leading the way is senior guard Curt Schilling who leads the GPAC with 21 points per game. He ranks third in the league in field goal percentage (57%), first in three pointers (46) and first in free throw percentage (91%). Chad Schuiteman has 11 double-doubles this season and averages 15.7 points and 11.8 rebounds per game. He also is second in the GPAC in assists (66) and steals (33). Kale Wiertzema is the other Red Raider in double figures with 13 points per game. Mark DeYounge and Andrew Stimson average 9.7 and 7.6 points, respectively.

Next up... The Red Raiders will host Doane College this Saturday afternoon as part of a GPAC doubleheader. Tipoff for the men's contest is at 4:00 pm.