Northwestern at Concordia

• PREVIEW
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Game Time... Northwestern travels to Seward, Neb. to play Concordia University as part of a GPAC doubleheader on Saturday, Feb. 9. Tipoff for the men's game will be at 4:00 pm.

Scouting Report... The Bulldogs of Head Coach Grant Schmidt are 4-10 in the GPAC, 10-15 overall. This season, eight of their 15 losses are by 10 points or less, including a 78-69 overtime setback to top-ranked Morningside last week.

Concordia is averaging 69ppg and shoots 43% from the field. They lead the GPAC with 209 three pointers and shoot 36% from beyond the arc. Defensively, the Bulldogs are giving up 70ppg and teams are shooting 46% against them.

Individually, the Bulldogs are led by seniors Scott Hannon and Ben Buhr. Both players earned all-league honors in 2007. Buhr, a 6-3 guard, leads the team in points (14.2ppg), three pointers (56) and is tied for third in rebounds at three per game. Hannon, a 6-7 forward, averages 13.9ppg and pulls down five boards per game. Dustin Weber averages just under 10ppg and has 44 three point baskets. He is shooting a team-best 41% from beyond the arc. Brandon Schmidt runs the point for the Bulldogs and has dished out 47 assists this season. Freshmen Casey Schrader and Tyler Bredehoeft also contribute for Coach Schmidt's squad. Schrader leads the team with 5.5rpg and is shooting a team-best 53% from the field while Bredehoeft averages 8.3ppg.

Last Time Out... Concordia defeated Midland Lutheran last Wednesday night, 75-60. The Bulldogs shot 52% from the floor and led by seven (36-29) at the half. Three players scored in double figures, led by Scott Hannon with 26 points. Austin Thoms added 17 while Benjamin Buhr netted 15.

Northwestern defeated USF in their last game, 84-77. The first half featured eight ties and four lead changes and ended with the two team's tied at 40. USF began the second half on a 13-0 scoring run to pull ahead with their biggest lead, 53-40. Northwestern, however, recovered and outscored the visiting Cougars 24-10 to take the lead by one, 64-63. With the score tied at 66, Northwestern took the lead for good on a Kale Wiertzema lay-up with 5:58 left to go in the game and ended the Cougars three game win streak with the 84-77 win.

The Red Raiders shot 53% for the game compared to 50% for USF. Curt Schilling led all scorers with 21 points while Chad Schuiteman recorded another double-double with 19 points and 11 rebounds. Kale Wiertzema added 13 points and was one of four NWC players who dished out three assists.

Red Raider Notes... Northwestern leads the conference in points per game (87) and field goal percentage (51%). Coach Korver's squad is giving up 76ppg and opponents are shooting 44% from the field against NWC.

Curt Schilling leads four NWC players in double figures on the season with 19ppg. The senior guard is shooting 47% from beyond the arc and has made 62 three pointers. Chad Schuiteman averages a double-double per game with 15 points and nearly 12 rebounds per contest. The senior has amassed over 2,000 points in his career and ranks in the leagues top five in rebounds, assists and steals. Kale Wiertzema is averaging 12.2 points per game. The junior ranks second on the team with 90 assists. Mark DeYounge averages 10ppg and is closing in on the 1,000 point club. Point guard Andrew Stimson is second on the team with 33 three pointers and is shooting 40% from beyond the arc.

Next up... Coach Korver's squad will next play host to ninth-ranked Dakota Wesleyan in a key GPAC match-up between top 25 teams. The game will be on Wednesday, Feb. 13 at 8:00 pm.