Dakota Wesleyan at Northwestern

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Game Time... Northwestern will host Dakota Wesleyan Wednesday night in a key GPAC men's basketball showdown featuring top-ranked teams. The Red Raiders are ranked 19th in last week's NAIA poll with a 20-4 overall record. They are tied for third in the GPAC with an 11-3 mark and trail DWU by just 1/2 game in the win column. The Tigers are ranked eighth in the NAIA with a 22-5 overall mark and second in the GPAC with a 12-3 record. Tipoff for the contest is at 8:00 pm.

Scouting Report... The Tigers have won their last six games, including an impressive 91-79 home win over then unbeaten and top-ranked Morningside last Wednesday night. In fact, since back-to-back losses on Dec. 5 and Dec. 8, DWU holds a 14-1 record, their only loss a 62-61 setback at Dordt.

Offensively, the Tigers are second in both scoring (83) and field goal percentage (48%). They are also third in the GPAC with 204 three point baskets. Defensively, DWU ranks eighth in the GPAC, giving up 72ppg and teams are shooting 42% from the field. They led the conference in blocked shots with 110. The Tigers are coached by John Hemenway, who earned GPAC Coach of the Year honors in 2006-07. He is in his third year at DWU.

Individually, DWU is led by junior forward Preston Broughton, who ranks second in the GPAC in both scoring (17.7) and rebounding (8.8). The second team all-league pick in 2006-07 is shooting 55% from the floor and is fourth in the conference with 31 blocked shots. Colby Fitzgerald, a junior transfer from USD, is fifth in the league averaging 16.2ppg and has a team-best 47 three pointers. Another transfer, Ike Muoneke, averages eight points per game and is third in the league with 33 blocked shots. Senior point guard Andrew Lasche leads the conference in assists with 134 to go with 5.7ppg. Rounding out the starting lineup will be either Scott Nelson or Marcus Vontz. Nelson, a 6-4 transfer from Casper College, averages 10ppg and is second on the team with 44 three pointers. Vontz, a senior guard, averages eight points per game and has 18 three pointers this season. Freshmen Brady Wiebe and Chase Walder are the top players off the Tiger bench for Coach Hemenway. Wiebe leads the conference shooting 61% from the field and is sixth in the GPAC averaging six rebounds per game. Walder averages 8.1ppg and is third on the team with 35 three pointers.

Last Time Out... The Tigers defeated Dana College, 84-67, at home last Sunday afternoon. With the score tied 8-8, DWU scored the next 11 points and outscored the Vikings 21-4 to take their biggest lead, 29-12. Dana cut the deficit to eight by halftime and trailed by just two, 57-55, with 10 minutes left. The Tigers were able to withstand the comeback bid and eventually pulled away with the 17-point win. Preston Broughton led the Tigers with 27 points and 13 rebounds. Both Colby Fitzgerald and Brady Wiebe added 15 in the win.

The Red Raiders defeated Concordia, 87-84 in overtime, last Saturday night in Seward, Neb. The first half featured four ties and three lead changes. With Concordia leading by one, 22-21, the Bulldogs closed the first half on a 17-10 run to lead 39-31 at the half. Concordia scored the first five points of the second half to grab their biggest lead, 44-31. The Bulldogs still led by 10 (68-58) with 6:12 left in the game before Northwestern went on a 12-2 run to tie the game at 70. Concordia regained the lead with 16 seconds left  but after a Northwestern timeout, Red Raider guard Curt Schilling hit a 10-foot jumper as time expired to send the game into overtime, 72-72. In overtime, Concordia took the early lead, 80-76, before the Red Raiders outscored the hosts 7-1 to grab the lead for good and earn the 87-84 win.

Northwestern shot 51% from the floor and 37% from beyond the arc. Curt Schilling scored 24 points to lead four Red Raiders in double figures. Kale Wiertzema netted 14 points, all in the second half, while Chad Schuiteman and Andrew Stimson added 11 and 10 points, respectively.

Red Raider Notes...NWC ranks first in the GPAC in points per game (86) and field goal percentage (51%).  They are the fourth best rebounding team in the league (+6). Defensively, Coach Korver's squad is giving up 76ppg and teams are shooting 44% from the field.

Curt Schilling continues to lead the GPAC averaging 19.2ppg. He has a league best 63 three pointers and is shooting 46% from beyond the arc. Chad Schuiteman, the fourth Red Raider player to score 2,000 points in his career, averages 15ppg and a league best 11 rebounds per game. The senior All-American is shooting 55% from the floor, is third in the league in assists and leads the GPAC with 49 steals. Kale Wiertzema ranks fourth in the GPAC with 92 assists and averages 12.4ppg. Mark DeYounge is averaging 9.5ppg and is closing in on the 1,000 point milestone. Guards Andrew Stimson, Ben Brown and Ryan Hoogeveen combine to average 19ppg for the Red Raiders. Stimson is second on the team with 35 three pointers and third in assists with 61.

Last Meeting... Northwestern defeated Dakota Wesleyan on Dec. 5, 100-95. The Red Raiders led by as much as 15 in the first half and led 81-71 with nine minutes to go. DWU stormed back to cut the lead down to two, 86-84, and down to one, 94-93, with 25 seconds left. The Red Raiders made their free throws down the stretch to seal the win. Curt Schilling scored a career-high 34 points while Kale Wiertzema added 20.

GPAC Standings...

Next up... The Red Raiders travel to play Doane in Crete, Neb. this Saturday, Feb. 16 at 4:00 pm.