Northwestern at Doane

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Game Time... The 18th-ranked Red Raiders will travel to Crete, Neb., to play Doane College on Saturday, Feb. 16 as part of a GPAC doubleheader. Tipoff for the men's game is slated for 4:00 p.m.

Scouting Report... Head Coach Ian Brown, in his sixth season at Doane, and the Tigers enter Saturday's game with a 10-14 overall record, 6-9 in the GPAC. They are tied for eighth place with USF in the league standings with three games remaining. The Tigers are 2-3 in their last five games with wins over Concordia and Midland Lutheran and losses to USF, Dana and Morningside.

Doane is averaging nearly 71ppg and is giving up 78ppg. The Tigers shoot 42% from the floor, 34% from beyond the arc (148/437) and are 339/494 (69%) from the foul line. Individually, guards Dane Cruz and Tyler Cyboron lead Coach Brown's squad, combining for 30ppg and 6.5 rebounds per game. Cruz, a 5-9 senior guard, leads the GPAC averaging 19.2ppg and is eighth with 78 assists. Cruz has 34 three pointers this season and is fourth in the league shooting 84% from the charity stripe. Cyboron, a 5-11 sophomore, leads the team with 41 three pointers and is shooting a team-best 42% from beyond the arc. He is averaging 10.5ppg. A third Tiger guard, Brett McFarland, averages 8.5ppg, 5.3rpg and ranks fifth in the league with 44 steals. Up front, Kolby Hamilton, Scott Neuhalfen and Jack Lind lead the Tigers. Hamilton, a 6-7 senior, averages 8.5ppg and a team-best 5.6rpg. He is also shooting a team-best 50% from the field. Neuhalfen, a 6-4 sophomore, averages six points per game while Lind, a 6-10 junior, is averaging five points and four rebounds per game. Ben Streck, a 6-4 senior, contributes 4.6 ppg.

Last Time Out...Doane recorded an 83-71 home win over Midland Lutheran last time out on Feb. 12. The Tigers trailed by two at the half, 37-35, but outscored MLC 48-34 in the second half to earn the come-from-behind win. Dane Cruz scored a game-high 30 points, including five three pointers, to lead the Tigers. Kolby Hamilton added 22 points and 12 rebounds in the win.

Northwestern moved into second place in the GPAC with a last second 84-82 victory over ninth-ranked Dakota Wesleyan last Wednesday evening. The Red Raiders trailed, 17-14, but scored the next five points to take the lead, 19-14. They extended the lead to 10 by halftime, 41-31, and grabbed their biggest lead of the game with 14:30 left to play, 59-44. Dakota Wesleyan came back to cut the lead down to four with five minutes left and eventually tied the game at 80. The Red Raiders made one free throw on back-to-back trips down the court to go up by two, 82-80, before Scott Nelson tied the game with 2.8 seconds left with a lay-up. On the ensuing possession, the Red Raiders advanced the ball to half-court and called timeout with two seconds left. Curt Schilling then threw the ball into Chad Schuiteman who missed a short  jumper but followed with the winning tip-in that just beat the final horn.

Coach Korver's squad was led by Schuiteman with 18 points and 14 rebounds. Curt Schilling and Kale Wiertzema added 16 and 12 points, respectively. The Red Raiders won the battle of the boards, 45-38, led by Schuiteman (14) and Schilling with eight.

Red Raider Notes... Northwestern has won four straight league games to move into sole possession of second place with a 12-3 record with three games to play. The Red Raiders are one of four teams in this week's NAIA top 25 with a 21-4 overall record. It is the 10th straight season in which NWC has won at least 20 games in a season, the last eight under the guidance of Coach Korver.

The Red Raiders are the highest scoring team in the league at 86ppg and also lead the GPAC in field goal percentage at 51%. Curt Schilling leads NWC averaging 19ppg, second best in the league. The senior guard has scored 1,897 career points, fifth best all-time in NWC history. Chad Schuiteman, who ranks fourth all-time in points (2,055) and third all-time in rebounds (1,280), averages 15ppg and a league-best 11.5rpg. Kale Wiertzema averages 12ppg and is shooting 42% from beyond the arc. Schuiteman and Wiertzema have dished out 99 and 95 assists this season and rank third and fourth in the league. Mark DeYounge is averaging 9.4ppg and has 949 points in his career. Andrew Stimson is second on the team with 37 three pointers and third in assists with 63.

Last Meeting... Northwestern rolled to a 92-64 home victory over Doane on Jan. 12. Northwestern trailed by one early on but outscored Doane 15-4 to take the lead for good, 27-17. Four different Red Raiders hit a three pointer during the decisive run and led 46-32 at the half. NWC extended the lead to 21 during the opening minutes of the second half and led by as much as 31in the second period.

Northwestern shot 52% from the field and went 9/23 from the three point line (39%). Curt Schilling led a balanced offensive attack that featured five Red Raider players in double figures with 17 points. Chad Schuiteman added 16 points and team best eight rebounds and eight assists. Kale Wiertzema (14), Andrew Stimson (12) and Mark DeYounge (11) were the other players in double figures. Kolby Hamilton and Dane Cruz led the Tigers with 15 and 13 points, respectively.

GPAC Standings and Schedule...
  Mount Marty @ Midland Lutheran
  Morningside @ Dana
  Concordia @ Dordt
  Dakota Wesleyan @ Briar Cliff
  Nebraska Wesleyan @ USF
  Hastings Bye