Sioux Falls at Northwestern

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Game Time... The Red Raiders will host USF tonight in a GPAC postseason quarterfinal contest beginning at 8:00 pm. Northwestern finished the regular season in second place with a 15-3 GPAC record, 24-4 overall. They are ranked seventh in the final NAIA poll. USF finished the regular season with an 8-10 league record and in seventh place. They are 12-18 overall.

Scouting Report... USF comes into tonight's contest with a 12-18 overall record and finished seventh in the GPAC with a 8-10 league mark. They are 3-1 in their last four games as they have defeated Nebraska Wesleyan, Mount Marty and Concordia last Tuesday night in the opening round of the GPAC tournament. The Cougars loss was to Dakota Wesleyan in the Corn Palace.

Coach Murphy's squad ranks both seventh in ppg (72) and opponents ppg (71). They are shooting 46% from the floor, 40% from the three point line and are third in the GPAC in free throw percentage (72%). The Cougars are sixth in rebounding (+3) and average just 15 turnovers per game.

Individually, USF features three players in double figures, led by senior forward Tut Yual at 11ppg. Yual is shooting 51% from the floor and is second on the team with 5.1rpg. Senior guard Jesse Huser averages 10.8ppg and is third in the GPAC with 71 three pointers. Freshman phenom guard Matt Malloy averages 10.6ppg and a team-best 82 assists. Gerad Van Leur, a three-year starter, averages 9.4ppg and leads the conference shooting 62% from the floor.

Last Time Out... USF rolled past Concordia in the opening round of the GPAC tournament Tuesday evening, 87-58. The Cougars led by just two, 35-33, at the half but outscored the Bulldogs 52-25 in the second half. Jesse Huser and Tut Yual led a balanced scoring attack with 16 points each. Yual ripped down a team-high 12 rebounds in leading the Cougars to a 52-25 advantage on the glass.

Northwestern defeated Briar Cliff, 95-80, last Saturday in the final game of the regular season. The Red Raiders shot 62% in the first half en route to a 52-41 lead. Curt Schilling led NWC with 25 points and Kale Wiertzema finished with 19.

Red Raider Notes... Northwestern has won seven straight games and improved to 24-4 overall. The Red Raiders are one four league teams in the final NAIA rating (Morningside-2, Dakota Wesleyan-16 and Dordt-23) as they moved up four spots to seventh.

Coach Korver's squad is fifth in the NAIA averaging 87ppg. They lead the GPAC in field goal percentage (51%), second in three pointers (227), third in three point percentage (40%) and are fourth in rebounding (+4). Defensively, NWC is giving up 77ppg and teams are shooting 44% from the floor.

Individually, three Red Raiders average in double figures, led by Curt Schilling who leads the GPAC with 20ppg. He leads the league with 78 three pointers and is second in three point percentage (48%). Schilling earned GPAC Player-of-the-Week honors the last two weeks and needs just 16 more points to become the fifth Red Raider player to score 2,000 points. Chad Schuiteman averages 14.5ppg and leads the GPAC in both rebounding (11.4) and steals (54). Kale Wiertzema averages 13ppg and is shooting 46% from beyond the arc, fourth best in the league. Mark DeYounge averages 9.3ppg and has scored 975 points in his career.

Last Meeting w/ USF... This is the third meeting of the season between the two teams with Northwestern winning the previous two match-ups. The Red Raiders recorded an 86-76 victory at USF on Jan. 9 and then defeated the Cougars at home on Feb. 6, 84-77. Both Curt Schilling and Kale Wiertzema averaged 18 points in the two wins while Matt Malloy averaged 15.5 points for USF.

Next up... The winner of tonight's game will advance to the GPAC semifinals where they will face the winner of the #3 Dakota Wesleyan vs #6 Hastings game. The semifinals will be on Saturday, March 1. If NWC wins, the Red Raiders will host; if USF wins, they will have to go on the road regardless of the Hastings/DWU winner.

GPAC Postseason Bracket