Northwestern at Bellevue

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Game Time... The Northwestern College Red Raiders take on top-seed Bellevue (Neb.) in the NAIA D-II Men's Basketball Final Four this evening at 6:00 pm. The fifth-seeded Red Raiders have won 13 straight games and are 30-4 overall heading into tonight semifinal match-up. The Bruins are 32-3 and have won 11 straight games. Tonight's game can be heard via the Northwestern College web-cast at the following link:  NWC webcast.

Scouting Report... Bellevue won the MCAC regular season and post-season championship to earn an automatic berth into the 32-team field. The Bruins were one of three conference teams in the 32-team field, joining Ozarks and Oklahoma Wesleyan. Bellevue is making their sixth straight appearance to the championships and ninth overall. They hold an 11-8 record while at the tournament and are making their second trip to the Final Four. In 2004, the Bruins lost to Oregon Tech in the championship game. Bellevue is the first number one seed since Northwestern in 2003 to advance past the Sweet Sixteen.

Head Coach Todd Eisner, in his 12th season with the Bruins, was named MCAC Coach-of-the-Year this past season. He has a 222.55 record while at Bellevue. The Bruins average 74ppg and are ninth in the NAIA in field goal percentage (49%). Defensively, Bellevue is very tough, giving up just 61ppg, fourth best in the NAIA. They are +10 in rebound margin for the season.

Individually, the senior-dominated Bruins are led by first team all-MCAC players, Klaye Rowe and John Gray. Rowe, a 6-5 forward, leads the Bruins averaging 15.7ppg and 7.7rpg. Rowe is shooting 52% from the field. Gray, a 6-3 senior guard, ranks second on the team at 13ppg but leads Bellevue at the tournament averaging 15ppg. Gray has 16 three pointers this season and is second on the team with 64 assists. Chance Wallesen and Hannibal Cofield earned honorable mention all-conference honors for the Bruins this past season. Wallesen, a 6-2 junior, averaged 7.9ppg and led Bellevue with 57 three pointers. Cofield, a 6-1 senior, averages 7.7 points and 5.3 rebounds per game. Cofield has over 500 rebounds in his career at Bellevue. Senior point guard Stanley Boateng leads the team with 93 assists and averages 4.6ppg. Jerrod Tucker leads the Bruin bench averaging 8.2ppg and is shooting 66% from the floor. Ben Thorn, a 6-3 senior, also comes off the bench and averages 5.4ppg.

Last Time Out... Bellevue rolled to a record-breaking 111-52 win over St. Joseph (Vt.) in the opening round, setting a tournament record for margin of victory and most field goals in a game (45). The Bruins then recorded a pair of four-point wins over #16 Aquinas (Mich.)(65-61) and then #9 Bethel (Ind.) in the Elite Eight, 73-69. The Bruins shot 47% from the field and were led by Gray and Wallesen with 15 and 11 points, respectively.

Northwestern knocked off Minot State (N.D.)(97-90) and Oklahoma Wesleyan (86-85 OT) in the first two rounds and then cruised to a 96-70 win over #13 Northwood (Fla.). The Red Raiders used a 12-0 run early in the first half to pull away and shot 72% in the second half to seal the win. Six NWC players scored in double figures, led by Curt Schilling with 20 points. The senior guard made 8-of-14 field goal attempts and also pulled down 12 rebounds. Chad Schuiteman recorded his third straight double-double with 13 points and 14 rebounds. He is now second all-time in rebounds at the national tournament with 125. Mark DeYounge added 14 points off the bench and Ryan Hoogeveen and Kale Wiertzema each added 11.

Red Raider Notes... Northwestern is making their 13th national tournament appearance (tied w/ MidAmerica Nazarene for most) and 10th straight trip to the championships. They have the most wins ever at the national tournament (28-10) and are making their sixth trip to the Final Four. They are 3-2 in semifinal games and last earned a trip to the championship game in 2003.

Head Coach Kris Korver, in his eighth year at Northwestern, is the all-time winningest coach in the program's history with over 200 wins. He has guided his team to a national tournament in each of his eight seasons at NWC.

Northwestern is fifth in the NAIA in points scored (87.1) and third in field goal percentage (51%). At the tournament, NWC is averaging 93ppg and opponents are scoring 81.6ppg. The Red Raider lineup boasts two 2,000 point scorers (seniors Chad Schuiteman and Curt Schilling) and two 1,000 point scorers (Mark DeYounge and Kale Wiertzema). Both first team all-conference players, Schilling and Schuiteman average 20 and 14.7ppg, respectively. Schuiteman led the GPAC in rebounding with 11.3rpg while Schilling led the conference in three point shooting (83/174-47%). Kale Wiertzema, a second team all-league pick, averages 13.3 ppg and is shooting 47% from beyond the arc. De Younge and junior Andrew Stimson are the other top scorers for NWC. DeYounge averages 9.3ppg off the bench and Stimson is at 8.5ppg. Ryan Hoogeveen, Travis Van Regenmorter and Ben Brown are the other top players for the Red Raiders.

At the tournament, Schuiteman leads NWC with 59 points, 39 rebounds and 14 assists in three games. Schilling has scored 45 points and pulled down 17 rebounds. Andrew Stimson (43 points) is one the top three point shooters at the tournament (7/10).

Next up... The winner will face either #2 MidAmerica Nazarene or #11 Oregon Tech in the championship game tomorrow night at 8:30 p.m.

Championship Central