Northwestern at Briar Cliff

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Game Time... Northwestern and Briar Cliff will play for the second time in 18 days this evening in a key GPAC men's basketball match-up. Tip-off at the Newman-Flanagan Center in Sioux City, Iowa is scheduled for 8:00pm. The Red Raiders are 10-9 overall, 5-4 in the GPAC while the Chargers have won five straight games and moved all the way up to fifth in this week's NAIA D-II coaches' poll. BCU is currently in first place in the GPAC with a 7-1 record, 16-3 overall.

All-Time... This will be the 92nd meeting between the two storied programs and the Raiders hold a 52-39 advantage in the series. Since the 2004-05 season, Northwestern is 8-3 against the Chargers but BCU has won the last two match-ups, including an 84-79 non-conference win on Jan. 2 in Orange City.

Recap of Jan. 2 Match-up... Briar Cliff scored the first nine points of the game and never trailed in its 84-79 win over the Red Raiders. An 11-4 Northwestern run tied the game at 20 but the Chargers pulled ahead again and led 48-40 at the half. BCU opened up a 10-point lead early in the second half until the Raiders came back to tie the game at 66 following a jumper by Ryan Hoogeveen. Five consecutive points by the Chargers followed and Northwestern was never able to tie or take the lead over the final six minutes.

Northwestern shot 41% for the game, 24% from beyond the arc. Ryan Hoogeveen scored a career-high 18 points while Ben Miller added 18 points and a team-high nine rebounds. Daniel Van Kalsbeek (15) and Walker Seim (12) were also in double figures. The Raiders outrebounded BCU, 51-32. Briar Cliff was led by Chase Vander Feen with 21 points.

BCU News and Notes...Since an 80-76 home loss to Bellevue (Neb.), Briar Cliff has rattled off five straight wins to start the new year. They moved all the way up to fifth in the NAIA rankings with a 7-1 GPAC record, 16-3 overall. During its current win streak, BCU defeated Northwestern, Grace, Morningside, Mount Marty and Midland Lutheran.

BCU is one of the top shooting teams in the NAIA, ranking second in overall field goal percentage (50%). They rank third in the GPAC with 155 three-pointers, shooting a league best 38% from beyond the arc. Individually, Kyle Semprini and Chase Vander Feen lead the Chargers in scoring and are among the league’s best perimeter shooters. A first team all-GPAC pick last year, Semprini averages a team-best 16.1ppg and ranks third in the NAIA with 69 three-pointers. Vander Feen, a second team all-GPAC pick in 08-09, averages 14.6ppg and has 49 three-pointers this season, fifth best in the GPAC. Matt Geelan, an honorable mention all-GPAC player last year, ranks fourth in the GPAC in field goal percentage (60%) and averages 10.4ppg and team-best 7.1 boards per game. He also ranks third in the GPAC with 100 assists. Kyle Swanson (10ppg) and Michael Collison (3ppg) anchor the frontline for the Chargers. Swanson leads the conference in field goal percentage (61%) while Collison, a defensive stalwart, leads the GPAC with 29 blocked shots.

Red Raider Notes...Northwestern has lost five straight games to fall to 10-9 overall, 5-4 in the GPAC. Since the new year, the Red Raiders lost two home games (Briar Cliff and Nebraska Wesleyan) and a pair of road games (USF and Dakota Wesleyan).

The Raiders lead the GPAC in scoring (85), rank fourth in the GPAC in three-pointers made (150) and second in three-point percentage (37%). They also are among the top rebounding teams in the conference, holding a +3.1 advantage on the glass.

Individually, three players are scoring in double figures, led by sharp-shooter Walker Seim averaging 19.7ppg. Seim has scored in double figures in every game this season and ranks second in the NAIA with 60 three-pointers, shooting 49% from beyond the arc. Daniel Van Kalsbeek averages over 19ppg and leads the team with 7.3 boards per contest. The freshman has four double-doubles this season. Ben Miller averages over 12 points per game and is among the team leaders in rebounds (6.3) and assists (35). Ryan Hoogeveen (7.8ppg) and Mike Vorwald (3.3ppg, 83 assists) round out the starting line-up. Brent Dunkelberger and Ryan Stock are the top reserves and each average over seven points per game.

Walker Seim ranks third in the GPAC averaging 19.3ppg. The sophomore sharp-shooter ranks second in the NAIA with 72 three-pointers, shooting 48% from beyond the arc. Daniel Van Kalsbeek is averaging 19ppg, fourth best in the GPAC and seven boards per game in his first season with the Raiders. Another freshman, Ben Miller, averages 11.8 points and 6.5 rebounds per game. Ryan Hoogeveen (8.3), Ryan Stock (7.4) and Brent Dunkelberger (8.1) are the other top scorers. Stock ranks among the GPAC's best in three-point percentage (43%). Mike Vorwald runs the point and leads the team with 95 assists.

Up Next... Northwestern returns home to play Midland Lutheran on Saturday, Jan. 23 at 4:00 pm.