Morningside at Northwestern

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Game Time... Northwestern goes for its third straight win Wednesday night as they host Morningside in a GPAC men's basketball game in the Bultman Center. The Red Raiders are in sixth place in the GPAC with an 8-6 record, 13-11 overall. Morningside has lost seven straight games and is tied with Doane for ninth place in the GPAC with a 4-10 record. They are 10-15 overall. Watch/listen to the game live via the NWC webcast at the following link: Watch/Listen Now!

All-Time Records... This will be the 25th game between the two rivals with Northwestern holding a 14-10 all-time advantage. The Raiders are 7-3 in the last 10 match-ups against Morningside with three of the games decided in overtime. Earlier this year, Northwestern defeated the Mustangs 86-79 in Sioux City.

Last Meeting... Five NWC players scored in double figures as the Raiders outlasted Morningside 86-79 on Dec. 9 in Sioux City. The teams played even in the opening half with seven lead changes and nine ties. With Morningside leading 21-15, Raider guard Walker Seim sparked an 11-0 run to put NWC up 28-23. Seim scored eight points during the first half run. Morningside came back, however, later in the half and tied the game at 41 as time ended in the first half.

Morningside led by two (51-49) but the Raiders pulled ahead for good with a 23-10 run, capped off by a three-pointer by Walker Seim, to lead 72-61. Ryan Stock scored eight points during the run for NWC.

Northwestern shot 49% from the field, 29% (4/14) from beyond the arc. Five players scored in double figures, led by Seim with 19 points. Daniel Van Kalsbeek and Ben Miller netted 18 and 16 points, respectively, while Ryan Hoogeveen added 13. Ryan Stock came off the bench and chipped in 11. Eddie Marrs led the Mustangs with a game-high 24 points while Cory Gaston added 14.

Morningside News and Notes... The Mustangs come in with a 10-15 overall record and are currently tied with Doane for ninth place in the GPAC standings. Morningside has lost its last seven games, most recently to Hastings, Dakota State and USF (75-64) last Saturday afternoon in Sioux Falls, S.D. Both teams struggled from the field in the first half with Morningside shooting just 27% and 32% for USF. They trailed by eight (30-22) at intermission and were outscored by three in the second half. Adam Palmer was the only Mustangs player in double figures with 23 points, making 15-of-19 free throws. The teams combined for 53 fouls and 70 free throws.

Morningside, under the direction of head coach Jim Sykes, is coming off back-to-back GPAC championships and national tournament appearances but returns just three players off last year's team. The Mustangs average 71 points per game and give up 73 points per game to their opponents. Morningside is shooting 44% from the floor and 34% from beyond the arc.

Senior guards Eddie Marrs and Mitch Carstens lead Morningside in scoring, both averaging 14 points per game. Marrs, a second team all-GPAC pick last year, ranks 10th in the GPAC with 82 assists and averages 3.6 rebounds per game. Carstens, an honorable mention all-GPAC pick in 2008-09, leads the team with 37 three-pointers and ranks third in the GPAC with 53 steals. Adam Palmer, a 6-5 senior post player, averages 11 points and six rebounds per game, shooting 46% from the field. Garth Hamilton, a 6-7 sophomore, averages 6.5 points and a team-high 6.2 boards per game. Newcomer Cory Gaston averages 5.5 points per game while Jake Hamburger ranks second on the team with 24 three-pointers.

Red Raider Notes...Northwestern is currently in sixth place in the GPAC with an 8-6 record, trailing fifth place Briar Cliff by one game with four games left in the regular season. The Red Raiders have won two straight and three of their last four games. Most recently, Coach Korver's squad has recorded wins over Mount Marty and Dana. They are 13-11 overall.

Northwestern broke open a tight game with a 17-4 second half run and went on to defeat Dana 98-79 last Saturday afternoon. Northwestern shot 57% for the game and had five players score in double figures. Walker Seim scored 20 points, making 5-of-9 three-point attempts, to share team-high honors with Daniel Van Kalsbeek, who also grabbed 11 boards for his fifth double-double. Ryan Stock netted a career-high 14 points while Ryan Hoogeveen (12) and Ben Miller (11) were also in double figures. The Red Raiders held a 46-34 advantage on the glass and dished out 21 assists, led by Mike Vorwald with seven.

The Raiders are scoring a GPAC-best 85 points per game, shooting 47% from the field. Three players average in double figures, led by Daniel Van Kalsbeek who ranks second in the GPAC averaging 19.5 points per game. The freshman is also among the GPAC's best in field goal percentage (56%), rebounds (7.1) and blocked shots (31). Walker Seim is third in the GPAC in scoring (18.8) and leads the conference in three-point percentage, shooting 47% from beyond the arc. He has 88 three-pointers on the season. Ben Miller averages 11.8 points and 6.5 boards per game. He has also dished out 62 assists. Ryan Hoogeveen (8.2ppg) and Mike Vorwald (3.0ppg, 118 assists) round out the starting line-up for Coach Korver's squad. Ryan Stock comes off the bench to score 7.3 points per game and ranks second on the team with 28 three-pointers.

Up Next... Northwestern will play its final road game of the regular season this Saturday, Feb. 13, when the Raiders take on 20th-ranked Hastings. Tipoff is scheduled for 4:00pm.