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Ranked Teams Match-Up Wednesday Night At the Bultman Center

Game Time...No. 4 Northwestern College returns to action on Wednesday night, Jan. 18, when they host No.24 Briar Cliff for a GPAC match-up. Tip-off at the Bultman Center is scheduled for 8pm. Northwestern currently leads the GPAC with a 9-1 record and is 19-2 overall. Briar Cliff is in fourth place in the current GPAC standings at 6-4, 15-6 overall. 

Follow the game live via the NWC webcast at the following link: Watch Now!

Live Stats!

or listen to the game via the KSOU broadcast at this link: Listen Now!

All-Time...Northwestern leads the all-time series 59-48 dating back to the 1967-68 season but is just 4-6 against the Chargers over the last 10 games. The Red Raiders snapped their five game losing skid against BCU earlier this year, defeating the Chargers 80-65 on Nov. 16 in Sioux City, Iowa. 

Last Five Meetings:

  2016-17: 80-65 W (Home)
  2015-16: 104-81 (L-Home)
  2015-16: 99-91 (L-Away)
  2015-16: 94-83 (L-Away)
  2014-15: 105-101 (L-Home)

Last Time vs Briar Cliff...Colton Kooima scored a game-high 27 points to lead Northwestern past then-No.4 Briar Cliff 80-65 in a GPAC match-up played Nov. 16 in Sioux City.

Tied at 31, the Red Raiders closed the first half with a 10-0 run to take the lead for good, 41-31, at the break. Northwestern led by double digits for most of the second half as Northwestern shot 52% over the final 20 minutes compared to just 37% for the Chargers. 

Nathan Wedel was just one rebound shy of a double-double with 18 points and nine boards while Riley Francis netted 13. 

Briar Cliff was led by Erich Erdman with 26 points and Jordan Eisma added 11 points and five boards.

Scouting Report...

No. 24 Briar Cliff: 6-4 (4th), 15-6   Head Coach: Nic Nelson (6th year)

The Chargers are 2-2 since the new year, earning wins over Morningside and Doane while losing to Concordia and Dakota Wesleyan. Last time out, Briar Cliff earned an 83-74 home win over Doane last Saturday to move to 6-4 in the GPAC, 15-6 overall. 

Briar Cliff returns two starters and eight players from a 2015-16 team that won both the GPAC regular and postseason titles, finishing 18-2 on the year. They qualified for their second straight NAIA D-II National Championship where they reached the quarterfinal but lost to IU-East to end the year with a 32-4 overall record. Briar Cliff was picked first in the GPAC preseason poll.

The Chargers average 86 points per game and are one of the top three-point shooting teams in the NAIA, making nearly 12 per game. They lead the GPAC with 173 steals and are giving up 79 points per game. 

Top Players:

 Erich Erdman-18ppg, 47 3pt (2016 Freshman of the Year; HM All-GPAC)
 Bryan Forbes-18ppg, 7.7rpg, 54 3pt (2016 Def. Player of the Year; 1st tam All-GPAC)
 Austin Lefler-10.3ppg, 33 3pters
 Shane Graves-9.3ppg, 88 assists (2x all-GPAC)

No. 4 Northwestern College: 9-1, 19-2   Head Coach-Kris Korver (17th year)

Just past the midpoint of the conference season, Northwestern sits in first place in the GPAC with a 9-1 record, 19-2 overall. They own a one-game lead over No. 19 Midland and are two games up on #13 Dakota Wesleyan. The Red Raiders are 2-1 since the new year and have won two straight heading into Wednesday night. 

Northwestern is the highest scoring team in the GPAC, 3rd best in the NAIA, at 92ppg

They lead the NAIA in rebounding, holding a +14 edge on the glass vs opponents

Colton Kooima leads the GPAC in scoring at 24ppg, fourth best in the NAIA

Kooima has climbed to 19th in career scoring (1,417); up next is Cam Olson (1,463) who played from 1995-98

Nathan Wedel averages 13.5points, 5.3 rebounds and has dished out 77 assists this season; Wedel ranks 42nd all-time with 1.056 points and 21st in career assists (264)

Derek Buysse scores 13.4 points per game and is second on the team with 41 3pters, shooting 42% from beyond the arc

Riley Francis (10.8) and Jordan Baker (9) are the other top scorers

Baker is 24th all-time in career scoring (1,307) and seventh in career rebounds (813)

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