Colton Kooima and
Riley Francis combined for 61 points in leading No.5 Northwestern to a 100-87 win over Peru State in the final game of the Northwestern Pizza Ranch Classic played this afternoon at the Bultman Center. The Red Raiders stay unbeaten, improving to 4-0 on the year, while Peru State lost for the first time and falls to 3-1.
Kooima scored 27 of his season-high 32 points in the second half and Francis had the hot hand in the first half, netting 16 of his career-high 29 points during the opening 20 minutes.
Nathan Wedel added 15 points, going a perfect 9-for-9 from the free throw line.
Key Plays...
Northwestern began the game with an 11-2 run, led by Francis, who netted seven during the opening four minutes.
A 16-2 Northwestern run pushed its lead to 22 (32-10), getting three-pointers from Francis (2) , Kooima (1) and
Christian Korver (1) with nine minutes left in the half; Peru State came back within 14 moments later but Korver knocked down consecutive three-pointers to push the lead back to 20 at the five-minute mark.
Peru State closed the half with a 12-4 run to make the score 44-32 after the first half.
Northwestern held the Bobcats in check on the offensive end, limiting PSU to just 26% from the field.
The Red Raiders kept a double digit lead throughout the entire second half and held a 23 point advantage (85-62) with 5:34 left to play.
By the Numbers...
Northwestern shot 45% for the game, 41% (13/22) from beyond the arc; Peru State shot 38% for the game, 42% (14/33) from the three-point line.
Both teams shot well from the charity stripe; Northwestern 29/35 (83%), Peru State 19/22 (86%).
Northwestern had a big advantage on the glass, 47-35, including 15 on the offensive end.
This was Kooima's 12th 30+-point game and 81st game scoring in double figures
Francis scored a career-best 29 points, his previous best was a 28-point effort against Viterbo last season.
Spencer Pauley had career-highs in both points (7) and rebounds (14)
Kooima dished out six assists and Wedel added five.
This was head coach
Kris Korver's 399th career win; Korver is the all-time winningest coach in program history and owns a 74% win percentage.
Northwestern has won 16 straight non-conference home games, dating back to the 2013-14 season
Quantice Hunter poured in a career-high 41 points and totaled nine rebounds for the Bobcats.
