Nathan Wedel scored a career-high 46 points in leading Northwestern to a 116-11 overtime win over Dordt in another classic match-up in the long-standing rivalry. The win snaps a two-game losing skid for the Red Raiders as they improve to 3-2 in the GPAC, 10-2 overall. Dordt drops to 2-2 in conference play, 7-7 overall.
Wedel's 46-points is second highest scoring output all-time at NW, ranking behind only Alan Visser, who poured in 49 against Briar Cliff in the 1990 season.
Trailing by nine (95-86) after a three-pointer by Defenders guard Chandler Brunsting with 2:28 left to go, Northwestern closed the game with a 16-7 run, beginning with a pair of
Colton Kooima free throws, to force overtime tied at 102. A three-point play by Wedel followed by a basket by
Riley Francis put the Red Raiders down 97-93 at the 1:16 mark and a reverse lay-up by
Parker Mulder made it a two-point game, 99-97, with 24 seconds left. Two free throws by Alec Henrickson put Dordt back up by four but Wedel came back with a lay-up to make it a two-point game with 13 seconds left. Northwestern then fouled and Defenders guard Andrew O'Donnell made 1-of-2 free throws to give the visitors a 102-99 advantage. On the ensuing possession, Kooima was fouled on a three-point attempt and converted all three free throws to tie the score at 102 with six seconds remaining. Henrickson missed on a last-second floater to win it for the Defenders.
Northwestern made all five of its field goal attempts in outscoring the Defenders 14-9 in the extra period, taking the lead for good on a jumper by Wedel with 1:31 left. The Red Raiders forced a miss on the defensive end and Kooima knocked down a long three-pointer to put the hosts up four at the 31-second mark. The Red Raiders sealed the win by making 3-of-4 free throw attempts.
The Red Raiders shot 61% for the game compared to 52% by the Defenders and the teams were relatively even from beyond the arc (NW-41%, Dordt-42%).
Derek Buysse recorded his second career double-double with 20 points and 11 rebounds, converting a team-high three shots from beyond the arc. Kooima scored 15 and dished out four assists and
Riley Francis tallied 13 points and grabbed eight rebounds.
Chris Borchers added 11 points, giving the Red Raiders five players in double figures.
Northwestern held the edge on the glass, 37-32, led by Buysse (11) and Francis (8). The Red Raiders committed 15 turnovers compared to 12 by Dordt.
Dordt held the lead for most of the first half and surged ahead by as much as 11 on five occasions in the opening half, the final one coming after a jumper by Jesse Jansma (54-43) at the two-minute mark. Wedel scored the final three points of the half for NW to make it an eight-point game, 54-46, at the half.
The Defenders pushed the lead back to 10 (59-49) in the initial minute of the second half but Northwestern rallied behind the play of Buysse and Borchers, who combined for 18 points during a 21-11 run over the next six minutes to tie the game at 70. A three-pointer by Buysse moments later put Northwestern in front by one (78-77) but back came the Defenders with an 18-9 run, capped by a Chandler Brunsting three-pointer, to take a nine-point lead (95-86) with 2:28 left.
Henrickson led Dordt with 25 points, followed by Jansma with 21 and Marcus Winterfeld with 16.
