Game Time...No.11 Northwestern College plays host to No.9 Morningside in a GPAC mens' basketball match-up featuring ranked teams Wednesday night, Jan. 24. Tip-off for the men's game is slated for 8pm. The Red Raiders have lost two straight and bring a 7-4 league record into Wednesday night's showdown. Morningside has won five straight games and is tied with Briar Cliff for first in the GPAC with a 9-2 mark. Both teams have a 17-4 overall record. 

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

All-Time...Northwestern holds a slight 22-19 edge in the all-time series but the teams have split (5-5) the last 10 match-ups. 

Last Time vs Morningside...Tyler Borchers scored a game-high 23 points and Brody Egger chipped in 21 in leading Morningside to an 86-71 win over then-No.1 Northwestern in a match-up played in Sioux City, Iowa on Nov. 29. It was the first loss of the season for NW.

Northwestern scored the first six points and held an 11-5 lead after a Parker Mulder three-pointer at the 16-minute mark. Morningside used a 13-2 run, beginning with a Brody Egger three-pointer, to take the lead for good with 11 minutes left. The Mustangs held a seven-point advantage, 35-28, at the break. 

An Egger lay-up pushed the Morningside lead to 10 (42-32) in the opening minutes of the second half; Northwestern came back with a 7-0 run, capped by a Kooima jumper, to get within three at the 15-minute mark. 

Still just a five-point game with 11 minutes left, Morningside put the game away with a 15-6 run that lasted nearly five minutes and put the hosts back up by double digits for the rest of the game.

Three Red Raiders scored in double figures, led by Colton Kooima with 22 points. Chris Borchers netted a season-high 15, going 7-for-10 from the field, and Nathan Wedel scored 12 points, pulled down four rebounds and dished out four assists. 

    Game Recap

Scouting Reports...

No.9 Morningside College Mustangs: 9-2 (T1st GPAC), 17-4 overall      Head Coach: Jim Sykes (15th year)

    The Mustangs have won five straight, seven of their last eight, to move into a first place tie with Briar Cliff in the current GPAC standings. Since an 85-75 loss to DWU on Jan. 3, Morningside has defeated Concordia, Dordt, Doane, Mount Marty and Midland.

    Sykes took over the Mustangs program in the middle of the 2004-05 season and has won 65% of his games during his 15 years on the sideline. He is the all-time winningest coach in program history and has guided Morningside to five NAIA D-II Championship appearances and seven 20+ win seasons. Sykes returns three starters and eight players from a 2016-17 team that finished tied for fifth in the GPAC at 10-8, 21-10 overall. 

    By the Numbers: (NAIA Rank-if top 10)
    Scoring Offense: 84.6ppg (5th)
    Scoring Defense: 77.7ppg (5th)
    Field Goal Percentage: 52% (2nd/5th)
    3pt Percentage: 38% (T6th), 188 3pters (7th)
    Free Throw Percentage: 70% (8th)
    Rebound Margin: +5 (4th)

Top Players:  (NAIA Rank-if top 10) * returning starter
    *Brody Egger (All-Conference)  15.7ppg, 50 3pters (8th), 3.9rpg, 44 assists
    *Tyler Borchers (All-Conference)  14.9ppg, 66% FG (1st/6th), 7.2rpg (3rd), 23 blocks (3rd)
    Alex Borchers  (All-Conference)  13.3ppg, 58% FG (5th), 83 assists (5th)
    Zach Imig  12.6ppg, 71 assists (7th)
    Pierce Almond  6.6ppg, 38 3pters, 30% 3pt
   
No.11 Northwestern College: 7-4 (3rd), 17-4    Head Coach: Kris Korver (18th year)

Since its eight-game win streak that began in December with a home win over Dordt, the Red Raiders have dropped two straight, falling to Hastings at home and to Briar Cliff last weekend. 

By the Numbers: (GPAC rank / NAIA-if top 10)
    Scoring Offense: 94.8ppg (1st / 2nd)
    Scoring Defense: 82ppg (10th)
    Field Goal Percentage: 52% (1st / 3rd)
    3pt Percentage: 41% (1st / 5th); 222 3pters (2nd / 9th) 
    Free Throw Percentage: 84% (1st / 1st) 
    Rebound Margin: +6 (2nd)

Top Players:
    Colton Kooima-All-American, 3x All-GPAC; 22.3ppg (1st / 10th), 61 3pters (4th), 77 assists (6th)
    Nathan Wedel-3x All-Conference; 20.8ppg (2nd), 6.2rpg (9th), 61% FG (3rd), 85 assists (4th)     
    Derek Buysse-All-Conference; 15.9ppg, 66 3pters (1st / 3rd), 4.9rpg
    Riley Francis-All-Conference; 12.7ppg, 6.4rpg (8th)