A balanced scoring attack coupled with an inspired defensive effort led Northwestern to a 96-73 home win over sixth-ranked Briar Cliff in a GPAC match-up played tonight at the Bultman Center. Northwestern improves to 3-4 in the conference, 8-6 overall, and snaps the Chargers five-game win streak.
Trent Hilbrands led the Red Raiders with 19 points, 14 in the second half, and
Steven Kragt scored 17 and pulled down nine boards to go with five assists.
Jay Small added 13 points and both
Isaac Heyer and
Grant Rohrer netted 10 point each.
A basket by Jackson Lamb put Briar Cliff up for the final time, 19-18, at the 10:49 mark of the first half and was also the fourth lead change of the opening 10 minutes.
Chris Borchers scored on a reverse lay-up to give the Red Raiders the lead for good and began a 10-0 run to put Coach Korver's squad up 28-19. The Red Raiders managed to build a 14-point lead by the break, scoring the final six points of the first half off baskets by Heyer,
Christian Korver and
Parker Mulder.
The Chargers twice cut the hosts lead down to 11, the final after a basket by Kyle Boerhave with 16 minutes left. Northwestern countered with a 12-3 run, initiated by a pair of three-pointers by Kragt and finished by a basket by Rohrer in the paint, for a 20-point (67-47) advantage.
The teams traded baskets over the next five-six minutes until another 12-2 run put the game away for the hosts.
Northwestern shot 59% for the game, 39% (10/26) from the arc, and held a commanding 44-24 edge on the glass. Defensively, the Red Raiders limited one of the top three-point shooting teams in the NAIA to just 25% (7/28).
Jay Wolfe led Briar Cliff with 22 points, the only Chargers' player to score in double figures.
