Shooting woes doomed Northwestern in its 86-68 loss at No.25 Dordt in a GPAC match-up played tonight in Sioux Center, Iowa.
The Red Raiders fall to 1-1 in conference play, 5-2 overall; Dordt moves to 1-2 in the GPAC, 5-3 overall.
Northwestern shot 39% for the game but just 25% in the first half when the host Defenders raced out to a 48-26 halftime lead.
Craig Sterk netted a team-high 18 points, one of four Red Raiders to score in double figures.
Trent Hilbrands poured in 15,
Grant Rohrer 11 and
Jay Small scored 10.
Head Coach
Kris Korver's squad held the lead just twice, after the game's first basket (a three-pointer by Small) and moments later after a three-pointer by Hilbrands. With the score tied at 16-16, Dordt drained five straight three-pointers in a 15-4 run for a 31-20 advantage. The host Defenders extended their lead to 48-26 by halftime as Northwestern made just three field goals over the final 11 minutes.
Northwestern shot better in the second half and rallied a bit, cutting the Defender lead down to 13 (52-39) at the 15-minute mark and down to 12 (58-46) with 11-minutes left. Dordt answered back with an 11-4 run to push its lead back to 19 and clinch the win.
Garrett Franken led all players with 24 points and pulled down nine rebounds. Jesse Jansma scored 15 and Ben Gesink added 14 points and three assists for the Defenders, who shot 49% for the game.
Northwestern was outrebounded 41-33 and both teams committed seven turnovers.
