Game Time...A pair of top five teams square off for the third time this season as No.2 Northwestern hosts No.5 Dakota Wesleyan in a GPAC Semifinal on Saturday, Feb. 23. Game time is set for 1pm. Northwestern, ranked second in the NAIA and the No.2 seed in the GPAC Postseason Tournament, is 26-3 on the year. Dakota Wesleyan, ranked fifth in the NAIA and the No.3 seed, is 27-4.Â
Follow the game live, via the NWC webcast, at this link:
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All-Time...Dating back to the 1982-83 season, Northwestern holds a 39-20 lead in the all-time series against DWU. The Red Raiders, however, are just 3-7 in the last 10 games against the Tigers, 2-3 in the last five.Â
Earlier This Season...Northwestern has split the season series against DWU, losing an early season match-up at the Corn Palace, 76-73. The Red Raiders avenged that early loss with a 69-54 home win over the Tigers on Jan. 16.Â
  By the Numbers....Below are some of the notable stats of these two teams in their two previous meetings:
          Northwestern - 47% FG                          DWU - 39% FG
                               - 34% 3pt (12/35)                       - 32% 3pt (11/34)
                               - 82% FT (22/27)                         - 85% FT (29/34)
                      Reb: +4.5                                          Reb. -4.5
                      TO: 27                                               TO: 26
          Individual Leaders:
             Â
Haley Birks:Â 16.5ppg, 3.5rpg, 67% FGÂ Â Â Â Sarah Carr: 18.5ppg, 7.0rpg, 3/6 3pt
             Â
Darbi Gustafson: 12.5ppg, 7rpg, 39% FGÂ Â Kynedi Cheeseman: 14ppg, 4.5rpg, 4/11 3pt
             Â
Sammy Blum: 10.5ppg, 5/10 3pt               Sydney Halling: 10.5ppg, 80% FG, 4rpg
             Â
Kassidy De Jong: 10ppg, 4/12 3pt, 13rpg  Madison Mathews: 10ppg, 4/9 3pt
Scouting Reports...
No. 5 Dakota Wesleyan Tigers: 18-4 (3rd), 27-4Â Â Â Â Â Â Head Coach: Jason Christensen (9th year)
Seeded third in the GPAC postseason tournament, DWU defeated No.6 Morningside 88-75 in the quarterfinals Wednesday night, earning their third straight win. They outscored the Mustangs 29-16 in the fourth and final quarter after being tied at the end of three periods. Sarah Carr had a huge game, totaling 37 points and 13 rebounds while Riley Osthus scored 18 and dished out four assists. Dakota Wesleyan has been ranked in the top five all season and is 27-4 heading into Saturday's game.
Christensen, now in his ninth season as the head coach of the Tigers program, returns two starters and seven players from a 2017-18 team that won the NAIA D-II National Championship with a 32-6 record. They finished tied with Northwestern for second in the GPACÂ with a 16-4 record and were picked to finish second, behind Concordia, in the preseason poll.
By the Numbers: (GPACÂ rank /Â
NAIA rank-if top 10)
    Scoring Offense: 80.2ppg (4th /Â
10th)
    Scoring Defense: 62.5ppg (1st)
    Field Goal Percentage: 47% (2nd /Â
3rd)
    3pt Percentage: 34% (5th), 211 3pters (7th)Â
    Free Throw Percentage: 83% (1st /Â
1st)
    Rebound Margin: +6 (3rd)
Top Players:Â Â (GPACÂ rank /Â
NAIA rank-if top 10)
   Kynedi Cheeseman (All-Conference) 18.5ppg (2nd), 73 3pters (4th), 4.5 rpg, 111 assistsÂ
   Sarah Carr 17.9ppg (4th), 39 3pters, 5.9rpg (9th)
  Riley Osthus (3x All-Conference) 11.6ppg, 5.3rpg, 167 assists (2nd /Â
6th)
    Makaela Karst 10.6ppg, 22 3pters, 5.1rpg, 37 blks (6th)
No.2 Northwestern Red Raiders: 19-3 (T1st), 26-3    Head Coach: Chris Yaw (8th year)
The Red Raiders used a big second half to pull away from Midland 60-36 in Wednesday night's GPAC Quarterfinal. Northwestern was dominant on the defensive end, giving up just 12 points in the second half and holding Midland to below 20% shooting over the final 20 minutes.Â
Northwestern has won six consecutive games and brings a 26-3 overall record into Saturday's game.
By the Numbers:Â (GPACÂ rank /Â
NAIA rank-if top 10)
    Scoring Offense: 84.8ppg (2nd /Â
4th)
    Scoring Defense: 62.6ppg (2nd)
    Field Goal Percentage: 49% (1st /Â
1st)
    3pt Percentage: 39% (1st /Â
1st), 231Â 3pters (5th)
    Free Throw Percentage: 76% (2nd)
    Rebound Margin: +11 (1st /Â
3rd)
Top Players: (GPACÂ rank /Â
NAIA rank-if top 10) *returning starter
   *
Kassidy De Jong (2x All-American) 17.9ppg (3rd), 62 3pters (8th), 8rpg (1st)
   *
Darbi Gustafson (All-Conference) 15.1ppg (7th), 53% (4th), 7.7rpg (3rd), 33 blocks (7th)  Â
   *
Haley Birks (All-Conference) 12.8ppg, 87 FT % (3rd / 6th), 3.8rpg
  Â
Sammy Blum - 10.9ppg, 73 3pters (3rd), 46% 3pt (1st /Â
3rd), 102 assists (7th)Â