Game Time... With four games left in the regular season, Northwestern heads to Sioux City Wednesday night for a mid-week match-up against No.12 Briar Cliff. Tip-off at the Newman Flanagan Center is set for 8pm. Northwestern is in fifth place in the current GPAC standings with a 9-7 record, 15-10 overall; Briar Cliff is in third place with a 12-5 conference mark, 18-6 overall. 

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All-Time...Northwestern leads the all-time series 61-51, dating back to the 1967-68 season. The Red Raiders are 3-7 over the last 10, 2-3 over the last five match-ups. 

Last Time...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 Dec. 12 at the Bultman Center. 

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 Korverand 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. 

Scouting Reports...

    No.12 Briar Cliff Chargers:  12-5 (3rd), 18-6 overall            Head Coach: Head Coach: Mark Svagera (2nd year)

The Chargers lost to Hastings 93-91 last weekend to drop a game in back of second place University of Jamestown in the GPAC standings. They are 12-5 in the conference, 18-6 overall, and are one of four GPAC teams ranked in the top 20; Morningside (2), Jamestown (15) and Dakota Wesleyan (18). Briar Cliff has gone 3-3 over the last six games but has gone 9-1 at home this season, losing only to #2 Morningside on Nov. 14 at the Newman Flanagan.

Svagera is in his second season as the head of the Briar Cliff program after serving as an assistant under previous head coach Nic Nelson for six years. Svagera returns three starters and nine players from a 2017-18 team that tied Northwestern for second with a 13-5 conference record, 26-8 overall. They lost to Indiana University-East in the quarterfinals of the NAIA D-II National Championship. 

By the Numbers: (GPAC rank / NAIA rank if top 10)
    Scoring Offense: 89.7ppg (2nd)
    Scoring Defense: 82.9ppg (10th)
    Field Goal Percentage: 49% (4th)
    3pt Percentage: 41% (2nd / 8th), 316 3pters (1st /2nd)
    Free Throw Percentage: 77% (1st)
    Rebound Margin: -2 (8th)

Top Players:  
    Jay Wolfe (All-American; 2x All-Conference) 22.2ppg (2nd), 61 3pters, 48% 3pt (1st), 7.4rpg (2nd)
    Evan Freidel (All-Conference)  16.1ppg, 66 3pters (4th), 85% FT (3rd)
    Jackson Lamb (All-Conference)-14.3ppg, 78 3pters (2nd), 6.1rpg 

Northwestern College:  9-7 (5th), 15-10 overall                Head Coach: Kris Korver (19th year)

After a solid 5-2 record in January, Northwestern started February off on a good note with a 79-64 win over Concordia last weekend. Northwestern continues to hold onto fifth place in the GPAC with a 9-7 record, 15-10 overall, with four games left in the regular season. 

    Northwestern has outrebounded its opponent in 18 of its 25 games played; but have been outrebounded in three straight; they lead the GPAC in rebound margin (+7)

    The Red Raiders have shot better than 50% in 16 of their 25 games; and shot better than its opponent in 16 games

    Trent Hilbrands has scored in double figures in 22 of 25 games; has 11 20+ points games

    Jay Small has scored double figures in 20 games

    Parker Mulder ranks in the GPAC's top 10 in rebounding (66.), assists (96) and double-doubles (5)

By the Numbers: (GPAC / NAIA rank-if top 10)
    Scoring Offense: 87.4ppg (4th)
    Scoring Defense: 78.8ppg (6th)
    Field Goal Percentage: 50% (3rd / 9th)
    3pt Percentage: 40% (3rd), 272 3pters (4th)
    Free Throw Percentage: 77% (2nd)
    Rebound Margin: +7 (1st)

Top Players:  (GPAC / NAIA rank-if top 10)
    Trent Hilbrands - 18.5ppg (5th), 49 3pters, 39% 3pt, 4.1rpg, 67 assists
    Jay Small - 14.1ppg, 71 3pters (8th), 40% 3pt, 4.4rpg, 28 assists
    Parker Mulder - 10.9ppg, 56% FG, 6.6rpg (6th), 96 assists
    Steven Kragt - 10.4ppg, 33 3pters, 42% 3pt, 41 assists
    Craig Sterk - 9.1ppg, 52% FG, 4.2rpg, 11 blocks