ORANGE CITY, Iowa – The Northwestern College men's basketball (5-0, 0-0 GPAC) team continues their winning ways, downing the Viterbo V-Hawks (3-1, 0-0 NSAA) to wrap up Day 1 of the Pizza Ranch Classic inside the Bultman Center.
The Raiders were a threat from deep early, the first three buckets of the game coming from behind the arc to give Northwestern an early 9-0 lead. Northwestern would not look back, extending their lead up to as high as 12 points with under 10 to go in the opening half. The V-Hawks would chip away, remaining within striking distance as the Raiders would take an eight-point 47-39 lead into the locker room.
A balanced scoring attack in the opening 20 minutes kept the V-Hawks off balance.
Alex Van Kalsbeek (So., Orange City, Iowa/MOC-Floyd Valley) led the team with nine in the first half.
Trent Hilbrands (Sr., Remsen, Iowa/Le Mars Community) contributed eight points.
Northwestern kept the pressure on to begin the second half with a 19-5 run to jump out to a 66-44 lead with 14 minutes left in the game. The Raiders would jump out to their largest lead of 26 points with just under 11 to play, holding a 20+ lead for nearly eight minutes of game time in the second half.
The V-Hawks would battle back late, getting the deficit down to just ten points, but Northwestern kept them from getting within single digits. Four late free throws late from
Noah Slagter (Sr., Willmar, Minn./Willmar) and
Grant DeMeulenaere (Sr., Altoona, Iowa/Grand View Christian) would seal the deal as the Raiders prevailed with a 96-83 victory.
Hilbrands was tied for the game-high with 21 points. Slagter contributed 19 points, seven assists, and five rebounds – flying all over the court. Van Kalsbeek tallied 15 points and eight rebounds, with
Matt Onken (R-So., Marshall, Minn./Marshall) having 14 points and seven rebounds.
Up Next: The Raiders will close out this year's Pizza Ranch Classic with a matchup against another North Star Athletic Association (NSAA) opponent in Bellevue University (Neb.) with tip-off set for 6:00 p.m.
