ORANGE CITY, Iowa – Fifteen 3-pointers and 50.9% shooting from the floor allowed the (RV) Northwestern College men's basketball team (16-5, 8-3 GPAC) to avenge on their November loss to the Midland Warriors (14-7, 5-6 GPAC), picking up their 16^th win of the season, 77-66.
 
"The guys did a great job tonight," noted head coach Kris Korver. "We did an amazing job in the first half only giving up eight 3-point shots."

The Raiders started the contest on a better note than the meeting back in November in Fremont, Neb. as the Northwestern defense was keen to force the Warriors to beat them inside the three-point line. The defense was stout as Midland only shot 36.7% from the floor in the first half.
 
The game started back and forth, as neither team took early control of the contest. Out of a Raider time out with six minutes left to go in the half leading 21-20, Grant DeMeulenaere (Sr., Altoona, Iowa/Grand View Christian) hit a 3-point basket to get the Raider faithful into it, extending the Northwestern lead to 24-20. A Noah Slagter (Sr., Willmar, Minn./Willmar) steal and an Alex Van Kalsbeek (So., Orange City, Iowa/MOC-Floyd Valley) fast break lay-up extending the Raider lead up to 26-24 with under five to play in the half.
 
With under a minute left in the first half, Trent Hilbrands (Sr., Remsen, Iowa/Le Mars Community) hits a three to extend the Raider lead to 34-26. Northwestern would take a 34-28 lead into the locker room. Hilbrands paced the Raiders with 10 first half points, while Van Kalsbeek brought in seven rebounds and dished out three assists.
 
Although Northwestern would lead most of the second half, it was Midland who opened came out hot on an 8-0 run to take a 36-34 lead. Slagter would end the run with a three from the left wing to give Northwestern the lead back at 37-36. Laurence Merritt would find his stroke for Midland, knocking down back-to-back 3-pointers to give the Warriors a five-point advantage.
 
Slagter would keep the Raiders in the game with a three to cut into the Warrior lead, making 48-46 with 12 minutes to go in the game. Seven straight points from Hilbrands would give the Raiders the lead back with under 10 to play. Earning back-to-back defensive stops on, a set play would end with a Van Kalsbeek finish to build upon the Raider lead.
 
"Noah (Slagter) was awesome off the bench!" said Korver. "It was a chess match and Slagter came ready to step up today."
 
After a Midland time out, the two teams would trade buckets but the Raiders were able to build a lead as they hit three-pointers for Midland's field goals. With seven minutes to play, Northwestern held a 59-54 lead. Hilbrands stayed hot, knocking down his third three of the second half forcing a Midland time out. A hustle play by Slagter led to a Midland turnover and yet another Hilbrands three, as the Raider faithful loved it and the Bultman Center got loud. Northwestern would extend their lead to the largest of the game at 11, thanks to Slagter's 3-pointer, pushing the Raider lead up to the final tally of 77-66.
 
"Our guys were unselfish tonight, hitting the 20-assist mark. They showed some real character spreading the ball," noted Korver. "Both teams played really hard and I'm proud of our guys tonight."
 
Hilbrands nearly dropped his second straight 30+ point game with 29 points in the win this afternoon, shooting lights out from deep at 60% (6-for-10), playing all 40 minutes. Off the bench, Slagter notched 14 points, grabbed four rebounds, and dished out four assists. Geddes had 11 points and three assists on the night. Van Kalsbeek had a game-high in both rebounds (11) and assists (7) He shared the ball with his teammates picking up more assists than points on the game (6 points). The Raiders split the regular season with the Warriors with the victory.

As a team, the Raiders were red hot from the floor shooting 50.9% from the floor (29-for-57) and 44.1% from deep (15-for-34). The second half saw the 3-point basketball fall like rain, drilling 10 of the game's 15 in the second half while shooting 52.6% (10-for-19).

Up Next: The Raiders will travel to Sioux City, Iowa on Wednesday night to battle the Briar Cliff Chargers (13-6, 9-2 GPAC) from inside the Newman Flanagan Center. Tip-off is slated for 7:45 p.m.