Men's Basketball Tuesday, December 6, 2022 NWC Athletic Communications

Northwestern Looks Ahead to Dordt and Morningside This Week

Men's basketball split their two games last week

ORANGE CITY, Iowa – Following a 1-1 week in Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) play, Northwestern (7-3, 2-2 GPAC) will see two conference opponents in Dordt and Morningside this week. The Red Raiders will travel to Sioux Center for the Sioux County showdown with Dordt on Wednesday before hosting the Mustangs of Morningside on Saturday. Saturday's contest will include a halftime recognition of the 1980s men's basketball teams led by former coach Les Douma.

Live stats and a live stream will be available for both games, linked at the top of the story.

GAME INFORMATION:
Northwestern (7-3, 2-2 GPAC) at (RV) Dordt (9-2, 2-2 GPAC)
Date: Wed., December 7 // Time: 7:45 p.m.
Location: Sioux Center, Iowa (De Witt Gymnasium)
Watch: godordt.com // Listen: KSOU Radio – 93.9 FM (Doug Broek)

Northwestern (7-3, 2-2 GPAC) vs. (RV) Morningside (8-2, 4-1 GPAC)
Date: Sat., December 10 // Time: 3:45 PM
Location: Orange City, Iowa (Bultman Center)
Watch: nwcraiders.com // Listen: KSOU Radio – 93.9 FM (Doug Broek)

LAST TIME OUT:

Northwestern suffered a road loss to Concordia (Neb.), falling 81-55.
Craig Sterk (Jr., McBain, Mich.) led the Raiders in scoring with 18 points. He also had five rebounds and four blocks.
Northwestern was as close as three points in the second half before the Bulldogs pulled away on a 14-5 run.

NORTHWESTERN NOTES:

The Raiders have won four of their last five, including two wins at Dordt's De Witt Gymnasium against Governors State (Ill.) and Oak Hills Christian (Minn.).
Northwestern senior Grant DeMeulenaere (Sr., Altoona, Iowa) is just two assists away from entering the 300-assist club.
Sterk continues to inch his way up the all-time scoring list, now sitting at 36th with 1,227 career points.
The Red Raiders sit at eighth in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) in three-pointers per game (10.5) and ninth in assists per game (18.9).

THE SERIES:

The Red Raiders enter the year on a three-game winning streak over Dordt.
Northwestern has won 11 of the last 13 games in the series, leading the all-time series 84-33.
The last time the two teams met was on February 16, 2022, where Alex Van Kalsbeek (Jr., Orange City, Iowa) and Trent Hilbrands each had over 20 points to push the Raiders to an 80-78 win.
Morningside holds a slim margin in the all-time series with Northwestern, 26-25.
Northwestern split their contests with Morningside last season, as both teams took a win on their home courts.

POLL PARTY:

The Red Raiders were picked to finish third in this year's GPAC preseason poll after finishing third in the conference standings a year ago.
In the most recent NAIA Coaches' Poll, both Dordt and Morningside are receiving votes.
The Defenders and Mustangs were picked to finish fourth and fifth, respectively, in the GPAC preseason poll.

SCOUTING THE DEFENDERS:

The Defenders lead the NAIA in points per game (97.2) and field goal percentage (55.3%).
Head coach Brian Van Haaften picked up his 500th win on Nov. 25 against Oak Hills Christian (Minn.).
Jacob Vis leads the team in points (18.1) and rebounds (8.0).
After starting GPAC play 0-2, Dordt is on a four-game winning streak, going 2-0 in conference games in that span.
Dordt all of last year's starters to this season's team, but freshman Lucas Lorenzen has inserted himself into the first five. The newcomer is averaging 12.5 points and 6.4 rebounds through 11 games.

SCOUTING THE MUSTANGS:

Morningside holds the top record in the GPAC at 4-1, posting an 8-2 overall mark.
Their only losses are to National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NCAA) Division II powerhouse Northwest Missouri State, and an overtime loss at Doane.
The Mustangs return a bevy of experience, as their four double-digit scorers are either of junior or senior eligibility.
Trent Miller is in the midst of his second season as Morningside's head coach but was previously in the program as an assistant coach since 2015. Miller was also a three-year starter for the Mustangs as a student-athlete.

Don't forget to follow Northwestern College Athletics on Facebook @nwcraiders, Twitter @nwcraiders, and Instagram @nwcraiders! #RaidersStandOut

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Players Mentioned

#4 Trent Hilbrands: G; 6' 0"; Senior

#42 Alex Van Kalsbeek: F; 6' 6"; Junior

#14 Grant DeMeulenaere: G; 6' 1"; Senior

#24 Craig Sterk: F; 6' 7"; Junior

Players Mentioned

#4 Trent Hilbrands
: 6' 0"; Senior
: G

#42 Alex Van Kalsbeek
: 6' 6"; Junior
: F

#14 Grant DeMeulenaere
: 6' 1"; Senior
: G

#24 Craig Sterk
: 6' 7"; Junior
: F