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Northwestern College Athletics

Northwestern College
HOME OF NORTHWESTERN RED RAIDERS ATHLETICS
HONORING CHRIST THROUGH EXCELLENCE IN ATHLETICS
Nike
mbb-recap-morningside-230125
78
Winner Northwestern NWC 16-5, 9-4 gpac
74
Morningside MOR 16-4, 10-3 gpac
Winner
Northwestern NWC
16-5, 9-4 gpac
78
Final
74
Morningside MOR
16-4, 10-3 gpac
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Northwestern NWC 43 35 78
Morningside MOR 38 36 74

Game Recap: Men's Basketball | | NWC Athletic Communications

Defense Shines in Top-25 Win

Northwestern defeats Morningside on the road for the first time since 2016

SIOUX CITY, Iowa – (RV) Northwestern (16-5, 9-4 GPAC) got a key defensive stop with 10 seconds on the clock on their way to a 78-74 win over No. 18 Morningside (16-4, 10-3 GPAC) on Wednesday night. The win snapped Morningside's seven-game winning streak as the Mustangs suffered their first home loss of the season.

"It was a great win," said head coach Kris Korver. "To get a sweep of the team that is first place in our league is great for our team."

The Raiders built up an early lead, jumping ahead 16-5 through the first four minutes in part to back-to-back threes from Conner Geddes (So., Sioux Falls, S.D.). Despite keeping their advantage in double-figures through the opening 10 minutes, Morningside stormed back, putting together a 16-3 run in six minutes to take a 26-24 lead.

The rest of the first half saw competitive, back-and-forth action between the two teams, with Northwestern taking a 43-38 lead into the break.

After play resumed, Northwestern pushed their lead back to 11 on consecutive threes from Craig Sterk (Jr., McBain, Mich.) with 16:28 in regulation. The largest lead of the game for the Raiders was 12 after a Matt Onken (R-Jr., Marshall, Minn.) and-one with nine minutes to play.

Now trailing 70-58, Morningside went on another scoring run, putting together a 10-2 stretch over five minutes, making the score 72-68 with 3:27 left.

With less than a minute on the clock, the Mustangs took the ball up the court with a chance to tie or take the lead. Morningside had a second-chance opportunity off of a missed layup, but a missed three led to a runout from Zach LaFave (Jr., Elkhorn, Neb.) who gave Northwestern a two-possession lead with 12 seconds on the clock. Morningside did get to the rim for two on the next possession, but Grant DeMeulenaere (Sr., Altoona, Iowa) hit both free throws to help the Raiders come within one game of first place in the Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC).

"I thought our guys did a great job of preparing well. We took care of the basketball and to only have 11 turnovers against Morningside and keep them from getting out in transition is important. I think Sterk was an animal in the paint tonight. He had a couple of game-changing plays for us tonight."
 
GAME NOTES
  • Tonight's win is the first time since November 22, 2016 that Northwestern has beaten Morningside on the road.
  • It was also their first road win over a top-25 opponent since February 28, 2017 when they defeated No. 12 Briar Cliff.
  • Dillon Carlson (Sr., Ankeny, Iowa) led all scorers with 22 points, making six three-pointers.
  • It was a solid outing for Matt Onken, who had 15 points, seven boards, and five assists.
  • Craig Sterk affected all facets of the game with 12 points, eight rebounds, six assists, five blocks, and four steals.
  • The Raiders shot 50% from the field and hit 12 threes.
  • Northwestern has swept the season series over Morningside, accounting for two of the Mustangs' four losses.
SCOOTER'S PLAYER OF THE GAME
Craig Sterk
Up Next: The Raiders will continue their road trip this Saturday, heading north to face the No. 11-ranked Jamestown Jimmies. Tip-off is set for 3:45 p.m. in Jamestown, North Dakota.
Don't forget to follow Northwestern College Athletics on Facebook @nwcraiders, Twitter @nwcraiders, and Instagram @nwcraiders! #RaidersStandOut
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