Men's Basketball Thursday, November 9, 2023 NWC Athletic Communications

Northwestern Hosts Classic for 2023-24 Home Opener

Raiders to face Viterbo and Bellevue on Friday and Saturday

ORANGE CITY, Iowa – After going 2-0 to start the year, the No. 18-ranked Northwestern men's basketball team returns to the Bultman Center for the 2023 Pizza Ranch Classic, facing Viterbo (Wis.) and Bellevue (Neb.) on Friday and Saturday, respectively.

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

GAME INFORMATION
Northwestern (2-0, 0-0 GPAC) vs. Viterbo (Wis.) (4-1, 0-0 NSAA)
Date: Fri., November 10 // Time: 7:00 p.m.
Location: Orange City, Iowa (Bultman Center)
Watch: nwcraiders.com // Listen: 93.9 FM KSOU (Doug Broek)

Northwestern (2-0, 0-0 GPAC) vs. Bellevue (Neb.) (0-4, 0-0 NSAA)
Date: Sat., November 11 // Time: 4:00 p.m.
Location: Orange City, Iowa (Bultman Center)
Watch: nwcraiders.com

LAST TIME OUT

The Raiders went 2-0 at the IU East Classic in Richmond, Indiana.
On Friday, Northwestern defeated Indiana University East, 75-72.
Alex Van Kalsbeek took over late, putting up 21 points, including six of the final nine points.
Northwestern erased a halftime deficit on Saturday to defeat Oakland City (Ind.), 72-66.
Zach LaFave put up a career-high 21 points while also grabbing nine boards.

NORTHWESTERN NOTES

Head coach Kris Korver begins his 24th season at the helm of the Red Raider men's basketball program.
Northwestern returns three starters along with four key reserves.
Two-time NAIA All-American Alex Van Kalsbeek returns to the fold after missing most of 2022-23 to injury.
The Raiders will also welcome Marcus Kelderman, a transfer from Truman State University (Mo.).

THE SERIES
Viterbo

The Raiders hold an 11-1 all-time advantage over the V-Hawks.
Viterbo last defeated Northwestern on November 20, 2018.
In their last meeting, Northwestern won 100-77 in the 2022 Pizza Ranch Classic.
Kaleb Booth put on a show in his second game in front of the home crowd, putting up 21 points with 12 assists.

Bellevue

Northwestern leads the all-time series 11-3.
The Raiders won the last meeting 71-66 on December 30, 2022.
Craig Sterk and Matt Onken led the way with 24 and 21 points, respectively.
Northwestern has won the last six meetings.

LEADERS OF THE 'PAC

The 2023-24 edition of the GPAC preseason poll slated the Raiders in second place, just one vote behind first-place Morningside.
A top-four finish in last year's conference standings, along with the returning talent from last year, once again primes the Raiders for a successful year.
Northwestern has finished in the top-four of the GPAC standings in each of the last four seasons.

MILESTONE WATCH

Craig Sterk became the 18th Raider all-time to score 1,600 points.
Alex Van Kalsbeek is also approaching the 1,500-point mark, currently at 1,450.

RANKED RAIDERS

Northwestern received a No. 21 ranking in the preseason NAIA top-25.
They moved up to No. 18 in the second poll on November 8.
It is their highest ranking in the one-division era, which began in 2020.

SCOUTING THE V-HAWKS

Viterbo enters the weekend on a three-game winning streak.
Jack Monis is once again the key for the V-Hawks, averaging 20.7 points per game on 63.0% shooting.
Other double-figures scorers include Ben Olson (16.0) and Nick Malovrh (10.2).
Head coach Wayne Wagner is in his 25^th season coaching the V-Hawks.

SCOUTING THE BRUINS

The Bruins are searching for their first win of the new season, currently sitting at 0-4.
All of Bellevue's losses have been by single-digits, most recently dropping a pair of contests to Park-Gilbert (Ariz.) and Embry-Riddle (Ariz.).
Nigel Wilson is leading the way in scoring for Bellevue, posting 14.5 points per game.
Lucas Gabriel is in his fifth year leading the Bruins.

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

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Players Mentioned

#34 Matt Onken: F; 6' 5"; Redshirt Junior

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

#30 Zach LaFave: F; 6' 5"; Junior

#33 Alex Van Kalsbeek: F; 6' 6"; Sophomore

#2 Kaleb Booth: G; 6' 0"; Sophomore

#1 Marcus Kelderman: G; 6' 2"; Redshirt Sophomore

Players Mentioned

#34 Matt Onken
: 6' 5"; Redshirt Junior
: F

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

#30 Zach LaFave
: 6' 5"; Junior
: F

#33 Alex Van Kalsbeek
: 6' 6"; Sophomore
: F

#2 Kaleb Booth
: 6' 0"; Sophomore
: G

#1 Marcus Kelderman
: 6' 2"; Redshirt Sophomore
: G