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HOME OF NORTHWESTERN RED RAIDERS ATHLETICS
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71
Oregon Tech OIT 27-6, 18-4
72
Winner Northwestern NWC 25-7, 15-5
Oregon Tech OIT
27-6, 18-4
71
Final
72
Northwestern NWC
25-7, 15-5
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Oregon Tech OIT 33 38 71
Northwestern NWC 33 39 72

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

Raiders Punch Ticket to Final Site in Thrilling Fashion

First trip to Kansas City tournament site in program history; reach Round of 16 for first time since 2018

ORANGE CITY, Iowa – Craig Sterk pushed in a hook shot from 10 feet out to put the Raiders ahead for good, as a thrilling contest saw No. 5-seeded Northwestern emerge victorious, 72-71 over No. 4-seeded Oregon Tech in the Bultman Center on Saturday night.

"I'm really proud of these guys," stated head coach Kris Korver. "They gritted it out. Conner came off the bench to hit two big threes and rejuvenate the crowd, and then our guys locked in defensively, executed, and Craig hit a big shot at the end."

With the home-court advantage in their favor, the Raiders jumped ahead 10-5 on an Alex Van Kalsbeek jumper with 16:38 in the first. The Hustlin' Owls battled back to 13-13 before the lead alternated in a back-and-forth battle for the rest of the opening half. Energy was infused into the gym later in the period as Zach LaFave converted on a steal-and-slam to go ahead 32-28 with two minutes until the break, before a last-second layup by Tech's Jamison Guerra knotted it up at 33 going into the locker room.

The Owls were unconscious from beyond the arc through the midway point of the second half, leading by as many as 12 points with 8:21 left in the game and looking to extend their stay in the Midwest. Instead, the Raiders answered with back-to-back Conner Geddes threes to re-energize the Red Raider faithful. Later, an alley-oop from Kaleb Booth to Van Kalsbeek capped a 12-2 run and cut the deficit to two points with five to play.

Both teams traded punches in the final five minutes, and Northwestern worked magic to come back once again after trailing by six with three minutes to go. After the Raiders got to the line and made stops to make the score 71-70 in favor of the Owls, Craig Sterk sunk a mid-range hook to move ahead 72-71.

The drama continued, though, in the final seconds as a pair of missed free throws gave Oregon Tech one more chance. The Owls drove into the lane and were stopped by a wall of Red Raiders, sending Northwestern to the NAIA Final Site and Round of 16 in Kansas City.

GAME NOTES
  • The Raiders advance to the Round of 16 for the first time since 2018.
  • It will be Northwestern's first time at the Kansas City Final Site since 1987.
  • Northwestern is now 33-23 all time in the national tournament.
  • Under the direction of head coach Kris Korver, Northwestern is 24-15 in the NAIA tournament.
  • Alex Van Kalsbeek led all scorers with 26 points, also collecting seven rebounds and four assists.
  • Craig Sterk put up 15 points with six boards and two steals.
  • Zach LaFave scored six points, also grabbing nine rebounds and four steals.
  • Kaleb Booth added 10 points and six assists.
  • Conner Geddes nailed three threes to pick up nine points off the bench.
Up Next: The Raiders will take on the No. 1 overall seed Grace (Ind.) on Thursday, March 21. Tip-off is set for 5:00 p.m. in Kansas City's Municipal Auditorium.
Don't forget to follow Northwestern College Athletics on Facebook @nwcraiders, Twitter @nwcraiders, and Instagram @nwcraiders! #RaidersStandOut
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