Concordia rallied from a seven-point deficit during the final seven minutes to force overtime and it propelled the Bulldogs to an 81-74 victory over the Northwestern College men’s basketball team this afternoon at the Bultman Center.
The loss is the first one at home for the Raiders, who drop to 5-5 in the GPAC, 10-5 overall. Concordia sweeps the season series against Northwestern and improves to 8-3 in the conference, 11-5 overall.
An Alex Van Kalsbeek basket in the lane put Northwestern in front 55-48 with just over seven minutes left to play in regulation. Back came Concordia, outscoring the hosts 13-2 during a four-minute stretch for a 61-57 lead after a three-pointer by Thomas Young.
Both teams came up empty on their next few possessions until consecutive baskets from Trent Hilbrands and Van Kalsbeek tied the game at 61 with 2:07 left. Concordia forward Ryan Holt made 1-of-2 free throws with 54 seconds left but Noah Slagter put Northwestern in front, 64-62, with a nifty drive resulting in a three-point play with 42 seconds left. Concordia’s Sam Scarpelli sent the game into overtime with a driving lay-up on the Bulldogs final possesion of regulation.
Scarpelli and teammate Carter Kent opened the overtime period with consecutive three-pointers, giving the Bulldogs the lead for good (70-64). Northwestern made it a three-point game late after Hilbrands downed three straight free throws (77-74) with 35 seconds left but the Raiders would not get any closer.
Hilbrands led all players with 23 points, followed closely by Van Kalsbeek, who notched his fourth career double-double with 19 points and 12 rebounds. Jay Small contributed 15 points, seven boards and three assists. Northwestern shot 48% for the game, 28% (5/18) from the three-point line. Head coach Kris Korver’s squad had a 44-37 advantage on the glass, led by Van Kalsbeek (12) and both Small and Isaac Heyer with seven.
Concordia was led by Kent (17pts) and Justin Wiersema (12pts) while Scarpelli and Grant Wragge added nine points each. The Bulldogs shot 37% for the game, 23% (9/40) from the three-point line; they committed just six turnovers compared to 17 by Northwestern.
Both teams held the lead in a first half that ended with Concordia in front, 37-33, after the Bulldogs scored the final seven points.
