Orange City, Iowa — The Dordt University men’s basketball team makes the short trip to Orange City, Iowa, for a match-up against (RV) Northwestern on Wednesday night. Tip-off at the Bultman Center is set for 7:45pm.
The Red Raiders are tied with Dordt for fourth place in the current GPAC standings with two games to play in the regular season. They are 11-7 in the conference, 19-9 overall, and trail Jamestown by a half game in the standings and hold a slim one game lead on Morningside. Northwestern has won two of its last three games, earning wins over Doane and Mount Marty while falling on the road to Dakota Wesleyan.
Alex Van Kalsbeek leads Northwestern in scoring and rebounding, averaging 23 points and 8.3 rebounds per game, ranking second and third in the GPAC respectively. Van Kalsbeek, a returning All-American, is shooting 65% from the field. Trent Hilbrands is fourth in the conference in scoring (18.5ppg) and is second in the NAIA with 93 three-pointers. Matt Onken gives Northwestern a third player scoring in double figures at 11.7ppg.
Northwestern is the top shooting team in the GPAC and second in the NAIA at 51%. They are scoring nearly 80 points per game and are second in the GPAC with a +5 rebound margin.
The Defenders have won two straight and six of their last seven games to climb into a tie for fourth place, along with Northwestern, in the current GPAC standings. They are 11-7 in the GPAC, 19-8 overall; and had wins over both Mount Marty and Doane last week.
Dordt is the highest scoring team in the GPAC at 81 points per game while shooting 49% from the field, 37% from beyond the arc. The Defenders have made the most free throws in the GPAC (359), shooting 75% as a team from the charity stripe.
Bryce Coppock leads the Defenders in scoring, ranking third in the league at 19 points per game. Coppock has scored in double figures in 22 games this season. Cade Bleeker averages 13.3 points per game and is one of the GPAC’s leading perimeter threats with 61 three-pointers made. Luke Rankin has had a productive freshman season, averaging 10.7 points per game to go with a team-leading 126 assists.
Dordt will travel to Jamestown, N.D. on Saturday, Feb. 19, to play the Jimmies in the final game of the regular season. The GPAC will release the postseason conference tournament pairings later Saturday night; the Defenders will open postseason play on Wednesday night, Feb.23.
