ORANGE CITY, Iowa – The Northwestern College men’s basketball team (13-5, 5-3 GPAC) continues their stout play in 2022 with a 13-point (74-61) home court victory over No. 12-ranked Jamestown (15-3, 5-3 GPAC) behind the sixth double-double from Alex Van Kalsbeek.
“Our guys were dialed in and got some stops early, while knocking down some shots early. It was great to see,” said head coach Kris Korver. “They came to play tonight and executed on both ends. It was a fun night!”
The first half proved to be a half of runs, with the Raiders holding the edge. Northwestern opened the game on an 18-3 run early on the twelfth-ranked team in the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA). Jamestown would not go down lightly, battling back with a 15-5 run of their own to cut the Raider lead down to five at 25-20 with 7:23 left in the first 20 minutes.
Back-to-back- 3-point baskets from Noah Slagter (Sr., Willmar, Minn./Willmar) would give the momentum back to Northwestern, extending their lead back up to 11 at 31-20. Northwestern would then keep the Jimmies at bay the rest of the half, keeping that 11-point lead at 45-34.
Guided by the 3-point bucket in the first half, the Raiders shot 50% (8-for-16) from deep to take a double-digit lead into the halftime break. Grant DeMeulenaere (Sr., Altoona, Iowa/Grand View Christian) and Slagter both hit three each to pace the Raiders, as DeMeulenaere had a team-high 11 points and five assists at the half. Matt Onken (R-So., Marshall, Minn./Marshall) picked up five first half rebounds.
The Raiders started the second half on a 12-5 run in the first three minutes, taking more control of the game and building their lead up to 18 points at 57-39. The Jimmies would respond with a small 6-0 spurt of their own as Northwestern went six minutes without a basket, but Van Kalseek (So., Orange City, Iowa/MOC-Floyd Valley) stopped the bleeding and made it 59-47 with 11 minutes to go.
Northwestern was able to keep the Jimmies at arm’s length the rest of the contest, never allowing the Jimmies to make a major push to get back into the contest.
The Raiders stuck with a team that typically is +12-13 on the boards on any given night, as the Jimmies just edged Northwestern tonight 38-37. “We talked about it a lot. I thought we made it hard for them (on the boards),” commented Korver. “We competed hard!”
Jamestown was able to keep a handle on Van Kalsbeek in the first half, holding him to just two points. In the second half, the sophomore would erupt for 21 points and would again lead the Raiders with 23 points and 11 rebounds on the game. It marks his sixth double-double of the season.
Three other Raiders scored in double digits, led by DeMeulenaere who had 13 points. Both Conner Geddes (Fr., Sioux Falls, S.D./Harrisburg) and Slagter tallied 11 points in the win. Onken joined Van Kalsbeek also notching double-digit rebounds with 10.
As a team, Northwestern shared the ball very efficiently, helping to take down No. 12 Jamestown, dropping 21 assists, compared to Jamestown’s eight. Van Kalsbeek would drop eight assists and DeMeulenaere had seven.
“Let our guys get some rest and hydrated tonight as we turn around and are ready to compete again tomorrow!” concluded Korver. The victory ends a six-game winning streak the Jimmies’ brought into the contest.
Up Next: Northwestern returns to action Saturday afternoon when the Broncos of Hastings College (6-12, 1-7 GPAC) comes to town for a 3:45 p.m. Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) clash inside the Bultman Center on the campus of Northwestern College.
