An Alex Van Kalsbeek three-point play with two seconds left gave Northwestern a rugged 79-77 road win against Doane this afternoon in a conference match-up played in Crete, Neb.
Northwestern moved to 8-5 in the GPAC, 13-5 overall; Doane drops to 2-13 in the conference, 5-15 overall.
A pair of free throws from Doane guard Joe Burt capped a 9-0 run to put the hosts in front 77-76 with 14 seconds left to play. On the next possession, Van Kalsbeek rebounded a Craig Sterk miss, scored in the lane and drew a foul to put Northwestern in front by one. The freshman converted the free throw and Trent Hilbrands stole the ensuing inbounds pass to secure the Raider win.
Sterk, Hilbrands and Van Kalsbeek combined to score 69 of the Raiders 79 points, led by Sterk who pumped in a game-high 25 points, going 11-for-18 from the field. Hilbrands provided the scoring punch from the perimeter, draining five three-pointers en route to a 23-point effort. Van Kalsbeek missed just two shots (8/10) from the floor and scored 21, none bigger than his final three points in the final seconds.
The game appeared to be a blowout early as Northwestern scored the first 13 points of the game, all by Sterk and Van Kalsbeek, and raced out to a 22-4 lead. Doane came back with a 16-4 run of its own, trimming the Raider lead down to six (28-22) at the six-minute mark. Northwestern led by seven, 45-38, at the break, and shot 60% in the opening half compared to 44% by Doane.
Doane’s rally continued early in the second half as they were within two (50-48) with 16 minutes left and took their first lead, 56-53, following a 7-0 run with 12 minutes to go. The teams traded baskets over the next five-plus minutes until , with the score tied at 64, Northwestern began a 12-4 run, led by both Van Kalsbeek (5pts) and Grant DeMeulenaere (5pts), for a 76-68 advantage.
Back came the Tigers with their 9-0 run, setting up the final game-winner, a three-point play by Van Kalsbeek.
Northwestern shot 52% for the game, going 10-for-23 from the three-point line. They held a 38-27 edge on the glass but committed 15 turnovers compared to five by Doane,
The Tigers shot 41% from the field and was led by Anthony Laravie with 17 points.
