Warriors Overpowered by No. 13 Northwestern

ORANGE CITY, Iowa – Midland University took a trip up to Orange City, Iowa to face No. 13-ranked Northwestern College on Monday night. Originally slated for Saturday afternoon, the game was postponed due to winter weather in the region. The Warriors were no match for the high-scoring Red Raiders, falling 113-75 inside the Bultman Center.

Northwestern opened the game with the initial basket as the teams traded early points. After a tie at 4-4, the Red Raiders surged ahead with a 20-5 run, building a big lead through the early going. Trailing 24-8, Derek Merwick and Jake Orr attempted to fuel a Warriors comeback, sparking an 18-2 run to narrow the gap to four, 26-20. The duo contributed eight points each while Noah Sandbothe added two points during the surge.

Unfortunately, Northwestern regained its edge as they responded with an 18-6 run. Leading 48-32, with less than five minutes remaining in the first half, the squads traded baskets ahead of an 8-0 run by the home team as they led 58-36 at the break.

After halftime, the second period opened with both teams trading baskets. The Red Raiders were able to extend their lead with a 10-2 run. Jake Orr sparked a 13-3 run for the Warriors as they attempted to stage another comeback. However, Northwestern kept the offensive pressure going, pushing the lead to as many as 40 points in the final minutes. Behind a record-setting performance by Alex Van Kalsbeek's 52 points, the Red Raiders won 113-75.

Jake Orr led the Warriors with 20 points. He was followed closely by Derek Merwick with 17 while Ryan Larsen had 12, and Jake Rueschhoff finished with 10 points.

For the game, Midland shot 28-of-65 (43.1%) while Northwestern was 44-of-69 (63.8%). The Red Raiders were dominant inside and on the glass. They outscored the Warriors 60-28 in the paint and outrebounded them 41-24.

"Northwestern is tough to beat at home, all night we struggled to get stops," stated head coach Tyler Erwin after the game. "It's tough playing from behind and uphill all night. Van Kalsbeek is a tough guard. He is an all-league player and we made him look like it. He was comfortable early. He made shots and got to the free-throw line often (10 of 11). We need to move on and regroup for a winnable home game on Wednesday."

Midland (7-9, 2-6 GPAC) will be back in action at home, facing Mount Marty (5-9, 1-7 GPAC) on January 17 in Fremont. Tipoff of the 'Pack the Gym' themed game is scheduled for 7:45 p.m. inside the Wikert Event Center.