By Tad Dorsey

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It was an exciting week as the GPAC opened up conference play in style. There were countless big moments, teams making statements, buzzer beaters, everything one could ask for when watching NAIA basketball!

GPAC Standings

1. (7) Dakota Wesleyan 2-0 4-0
2. (RV) Briar Cliff 1-0 7-0
3. (4) Morningside 1-0 5-0
4. (16) Jamestown 1-0 7-1
5. Northwestern 1-0 5-1
6. Concordia 1-1 5-1
7. Mount Marty 1-1 7-2
8. Hastings 1-1 5-2
9. (25) Dordt 0-2 4-3
10. Midland 0-2 2-4
11. Doane 0-2 2-7

• Preseason #4 Morningside continued their stretch of beating top 25 teams.  They opened GPAC play defending home court with a 96-88 victory over #25 Dordt.  This was by far the most points the Mustangs have allowed, passing NAIA DI #8 Benedictine’s 63 on November 8^th.  The preseason GPAC favorites were certainly challenged in the conference opener.  It took a strong second half to hold off Dordt. Morningside went on a 14-0 run in the 2^nd half to grab control of the game.  There were several impressive statistics for the Mustangs.  Tyler Borchers, the top shooter in the GPAC, went 12 for 16 with 31 points, 10 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 steals.  Zach Imig was equally impressive, going 10-15 with 22 points, 10 assists, 6 rebounds, and three steals. Morningside is 5-0 with 4 wins over top 25 competition.  The Mustangs are 1-0 in the GPAC and are next in action on the road at Doane on Wednesday before returning home Saturday for a matchup with Hastings.  
• #6 Dakota Wesleyan had an exciting start to conference play!   Their opener had them facing #25 Dordt in Sioux City, where they prevailed 79-78 on a buzzer beating three by Ty Hoglund, the GPAC’s leading scorer.  It was a slow start for the Tigers, as gave up an early 15-3 run to fall behind 45-33. They clawed back to within 47-41 at halftime. Dordt had the lead to 76-71 with 2:51 left.  The Tigers tied it with an and one by Tristan Teichmeier and a layup by Ty Smiley off a steal by Nick Harden. Dordt took the lead again before the Hoglund heroics. Hoglund’s 22 points on 7-18 shooting lead the team.  He also contributed 7 rebounds. Tristan Teichmeier was strong off the bench, shooting 7-9 with 16 points and adding 10 rebounds. The followed that with an 85-65 victory over Midland in their home opener at the Corn Palace.  Midland competed early, trailing by only 9 at halftime, 42-33. A late 12-0 run by the Tigers sealed the deal. Hoglund was strong again, going 8-14, 3-6 from three with 23 points and 6 rebounds. Tyson Smiley was 7-11 with 17 points and 3 assists.  All of the Tiger starters were in double figures. DWU starts the season 4-0, 2-0 in the GPAC. Big matchup next week, as they travel to #16 Jamestown for a conference showdown on Wednesday. They have an exhibition at St. Cloud State on Saturday.  
• #16 Jamestown had a 2-0 week.  They started with a road victory over their long-time rival Valley City State, 85-75.  The first half was an intense matchup featuring 11 ties and was always within five points.  VCSU led 32-27 late in the half, but the Jimmies rallied to take a 44-40 halftime lead. Jamestown led throughout most of the second half, before Kevin Schramm’s three point gave the Vikings a 63-62 lead with 10:25 left.  Jamestown countered with a 10-4 run, including seven points by Jack Talley. Jamestown sealed the game with 8-10 free throw shooting down the stretch. Jack Talley had a strong effort for the Jimmies, finishing with 23 points on 9-15 4-8 from three shooting.  He also posted 5 rebounds and 2 assists. The GPAC’s leading rebounder in Mason Walters was strong, playing all 40 minutes, posting 8-12 shooting for 21 points and 10 rebounds. Walters included 5 blocks as well. The Jimmies rolled Doane in their GPAC opener, winning 97-71 in Crete, Nebraska.  This was never a tight game, as the Jimmies jumped out to a 63-28 lead at halftime. It was an impressive showing form Jamestown. Brock Schrom had a big game, going 10-12 from the field with 22 points, 6 rebounds, and 3 assists. Terrell Alford contributed off the bench, shooting 6-8, including 5 of 7 from three for 18 points and 3 rebounds.  Walters had 7 rebounds but was surprisingly shutout from the field going 0-5 and scoring zero points. The Jimmies are 7-1 1-0 in the GPAC, winning their last 7 after losing the opener to Winnipeg. They have a chance to make a massive statement, with #6 Dakota Wesleyan coming to town Wednesday, before traveling to Orange City to take on Northwestern on Saturday.  
• #25 Dordt faced some hard luck in their first GPAC games.  They dropped a home heart-breaker in the opener, falling to #6 Dakota Wesleyan on the buzzer beater three by Ty Hoglund.  The Defenders had a 13-0 run in the first, to go up 45-33 with 2:22 in the first half, as Dordt took a 47-41 lead into halftime.  Dordt fell behind in the 2^nd half, but took back the lead with just under five minutes left on a three pointer from Josh Van Lingen.  It was a strong effort from Garrett Franken, going 6 for 13 with 13 points and 10 rebounds. Jesse Jansma led the Defenders in scoring with 17 on 5 of 12 shooting.  Van Lingen was strong off the bench, going 5 for 6 and 4 of 5 from three for 14 points and 5 rebounds. The Defenders followed with a tough luck road loss to #4 Morningside, 96-88.  It was a duel in the first half, as the Mustangs and Defenders traded the lead and were tied at 34 late in the half before Morningside took the 48-43 halftime lead. Dordt fell behind by 17 early in the 2^nd half before they rallied.  A basket by Marcus Winterfield cut the lead to 6, but time ran out on the Defenders.  Jesse Jansma was on again, going 7 for 12 and 5 for 8 from 3 with 23 points and 6 rebounds.  Garrett Franken went 7 for 13 with 17 points and 9 rebounds. Dordt falls to 4-3 on the season and 0-2 in the GPAC.  They have a pair of GPAC home games, with Northwestern taking the short trip to Sioux Center on Wednesday, and RV Briar Cliff coming to town Saturday.  

•  RV Briar Cliff continues their hot play.  The Chargers ran past the Waldorf Warriors on their court on Tuesday with a 99-68 win.  Briar Cliff made four early threes by four different players and never looked back. The Chargers finished 14 for 30 from 3, and 17 for 19 at the free throw line.  The leading scorer was Jackson Lamb, going 8 for 11, 3 of 5 from 3 with 22 points and 4 rebounds. Lamb was also 3 for 3 at the free throw line, to push his season percentage to an astonishing 97% at the line, best in the GPAC, and 4^th best in NAIA DII.  Conner Groves was strong off the bench, going 5 for 8, 3 of 6 from 3 with 14 points.  The conference opener between the Chargers and Concordia in Seward, Nebraska was a contest between two undefeated teams.  It lived up to the hype, as the Chargers finished a comeback victory with a three pointer by freshman Nick Hoyt as time expired to win 70-69.  It started slow for BCU, as they struggled in the first half. Concordia had a 10-point lead late in the half before Nick Hoyt’s first buzzer beating three cut it to 40-33 at halftime.  The 2^nd half was intense, with Briar Cliff taking the 50-47 lead with 11:35 left on a three from Ethan Friedel.  Concordia led for most of the half, as they took the lead with 6:44 left, and Briar Cliff did not lead again until the last second shot by Hoyt.  Hoyt finished 5 of 7 and 2 of 3 from 3 for 12 points. Jackson Lamb led the Chargers going 8 of 14 with 18 points, 5 rebounds, and 3 assists. The exciting victory pushed the Chargers to 7-0, 1-0 in the GPAC.  The Chargers return home, hosting a much-improved Mount Marty squad on Wednesday before a road matchup with #25 Dordt on Saturday.  
• Northwestern only had one game this week, and they made the most of it, picking up a thrilling 99-84 win in their conference opener against Mount Marty.  The Raiders and Lancers seemed to be trading threes on every possession early on. The teams combined for 28 of 69 three point shooting good for 40.6%.  The first half was intense, with neither team leading by more than 9, and it was within 5 for most of the half. The Raiders took a 24-16 lead with 10:06 left on back to back threes from Trent Hilbrands and Christian Korver.  They extended it to 9 with Jay Small hitting 2 threes for a 30-21 lead with 7:11 left in the half. They fell behind 31-30 with 4:50 left, but used a Trent Hilbrands buzzer beating 3 to go into halftime up 45-41. The Red Raiders took their first double digit lead with 14:46 in the half on two free throws by Keegan Vanegdom.  Mount Marty used threes to cut it back to 67-64 with 10:46 left. The game stayed close until some unfortunate technical fouls on the Mount Marty bench late. Trent Hilbrands was electric for the Raiders, scoring a career high 36 points on 9 of 16 and 6-9 from three. He also shot 12-12 from the line and contributed 5 assists and 4 rebounds.  Jay Small and Isaac Heyer each contributed 16 points, while Craig Sterk scored 13 points and 10 rebounds. The exciting victory for the Red Raiders extends and 4 game winning streak, bringing them to 5-1 and 1-0 in the GPAC. They continue next week with a pair of ranked opponents, first at #25 Dordt on Wednesday, before hosting #16 Jamestown on Saturday.
• Hastings opened conference play with a 78-66 victory over Doane.  The Broncos took a 15-6 lead early and seemed to be in control for most of the game.  Hastings led 41-30 at the half. Doane chipped away in the second half, cutting it to 3 with a 3 late in the half.  Shane Chamberlain and Logan Cale hit back to back threes to counter and seal the deal. Bart Hiscock was strong going 7 for 16 with 16 points and 8 rebounds. Brenden Lipovsky also had a strong game, going 6 for 10 with 14 points and 7 rebounds.  Their other game was a very high scoring loss to Mount Marty, 107-105. The Broncos shot 60% compared to 59% for the Lancers. The first half was close throughout, with the Broncos escaping with a 61-56 lead. Hastings extended it to 69-59 early in the 2^nd half.  Hastings seemed to be in control, up 100-90 with 3:26 left, before the Lancers closed the game on a 17-5 run to win 107-105.  Hiscock again led Hastings with a 10-22 effort with 26 points and 12 rebounds. Zach Kitten had a very effect night off the bench, going 10 for 11 with 23 points and 7 rebounds.  Hastings is now 5-2 on the season and 1-1 in the GPAC. They have a test next week, traveling to #4 Morningside on Wednesday.  
• Concordia followed a strong non-conference start with a home victory over Midland, 95-71 in the GPAC opener.  This is their first 5-0 start in coach Ben Limback’s 7 years. The Bulldogs lead throughout, leading 29-19 early, and taking a 45-22 lead into halftime.  CUNE was led by a career night from Carter Kent, as he went 11 for 15 with a career high 28 points, 66 assists, and 5 rebounds. Brevin Sloup was also solid with 6-12 shooting for 15 points, 5 assists, and 3 rebounds.  AJ Watson was 4-6, all threes, with 14 points off the bench. Their 2^nd matchup with RV Briar Cliff ended in disappointing fashion, as Nick Hoyt’s buzzer beating three to end the game ended Concordia’s 5-0 start with the 70-69 loss.  The Bulldogs had chances to ice the game away, as they held a 64-56 lead with 4:30 remaining. It was a strong defensive effort for Concordia, holding the Chargers to a season low 70 points.  Sloup paced the Bulldogs with a 9 for 16 21 point effort, adding 5 rebounds and 2 steals. Concordia’s downfall was going only 6 of 23 (26.1%) from three. The Bulldogs are 5-1 on the season and 1-1 in the GPAC.  They leave the GPAC schedule next week, as they host Nebraska Christian College on Saturday.  
• Midland extended a three-game losing streak with a rough week to start GPAC play.  They fell to Concordia 95-71 in Seward. After falling behind 47-24 at halftime, Midland could not mount a comeback.  Midland matched Concordia’s offense in the 2^nd half, winning the period 48-47.  Hunter Mengel led the Warriors off bench with 7 of 14 shooting and 7-7 at the line for 21 points and 9 rebounds.  Laurence Merrit added 15 points. The Warriors also fell 85-65 to #6 Dakota Wesleyan at the Corn Palace. It was tied earlier at 17-17, before Dakota Wesleyan seized control with a 10-0 run. Midland fell behind 42-33 at halftime, but had some rallies.  They cut the led to five at points in the 2^nd half, before a big run by DWU saw the Warriors down 21 with 4:29 left. Merritt led the Warriors going 7 for 17 and 6 of 12 from 3 for 22 points.  Midland falls to 2-4 on the season and 0-2 in the GPAC. Midland travels west this week for exhibition games against Western Colorado University on Friday and Colorado Mesa University on Saturday in Gunnison, Colorado.  
• Doane fell in both of their first GPAC matchups.  They fell 78-66 against Hastings. Jaxon Harre led Doane off the bench, going 5 for 8 with 12 points and 9 rebounds.  The Tigers also lost their second game against #16 Jamestown 97-61. The Tigers allowed Jamestown to shoot 75% in the first half, burying themselves in a 63-28 hole.  The Tigers actually won the second half 43-34. Anthony Laravie led the Tigers with 15 points on 5-12 shooting and 3-6 from 3. The Tigers fall to 2-7 on the season and 0-2 in the GPAC.  Doane has a busy week with three games, Wednesday hosting #4 Morningside, before matching up with Presentation and Dakota State in Madison, SD on Friday and Saturday.  
• Mount Marty had an intense start to conference play.  They did fall 99-84 at Northwestern in their opening game, but they showed up and announced to the GPAC that they are coming to compete.  Mount Marty showed an exciting offense that featured a lot of free flowing three-point baskets. This game was much closer than the score indicated, as Mount Marty committed two technical fouls late in the game, as they were unhappy with the officiating.  The host Raiders had 22 free throw attempts compared to just six for the Lancers. Chris King had a very strong 10-14 effort with 23 points and 3 rebounds. Their following GPAC game further announced their presence. The hosted Hastings and gave their crowd an exciting time as the knocked off the Broncos 107-105.  The Lancers shot an unbelievable 19 for 38 from three. Over half of the Lancers 70 shots came from behind the arc. Mount Marty had to overcome a late 10 point deficit as they trailed 100-90 with just 3:26 left in the game. The cut it to 102-99 with two twos and three by Chris King. Keegan Savary’s three with 1:47 left tied the game, and another King jump off a Ryan Warren steal gave the Lancers the 104-102 lead.  Hastings missed two free throws before another three by Chris King gave the Lancers a 107-102 lead. King scored 12 of the last 17 points in the last 3:26 to help Mount Marty get the victory. King finished with 23 points on 8 of 12 shooting, including 4 of 7 from 3. King also had 6 rebounds, 4 assists, and 2 steals. Colby Johnson also was strong, shooting 8-12 with 17 points, 6 rebounds, four assists, 2 blocks, and a steal.  The Lancers are 7-2 on the season and 1-1 in the GPAC. They’ll continue conference play, traveling to RV Briar Cliff on Wednesday.

TAD’S POWER RANKINGS

1. Morningside – Already 4 wins against top 25 teams
2. Dakota Wesleyan – Statement win over a top 25 Dordt team on Hoglund’s buzzer beater
3. Jamestown – Getting hot with a 7 game winning streak
4. Briar Cliff – Stays undefeated with a buzzer beater 
5. Concordia – Only loss on a buzzer beater
6. Northwestern (+2) – Impressed in the victory over Mount Marty
7. Mount Marty (+2) – Announced their presence with a competitive week
8. Dordt (-1) –  Not many teams would compete with Morningside and DWU like they did
9. Hastings (-3) – The 10 point blown lead against Mount Marty will hurt  
10. Midland – Competed against DWU
11. Doane – Rough start to conference play  

Stat Leaders

Points Per Game

1. Ty Hoglund (DWU) 25.00 ppg
2. Bart Hiscock (HAS) 24.83 ppg
3. Jackson Lamb (BCU) 24.14 ppg
4. Trent Hilbrands (NWC) 20.00 ppg
5. Chris King (MMC) 19.50 ppg

FG%

• Tyler Borchers (MOR) 61.0%
• Brendan Lipovsky (HAS) 59.3%
• Bart Hiscock (HAS) 58.7%
• Colby Johnson (MMC) 57.6%
• Zach Imig (MOR) 57.4%

3pt%

• Trent Hilbrands (NWC) 55.3%
• Ben Hoskins (MOR) 52.6%
• Ty Hoglund (DWU) 52.4%
• Laurence Merritt (HAS) 52.0%
• Bart Hiscock (HAS) 48.4%

Free Throw %

• Jackson Lamb (BCU) 97.0%
• Carter Kent (CON) 90.5%
• Ethan Friedel (BCU) 89.3%
• Trent Hilbrands (NWC) 88.5%
• Isaiah Dobson (JAM) 83.3%

Assists per game

• Isaiah Dobson (JAM) 4.75 apg
• Matt Hahn (MOR) 4.60 apg
• Zach Imig (MOR) 4.40 apg
• Sammy Green (BCU) 3.86 apg
• Sam Scarpelli (CON) 3.67 apg

Rebounds per game

• Mason Walters (JAM) 9.63 rpg
• Ryan Williams (MID) 8.50 rpg
• Garrett Franken (DOR) 8.29 rpg
• Chuol Biel (CON) 8.00 rpg
• Bart Hiscock (HAS) 7.83 rpg

Blocks per game

• Choul Biel (CON 2.00 bpg
• Brock Schrom (JAM) 1.88 bpg
• Craig Sterk (NWC) 1.60 bpg
• Josh Van Lingen (DOR) 1.00 bpg
• Mason Walters (JAM) 0.88 bpg

Steals per game

• Samuel McCloud (DWU) 2.50 spg
• Isiah Sykes (DOA) 2.00 spg
• Matt Hahn (MOR) 2.00 spg
• Zach Imig (MOR) 1.60 spg
• Tyson Smiley (DWU) 1.60 spg

Conference Schedule (All times CT)

Nov. 20:

4 Morningside @ Doane 8:00pm 

Northwestern @ 25 Dordt 8:00pm

Mount Marty @ RV Briar Cliff 8:00pm

7 Dakota Wesleyan @ 16 Jamestown 8:00pm

Nov 22

Doane vs. Presentation 5:30pm

Midland @ Western State Colorado University 6:30pm

Nov 23

RV Briar Cliff @ 25 Dordt 4:00pm

Concordia @ Nebraska Christian College 4:00pm

Doane @ Dakota State 6:00pm

Hastings @ 4 Morningside 6:00pm

16 Jamestown @ Northwestern 6:00pm

Midland vs. Colorado Mesa University 6:00pm

6 Dakota Wesleyan @ St. Cloud State 7:00pm

GAMES OF THE WEEK

6 Dakota Wesleyan @ 16 Jamestown:  November 20 8pm

Mount Marty @ RV Briar Cliff November 20 8pm

RV Briar Cliff @ 25 Dordt November 23 4pm