By Tad Dorsey

GPAC Standings

• #4 Morningside started the week with another strong defensive performance against Doane, picking up a nice 69-32 victory.  The Mustangs held the Tigers to 13 in the first half, leading 37-13 at the break. The Tigers again failed to crack 20 in the second half, as Morningside won the period 69-32.  The leading scorer for the Mustangs was Matt Hahn, going 4-7, all threes, with 12 points and 6 rebounds. Tyler Borchers added 10 points on 4 of 6 shooting and 8 rebounds. It was more of an offensive game when the Mustangs hosted Hastings, winning 95-77.  Hastings competed to a 33-31 score early, before a 16-4 run allowed Morningside to take a 49-35 lead at halftime. Tyler Borchers had another strong game, going 10-12 with 20 points and 9 rebounds. He remains as the top FG shooter in the GPAC. Zach Imig added an 8-12 effort with 18 points, 7 assists, 4 steals, and 3 rebounds.  He’s in the top five of several statistical categories. Morningside remains tied atop the GPAC at 7-0, 3-0 in the conference. They next are in action hosting Concordia on Wednesday before traveling to the Midland University Draemel Classic against #22 Bellevue on Saturday and 18 Southern Oregon on Sunday.  
• #6 Dakota Wesleyan picked up a very strong conference win over #16 Jamestown on the road, beating the hosts 75-65.  The lead shifted several times in the first half, before a three pointer by Mason Larson gave the Tigers an 8 point lead.  DWU ended the half on a 13-5 run with threes by Larson, Nick Harden, and Tyson Smiley for a 39-25 halftime lead. A 16-3 run by Jamestown in the 2^nd half made it a 4 point game, and the Jimmies tied it with 9:33 left.  Nick Harden hit a long three point with the Tigers up 3 late, and that helped seal the win for DWU.  GPAC leading scorer Ty Hoglund shot 6-12 for 22 points and 6 rebounds. He was also 8 of 9 from the line.  Samuel McCloud was strong on the glass, finishing with 12 rebounds, also adding 3-5 shooting, all from 3, for 9 points.  The Tigers dropped a competitive exhibition game on the road against NCAA DII St. Cloud State on the road, 75-71. The Tigers are 5-0, and 3-0 in conference, and have a Tuesday home meeting with RV Briar Cliff, before playing two TBD opponents at Joilet for the St. Francis Thanksgiving Classic over the weekend.  
• #16 Jamestown had a down week.  They lost a competitive home matchup with #6 Dakota Wesleyan 75-65.  The Jimmies went on several runs, tying the game despite a 17 point second half deficit, but were unable to finish the Tigers, as they ended their 7 game winning streak.  The leading scorer for Jamestown was Jack Talley, who made 10 out of his 21 shots, but none of his 7 threes, as he scored 20 points, with 6 rebounds, and 3 assists. Mason Walters had another double double, going 5 for 7 with 10 points and 10 rebounds.  The Jimmies were hoping to rebound at Northwestern, but they ran into a hot shooting Red Raider squad, as they fell 103-94 in an entertaining basketball game. It was a similar script to the first game, as they fell behind early, and rallied late. The Jimmies trailed 57-47 at halftime.  The Raiders extended the lead to 64-51, before Jamestown countered with a 15-2 run to tie the game at 66 on free throws from Jack Talley. Talley was again the leading scorer, going 7-14, 3-6 from 3 with 21 points and 7 rebounds. Mason Walters duplicated his 10 points and 10 rebound statline to put forth another double double.  The Jimmies fell to 7-3 and 1-2 in the GPAC. They have an interesting trip to Mount Marty today for their only game of the week.  

•  #25 Dordt bounced back very well from a difficult first conference week.  They had a phenomenal defensive effort in taking down their rivals Northwestern 86-68.  Garrett Franken broke a 16 all tie with a three with 11:07 left in the first half, and he added a buzzer beating jumper to give Dordt a 48-26 halftime lead.  Northwestern had a brief 13-2 rally to cut the lead to 6, but could never get closer. Franken ended the night 10 for 18 with 24 points and 9 rebounds. Jesse Jansma was 5 for 10, 4 for 6 from 3 with 15 points, 4 assists, and 3 rebounds.  They followed the win up with another strong defensive effort, beating RV Briar Cliff 82-63. Dordt used a very strong second half to break away from a close game in the first half. The Defenders lead 39-38 at halftime. Clinging to a 47-44 lead, Chad Barkema had back to back threes to give the Defenders a 53-44 lead, and the Chargers never got closer.  Dordt held Briar Cliff without a three in the 2^nd half, which is an impressive feat.  Barkema finished with a 6 for 10, 3 for 4 from 3 effort, scoring 19 points and 6 rebounds.  Franken finished 7 for 16 with 18 points and 6 rebounds. The strong week has Dordt at 6-3 and 2-2 in conference.  Dordt takes on RV Dickinson State on Friday and Peru State on Saturday, both in Sioux Center.  

•  RV Briar Cliff’s undefeated season came to an end, as they fell to Mount Marty 110-96.  The Chargers started fast, jumping out to an 11-2 lead, before Mount Marty scored the next 12 points.   It was a strong shooting night from the field for Briar Cliff, as they shot 52% from the field and 48% from 3.  They were not strong at the line, making just 11 of 19, and they were out-rebounded 40-27. They allowed Mount Marty to shot 62% and 50% from deep.  Jackson Lamb was 8 for 17 with 22 points and 7 rebounds. Ethan Friedel was 6 for 15 with 21 points and six rebounds. Jaden Kleinhesselink was strong going 7 for 12 with 20 points, 7 rebounds, and 5 assists.  The Chargers were unable to bounce back in Sioux Center against 25 Dordt, falling 82-63. This is the first time the Chargers have lost back to back regular season GPAC games since 2016-2017. Briar Cliff lead late in the first half off a three from Conner Groves, but a layup allowed Dordt to go up 39-38 at the half.  Briar Cliff could never get in front in the 2^nd half.  Jackson Lamb finished 7 for 16, 5 for 11 from 3, and 6 for 6 at the line with 25 points, adding 6 rebounds.  Ethan Friedel went 7 for 10 with 17 points. The Chargers fall to 7-2, 1-2 in the GPAC. A meeting in the Corn Palace with #6 Dakota Wesleyan on Tuesday awaits.  
• Northwestern started the week with a disappointing 86-68 loss to rival #25 Dordt.  The Raiders uncharacteristically shot 38% from the floor. The score was close early before a 15-6 run from Dordt allowed them to take a 48-26 halftime lead.  Craig Sterk had a strong game, as he went 6-13 with 18 points and 5 rebounds. Trent Hilbrands was 5 for 13 with 15 points. They followed the loss up with an impressive 103-94 home victory over #16 Jamestown.  This is the third time the Raiders have surpassed 100 points, which is impressive considering they did so four times all of last season. The Raiders took a 57-47 lead into halftime and withstood some runs from the Jimmies in the 2^nd half.  There was a lot of impressive shooting performances in this game.  The best was Jay Small, going 10-12 from the field, 4-6 from 3, and 6-6 at the line for 30 points, six assists, and six rebounds.  Grant Rohrer was also efficient, going 9 for 10 with 21 points, 7 rebounds, and 3 assists. Isaac Heyer was 5 for 9 with 17 points.  The Raiders are 6-2 and 2-1 in the GPAC. Next week they compete in the Dordt Thanksgiving Classic against Peru State on Friday and RV Dickinson State on Saturday.  
• Hastings competed early on against #4 Morningside in Sioux City, before falling 95-77.  The game was tied early on at 15 on a basket by Evan Tricker and again on a 3 from Brendan Lipovsky.  Lipovsky added two more first half threes later on to keep the lead at 33-31 Morningside. The Mustangs ended the half on a 15-4 run for a 49-35 lead.  Hastings could not chip away at the lead in the 2^nd half.  Bart Hiscock was the leading scorer, but he was held to just 5 of 14 shooting and 3-6 from 3 for 15 points and only 4 rebounds.  Lipovsky went 5 of 8 for 14 points. The Broncos fall to 5-3 and 1-2 in the GPAC. They are back in action hosting Midland on Tuesday and have an exhibition game at Pittsburg State University on Friday.   
• Concordia posted a non-conference win over NCCAA member Nebraska Christian College, 70-58.  The Bulldogs built a 16 point lead in the 2^nd half, before Nebraska Christian cut it back to 7.  Tanner Shuck was solid with 11 points on 4 of 10 shooting and a career high 13 rebounds.  AJ Watson lead the team in scoring off the bench, going 6 for 10 from the field and 3 of 6 from deep for 15 points.  Concordia improves to 6-1 and is 1-1 in the GPAC. The Bulldogs are in Sioux City against #4 Morningside on Tuesday.  
• Midland had two exhibition games in Gunnison, Colorado, falling to Western Colorado University 61-54, and losing 89-66 against Colorado Mesa.  They remain at 2-4 on the season and 0-2 in the GPAC. They play at Hastings on Tuesday before playing the Draemel Classic in Fremont over the weekend, Saturday against 18 Southern Oregon, and Sunday against 22 Bellevue.  
• Doane was over-matched against #4 Morningside, falling 69-32.  Morningside pulled away early as Doane could never find a shooting rhythm.  Their leading scorer was Isiah Sykes with 7 points. They bounced back with a 109-64 victory against Presentation College in the Dakota State Classic.  The Tigers roared out to a 32 point halftime lead, leading 65-33 at the break. They finished with 6 players scoring double digits. Anthony Laravie was 8-13 from the field and 6 for 9 from three with 24 points.  Isiah Sykes was also 8-13 for 19 points and 5 assists. New starter Max Masin had a career high 13 points on 5 of 6 shooting, while also adding 4 rebounds. The Tigers made it two in a row in the Dakota State Classic, beating the hosts 82-57.  Doane broke away from a competitive start with a 27-9 run to take a 41-27 lead into halftime. The Tigers kept adding on eventually leading 70-40. Anthony Laravie had a solid shooting effort, going 9 for 17 from the field and 7 of 13 from three for 27 points and 5 rebounds, also adding 3 assists.  Doane improves to 4-8 on the season, and is 0-3 in the GPAC. Doane is off this week.  
• Mount Marty picked up another impressively high scoring victory, knocking off RV Briar Cliff 110-96 in Sioux City.  This snaps a very long 26 game losing streak to the Chargers. After Briar Cliff came out fast, the Lancers went on a 24-9 run to take a lead they wouldn’t give up.  They had an equally impressive 21-9 run early in the first half, before the Chargers battled back to get within single digits late. Mount Marty shot an unbelievable 61.8% from the field.  Five different Lancers were in double figures, led by Chris King going 12 for 19 with 28 points. Colby Johnson was 8-13 from the field, 2-3 from 3, 5 for 5 from the line, with 23 points, 6 rebounds, and 3 assists.  Jordan Johnson was also 8-13 with 16 points, 8 assists, and 3 rebounds. Saba Gvedashvili went 6 for 7 with 14 points and 12 rebounds. Mount Marty improves to 8-2, 2-1 in the GPAC. The Lancers continue their season against 16 Jamestown on Monday before competing against Saint Ambrose on Saturday.  

TAD’S POWER RANKINGS

1. Morningside – 3^rd best defense in points per game allowed in DII.  That will play
2. Dakota Wesleyan – Created separation with a win over Jamestown 
3. Jamestown – Rough losses, but still a very strong shooting team
4. Dordt (+4) –  Impressive victories over quality teams this week
5. Northwestern (+1) – Win over Jamestown showed a strong effort
6. Mount Marty (+1) – Strong road win, will continue to be tested
7. Briar Cliff (-3) – Rough losses and tough upcoming schedule 
8. Concordia (-3) – Falling isn’t a knock on them, more impressive moves ahead of them
9. Hastings (-) – Fell against Morningside, big game for them against Midland
10. Midland (-) – Interested to see if the exhibition trip will help them
11. Doane – Got two wins this week  

Stat Leaders

Points Per Game

1. Ty Hoglund (DWU) 24.40 ppg
2. Jackson Lamb (BCU) 24.00 ppg
3. Bart Hiscock (HAS) 23.75 ppg
4. Chris King (MMC) 20.44 ppg
5. Jack Talley (JAM) 18.90 ppg

FG%

• Tyler Borchers (MOR) 64.9%
• Zach Imig (MOR) 58.9%
• Colby Johnson (MMC) 58.1%
• Brendan Lipovsky (HAS) 57.9%
• Mason Walters (JAM) 56.4%

3pt%

• Ty Hoglund (DWU) 52.0%
• Laaurence Merritt (MID) 52.0%
• Logan Cale (HAS)  51.4%
• Trent Hilbrands (NWC) 51.1%
• Ben Hoskins (MOR) 48.1%

Free Throw %

• Jackson Lamb (BCU) 95.3%
• Carter Kent (CON) 87.0%
• Ethan Friedel (BCU) 86.8%
• Trent Hilbrands (NWC) 86.1%
• Ty Hoglund (DWU) 84.4%

Assists per game

• Zach Imig (MOR) 4.57 apg
• Isaiah Dobson (JAM) 4.10 apg
• Matt Hahn (MOR) 4.00 apg
• Jordan Johnson (MMC) 4.00 apg
• Nick Harden (DWU) 3.60 apg

Rebounds per game

• Mason Walters (JAM) 9.60 rpg
• Ryan Williams (MID) 8.50 rpg
• Garrett Franken (DOR) 8.11 rpg
• Bart Hiscock (HAS) 7.88 rpg
• Miguel Lopez (DOA) 7.58 rpg

Blocks per game

• Craig Sterk (MWC) 1.86 bpg
• Brock Schrom (JAM) 1.80 bpg
• Chuol Biel (CON) 1.71 bpg
• Mason Walters (JAM) 1.00 bpg
• Josh Van Lingen (DOR) 0.78 bpg
• Andy Geelan (BCU) 0.78 bpg

Steals per game

• Samuel McCloud (DWU) 2.20 spg
• Isiah Sykes (DOA) 2.17 spg
• Zach Imig (MOR) 2.00 spg
• Tyson Smiley (DWU) 1.80 spg
• Matt Hahn 1.43 spg

Conference Schedule (All times CT)

Monday November 25^th:

16 Jamestown (1-2 7-3) @ Mount Marty (2-1 8-2) 8pm

Tuesday November 26^th: 

Midland (0-2 2-4) @ Hastings (1-2 5-3) 8pm

Concordia (1-1 6-1) @ 4 Morningside (3-0 7-0) 8pm

RV Briar Cliff (1-2 7-2) @ 6 Dakota Wesleyan (3-0 5-0) 8pm

Friday November 29^th: 

Hastings (1-2 5-3) @ Pittsburgh State University 3pm (exhibition)

Peru State College vs. Northwestern (2-1 6-2) 5pm

RV Dickinson State @ 25 Dordt (2-2 6-3) 7pm

Saturday November 30^th:

Mount Marty (2-1 8-2) vs. Saint Ambrose 2pm

22 Bellevue vs. 4 Morningside (3-0 7-0) 2pm

18 Southern Oregon at Midland (0-2 2-4) 4pm

Peru State College at 25 Dordt (2-2 6-3) 4pm

Sunday December 1^st: 

4 Morningside (3-0 7-0) vs. 18 Southern Oregon 1pm

22 Bellevue @ Midland (0-2 2-4)

GAMES OF THE WEEK

RV Briar Cliff @ 6 Dakota Wesleyan November 26^th 8pm

Mount Marty vs. Saint Ambrose November 30^th 2pm

4 Morningside vs. 18 Southern Oregon December 1^st 1pm