GPAC Weekly Review - NAIA Hoops Report

2020-21 MEN’S BASKETBALL STANDINGS

SCHOOL	GPAC	Overall
Concordia	2-0	5-1
RV Dordt	1-0	5-0
Jamestown	1-0	4-1
Dakota Wesleyan	1-0	2-1
Briar Cliff	1-1	3-3
Hastings	0-0	3-1
Doane	0-0	3-2
7 Morningside	0-1	4-1
RV Northwestern	0-1	2-1
Mount Marty	0-1	2-3
Midland	0-2	0-3

Concordia had a perfect 2-0 week to open GPAC play. They started with a very impressive defensive effort in an 82-55 win over Midland. In the effort they held the Warriors to 32.8% shooting. Gage Smith posted his third double-double going 4-8 with 12 points, 10 rebounds, and 5 assists. Carter Kent added 15 points. In their second game they had an impressive victory over RV Northwestern, knocking off the Red Raiders 77-74. The Bulldogs saw a once 16-point lead evaporate into a 62-60 deficit with 6:48 left. Concordia followed with a 16-5 run lead by baskets from Justin Wiersema and Sam Scarpelli. Northwestern again had the lead down to three, but a blocked three by Wiersema at the buzzer sealed the victory. Gage Smith added another solid day on the boards, grabbing 18 more rebounds, as well as 10 points. Wiersema was 5-8 with 14 points and 5 rebounds. Sam Scarpelli added 15 points and 5 assists. The Bulldogs improve to 5-1, 2-0 in the GPAC. They host RV Dordt on Saturday for their only game this week.
RV Dordt added two more wins to their perfect start. They opened with a road blow out over Presentation, defeating the Saints 98-59. This game was over early on. The Defenders started the game on a 26-7 run and ended the first half on an incredible 29-2 run to go up 58-16 at halftime. Garrett Franken scored 19 points on 9-11 shooting and added 6 rebounds. Jacob Vis had 13 points on an impressive 9-9 effort at the line and 11 rebounds for another double-double. Dordt opened conference play with a solid 83-72 victory at Midland. Early on the Warriors had a 20-15 lead, but Dordt quickly turned around and went up 32-26 on a Jansma three. Dordt was up 44-40 at halftime. After the game was tied at 60 with 9:41 left, Dordt closed the game on a 23-12 to get the victory. Vis led the Defenders with 17 points and 7 rebounds. Franken added 15 points and 8 rebounds. All of the Defender starters cracked double figures. Dordt improves to 5-0 and 1-0 in the GPAC. They host Dakota Wesleyan on Wednesday before traveling to face Concordia on Saturday.
Jamestown split their two games this week. The Jimmies looked very good in a 99-83 upset victory over 7^th ranked Morningside. The first half went back and forth with the lead changing hands several times. Late in the half thanks to a dunk from Devon Schultz and a three-point play by Will Cordes, the Jimmies took a 41-33 lead. Jamestown started the second half very strong. A 14-4 run saw a 58-40 lead for the Jimmies. Mason Walters starred for the Jimmies, going 9-11 with 22 points, 17 rebounds, 5 assists, and 1 highlight dunk. Will Cordes was productive off the bench, going 6-8 with 16 points. Jamestown could not hold on to the momentum as they fell to rivals Valley City State on the road, 99-83. The first half was competitive, Jamestown took an 8-point lead with 7:35 before halftime, before VCSU countered and took a 1-point lead with 3:21 left. Mason Walters lead an 8-0 for Jamestown to go up 41-34. Jamestown held a 58-56 lead with 14:48 remaining in the game, but it was a short-lived lead. VCSU scored the next 12 points and held a commanding lead from that point. Walters was again outstanding, going 10-14 with 27 points, 12 rebounds, 5 assists and 2 blocks. Jack Talley contributed 16 points and 6 rebounds. Jamestown goes to 4-1, 1-0 in the GPAC. They host RV Northwestern on Wednesday for their only game this week.
Dakota Wesleyan was victorious in their only game of the week, defeating conference rival Briar Cliff 65-53. This game was a defensive struggle, with shooting proving a challenge for both sides. DWU jumped out to a 13-4 lead with back to back threes from Sawyer Schultz and Mason Larson. They held the nine-point margin into halftime, leading 27-18. Briar Cliff battled back and had the lead cut to 35-32 midway through the second half, before DWU extended the lead to 44-34 with a steal and layup from Koln Oppold. From there DWU held the lead. Larson lead the way for the Tigers going 7-17 with 15 points, 6 rebounds, and 4 assists. Sawyer Schultz added 14 points. DWU goes to 2-1, 1-0 in the GPAC. They are at RV Dordt on Wednesday before hosting Hastings on Saturday.
Briar Cliff split their first two GPAC games. They were cold shooting in a 65-53 loss at Dakota Wesleyan. The offense couldn’t get anything rolling in the first half, as they went 0-12 from three to fall behind 27-18 at halftime. They cut into the lead after halftime but could not keep the offense going in the loss. The Chargers ended the game shooting 3-25 from 3. Jaden Kleinhesselink scored 22 points and 3 rebounds. Ethan Friedel added 16 points. Briar Cliff rebounded with a solid 88-79 victory at Mount Marty. The Lancers were up early, leading 15-10. Briar Cliff rebounded and went up 22-21 on a three from Nick Hoyt. Late in the half the Chargers offense hit a spark as they made six consecutive threes to give BCU a 46-33 halftime lead. Mount Marty had a late rally to cut the lead to six with 1:43 remaining, but the Chargers put the game away at the free throw line. Friedel led BCU with 20 points and 6 rebounds. Conner Groves was strong off the bench, going 6-9 (5-7 from 3) with 17 points. Briar Cliff goes to 3-3, 1-1 in the GPAC. The Chargers are off this week.

Hastings had the week off. They open GPAC play at Midland on Wednesday before traveling to face Dakota Wesleyan on Saturday.
Doane’s program is currently suspended due to COVID-19. They are currently scheduled to resume play November 25^th hosting Jamestown.
#7 Morningside went 2-1 this week. They opened the week losing their GPAC opener 85-73 against Jamestown. The Mustangs were competitive early in the first half, before Jamestown opened up a run to lead at the half. The second half saw the Jimmies open up a 20-point lead that the defending regular season GPAC champions could not overcome. One positive in this game for Morningside was Zach Imig becoming the 21^st Mustang with 1,200 career points with his 6 points today. Trey Brown had a big game, going 13-19 with 29 points and 4 rebounds. The Mustangs bounced back in the Presentation Classic. They beat Yellowstone Christian 88-67 in the first game. Zach Imig had a solid game, going 8-14 with 16 points and 10 rebounds. Trey Brown posted 12 points, 13 rebounds, and 7 assists. Reserve Aidan Vanderloo was 6-9 (3-4 from 3) with 15 points. Morningside closed the week with a very solid 81-59 victory over #21 Carroll College. After playing to an 11-11 draw early, the Mustangs closed the half on a 29-15 run and from there kept the lead. It was Will Pottebaum leading the Mustangs in this game, as he was 6-10 (3-6 from 3) with 20 points. Zach Imig was solid again, adding 10 points and 11 rebounds for the double-double. Trey Brown added 14 points on 6-8 shooting and 8 rebounds. Morningside goes to 4-1 on the season and 0-1 in the GPAC. The Mustangs host Mount Marty on Saturday.
RV Northwestern lost their only game of the week, falling 77-74 at Concordia in the GPAC opener. Northwestern fell behind by 16 points but battled back to make this a very close contest. The Raiders even took the lead once on a basket from Alex Van Kalsbeek to go up 62-60 with 6:48 remaining. The Bulldogs built the lead back up to 76-67 quickly. Northwestern again battled back, cutting the lead to 76-74 on a three from Trent Hilbrands within the final 30 seconds of the game. Hilbrands had another three-point attempt to tie the game, but it was blocked. Hilbrands led the Raiders with 19 points and 5 rebounds. Van Kalsbeek was 8-10 with 16 points and 7 rebounds. Northwestern falls to 2-1, 0-1 in the GPAC. They are at Jamestown on Wednesday before hosting Midland on Saturday.

Mount Marty lost their only game of the week, falling 88-79 against Briar Cliff. Mount Marty jumped out quickly to a 15-10 lead but could not hold the lead as they struggled defending the three ball. The Lancers kept it competitive in the second half but could not get the score within 7 points. Elijah Pappas had a strong effort for Mount Marty, going 8-13 (3-4 from 3) with 22 points and 8 rebounds. Chad Moran also contributed 13 points. Mount Marty falls to 2-3 on the season, 0-1 in the GPAC. They are at #7 Morningside on Saturday.
Midland lost both of their opening GPAC games this week. They fell 82-55 against Concordia. The game was competitive early on, as Concordia led 16-14 with 12 minutes left before halftime. From there Concordia scored the next 16 points and dominated from there. Kyle Castille and Emanuel Bryson led the Warriors with 12 points each off the bench. The Warriors were much more competitive in an 83-72 loss against RV Dordt. Midland was strong from three early, as four threes in a row gave the Warriors an early lead. Three of these threes came from Emanuel Bryson. The game stayed competitive throughout, but the Defenders offense proved to be to strong. Bryson led the Warriors, going 8-18 (7-12 from 3) off the bench with 23 points and 4 rebounds. Midland falls to 0-3, 0-2 in the GPAC. The Warriors host Hastings on Wednesday before playing at RV Northwestern on Saturday.

TAD’S POWER RANKINGS

1. Jamestown (+1) – Strong upset over the league favorite
2. Morningside (-1) – Don’t count them out yet, looking for a go to scorer
3. Dordt (-) Strong veteran leadership, this offense can score
4. Concordia (+2) – They’ve looked very strong this year, Gage Smith has owned the boards
5. Northwestern (-1) – Close loss to Concordia, should be able to bounce back
6. Hastings (-1) – The offense continues to put up big numbers.
7. Dakota Wesleyan – Defense looked great against BCU
8. Briar Cliff – BCU lives and dies by the three
9. Mount Marty – Elijah Pappas has been solid
10. Doane – Hopefully we can see Doane back on the court soon
11. Midland – Slow start in conference play