Weekly Review
- #1 Morningside closed out their 2019 GPAC schedule unblemished. It was a big challenge, needing a comeback to survive Concordia in the first game. The Bulldogs lead 39-34 after halftime and held a 71-70 lead with 9 seconds left before Alex Borchers made two free throws to give the Mustangs the 72-71 victory. Tyler Borchers had a strong game, going 12 for 18 with 28 points, 10 rebounds, and 3 blocks. It took another comeback for Morningside to leave Jamestown with a victory. The Jimmies had a 45-32 lead at the break. Morningside quickly responded out of halftime, going on a 32-11 run to break the game open. Tyler Borchers went 5 for 9 with 16 points, 8 rebounds, and 3 blocks. Ben Hoskins was 5 for 8, including 5 for 7 from 3 with 15 points and 6 rebounds. Zach Imig contributed 14 points on 6 of 12 shooting with 6 rebounds and 4 assists. Morningside improves to 12-0 and 7-0 in the GPAC. Mustangs host Dakota State on Wednesday.
- #7 Dakota Wesleyan rebounded from their first loss with two more victories at the Corn Palace this week. They knocked off Valley City State 79-51. The hosts lead 43-28 at halftime and never really looked back. Ty Hoglund had 16 points on 6 of 10 shooting while adding 5 assists and 3 rebounds. Tyson Smilley had 14 points on 6 of 8 shooting with 8 rebounds and 5 assists. Nick Harden had 15 points, 2 rebounds, 2 assists, and 3 steals. The Tigers also picked up a conference victory over Doane 79-51. Doane competed early in the first half, having a 29-27 lead late in the half, before DWU took a 39-32 halftime lead. DWU dominated the second half, winning the frame 40-19. Hoglund had another big game, going 13 for 23 from the field, and 7 for 12 from 3 for 36 points and 4 rebounds. Nick Harden had another solid performance, going 9 for 17 with 21 points, 9 rebounds, 7 assists, and 4 steals. The Tigers improve to 11-1 overall and 6-1 in the GPAC. DWU is back in action this weekend in the Cruzin’ Classic in Fort Lauderdale. On Friday they take on 22 Kesier and on Saturday they battle 11 Ave Maria.
- #19 Northwestern extended their win streak to six with a road victory over Midland, 99-86. The Raiders played a strong first half, leading 54-38 at halftime. The Warriors tried to hang around in the 2nd half but couldn’t chip away the lead. Jay Small put together a strong effort, going 8 for 16 with 25 points, 7 rebounds, and 4 assists. Grant Rohrer was 9 for 12 with 20 points and 7 rebounds. The Raiders improve to 11-2 and 5-1 in the GPAC. They compete in the Vanguard Christmas Classic in Costa Mesa, California this week. On Tuesday they take on Thompson Rivers while they play Westcliff Wednesday.
- #23 Mount Marty saw themselves in the NAIA Division II Coaches Poll last Wednesday. This is significant as the last time the Lancers could claim a national ranking was February 10th of 2004, 15 seasons ago. It would be fair to question if they would have a let down after the hype, but that did not happen as they defeated the visiting Concordia Bulldogs 97-70. After it was tied at 22 early, the Lancers closed out the first half with a 44-32 lead. Mount Marty dominated the start of the 2nd half going on a 27-6 run. Colby Johnson scored 30 points on 11 for 17 shooting, going 8 for 12 from 3, and adding 5 assists. Chris King had 21 points on 8 of 11 shooting while adding 6 rebounds, 3 assists, and 3 steals. The Lancers improve to 13-2 and 6-1 in the GPAC. Their last game of 2019 is an exhibition matchup at the Drake Bulldogs.
- RV Dordt won their only game at Hastings 70-68 in a close matchup. The Defenders had a 38-34 lead at halftime. Both teams battled in the 2nd half. Hastings had a 64-60 lead with 4:07 left in the game. Two baskets a piece by Garrett Franken and Jesse Jansma gave Dordt a 68-66 lead with 36 seconds remaining. Two free throws from Jansma iced the game. Ben Gesink scored 13 points on 5 of 11 shooting while adding 4 rebounds. Josh Van Lingen also added 13 points on 5 of 8 shooting with 3 blocks. Dordt improves to 10-4 and 4-3 in the GPAC. The Defenders travel to California for some games this week. They play Pacific Union on Thursday in Angwin and they play at UC-Merced on Saturday.
- Briar Cliff got back to their winning ways against Grand View, beating the visitors 86-71. The Chargers had a 47-32 halftime lead, and extended it to 26 late in the half. Conner Groves led the charge for BCU, with a career high 24 points on 10 of 19 shooting, while adding 6 rebounds, 3 assists, and 2 steals. Jackson Lamb had 18 points on 7 of 19 shooting with 9 rebounds and 4 assists. Jaden Kleinhesselink was also big, going 6 for 8 with 16 points, 13 rebounds, and 3 assists. The Chargers improve to 8-5 and are at Clarke on Tuesday.
- Jamestown started the week off with a 101-89 victory over Dickinson State. It was a strong performance from Isaiah Dobson that lead the Jimmies in this one. He scored a career high 42 points on 10 of 13 shooting, 6 of 8 from 3, and 16-16 from the line. This is the 2nd highest scoring total in Jamestown history, only being bested by Jon Purintun’s 45 against Valley City State last season. His 16 for 16 effort from the line ties Beau Hensel’s record for most made free throws without a miss. Brock Schrom also had a solid game, going 11 for 16 with 24 points and 9 rebounds. The Jimmies lost to #1 Morningside 76-68 in Sioux City. Jamestown shot 57% in the first half for a 45-32 lead. The top ranked Mustangs took 7:45 in the first half to go a 19-6 run to tie it at 51. The shooting for the Jimmies cooled off in the 2nd half as they shot 27% and just 1 of 9 from 3. Dobson went 9 for 17 and 5 for 10 from 3 with 28 points and 5 rebounds. The Jimmies are 9-5 and 2-4 in the GPAC. They are off this week.
- Concordia gave the top ranked Mustangs all they could handle and then some before falling 72-71. The Bulldogs lead for all of the first half, and most of the 2nd. Late in the half they saw Morningside up 68-64 with 3:32 left. The Bulldogs went on a 7-2 run with a 3 from Brevin Sloup, a layup from Chuol Biel, and a jumper by Sloup for a 71-70 lead with 1:19 left. Carter Kent had a solid effort going 6 for 10, 5-5 from 3, with 21 points. Sloup was 8 for 17 with 20 points and 5 rebounds. Chuol Biel recorded 8 points, 8 rebounds, and 6 blocks. The Bulldogs could not stay close against #23 Mount Marty, falling 97-70 on the road. Concordia was lead by Tanner Shuck at 6 for 13 with 14 points, 3 rebounds, and 3 assists. Justin Wiersema was 4 for 77 with 12 points and 5 rebounds. The Bulldogs fall to 7-4 and 2-4 in the GPAC. The Bulldogs will be in Aloha this weekend taking on Mid America Nazarene Saturday and Menlo on Sunday in Honolulu.
- Hastings competed well with RV Dordt before falling 70-68. Dordt lead 38-34 at halftime. Hastings eventually tied the game at 58 with 6:42 left on a three from Logan Cale. They went up 64-60 with 4:07 left on free throws by Brendan Lipovsky. The Broncos couldn’t hold the lead. Lipovsky lead the Broncos going 8 for 13 with 22 points and 7 rebounds. Bart Hiscock posted a double double, going 5 for 11 with 11 points and 12 rebounds. The Broncos also lost a very competitive exhibition matchup at Nebraska-Kearney 78-72. The Broncos fall to 6-6 and 1-5 in the GPAC. They are in Honolulu this week, taking on MidAmerica Nazarene on Friday and Menlo on Saturday.
- Midland fell behind big against #19 Northwestern early, and fell 99-86. They could not come back from a 54-38 halftime deficit despite making some runs in the 2nd half. The Warriors were led by Bowen Sandquist, who played all 40 minutes going 4 for 10 from the field and 8-8 at the line with 18 points. Laurence Merrit was 5 for 10 with 15 points. The Warriors fall to 3-8 and 1-5 in the GPAC. They are off this week.
- Doane was dominated by #7 Dakota Wesleyan, falling 79-51. Doane was led by Anthony Laravie with 13 points. Doane falls to 4-11 and 0-6 in the GPAC. They are off this week.
TAD’S POWER RANKINGS
- Morningside – Tested this week, and they found ways to win
- Dakota Wesleyan – Continues to find ways to win
- Northwestern – Continues to display strong shooting
- Mount Marty – Welcome to the top 25!
- Dordt – Found a way to win a GPAC road game against Hastings
- Jamestown – Hopefully they get Mason Walters back soon, they can play
- Briar Cliff – Better than a 1-5 GPAC record shows
- Concordia – Slumping after a strong start
- Hastings – Losing the lead against Dordt hurt
- Midland – Northwestern was to much
- Doane – Still looking for that elusive GPAC win
Stat Leaders
Points Per Game
- Ty Hoglund (DWU) 26.00 ppg
- Jackson Lamb (BCU) 25.15 ppg
- Bart Hiscock (HAS) 22.50 ppg
- Chris King (MMC) 21.00 ppg
- Laurence Merritt (MID) 17.90 ppg
FG%
- Tyler Borchers (MOR) 67.2-%
- Colby Johnson (MMC) 58.6%
- Zach Imig (MOR) 57.3%
- Mason Walters (JAM) 55.1%
- Ty Hoglund (DWU) 55.0%
- Bart Hiscock (HAS) 55.0%
- Craig Sterk (NWC) 55.0%
3pt%
- Ben Hoskins (MOR) 53.2%
- Nick Hoyt (BCU) 52.5%
- Laurence Merritt (MID) 50.9%
- Ty Hoglund (DWU) 48.7%
- Colby Johnson (MMC) 47.4%
Free Throw %
- Jackson Lamb (BCU) 92.2%
- Isaiah Dobson (JAM) 91.1%
- Jesse Jansma (DOR) 86.0%
- Ty Hoglund (DWU) 84.8%
- Trent Hilbrands (NWC) 83.7%
Assists per game
- Zach Imig (MOR) 4.33 apg
- Nick Harden (DWU) 3.92 apg
- Jordan Johnson (MMC) 3.86 apg
- Sammy Green (BCU) 3.83 apg
- Isaiah Dobson (JAM) 3.57 apg
Rebounds per game
- Mason Walters (JAM) 10.27 rpg
- Bart Hiscock (HAS) 8.17 rpg
- Garrett Franken (DOR) 8.07 rpg
- Chuol Biel (CON) 7.64 rpg
- Miguel Lopez (DOA) 7.47 rpg
Blocks per game
- Chuol Biel (CON) 2.09 bpg
- Craig Sterk (NWC) 1.50 bpg
- Brock Schrom (JAM) 1.50 bpg
- Josh Van Lingen (DOR) 1.14 bpg
- Tyler Borchers (MOR) 1.09 bpg
Steals per game
- Isiah Sykes (DOA) 2.00 spg
- Laurence Merritt (MID) 1.64 spg
- Chris King (MMC) 1.50 spg
- Jordan Johnson (MMC) 1.50 spg
- Laurence Merritt (MID) 1.50 spg
