Men’s basketball squad suffers GPAC punch from Briar Cliff

On Tuesday, the men’s basketball team dropped its GPAC opener against Briar Cliff 91-77. The Raiders stand at a 3-3 overall record and 0-1 in the conference.
NW managed to shoot a respectable 44 percent from the floor and was led by senior guard Zack Leeper with 22 points. Sophomore guard T.J. Buyert added 11 points ,which included 3-7 on three point attempts.
“My teammates set good screens and got effective penetration on their defense, which allowed for open shots to take place,” Leeper said. “They also managed to get a lot of turnovers that allowed for easy transition layups.”
The Raiders held an advantage on rebounding. NW out boarded the Chargers 39-31. The way was lead for NW by junior Gerasimos Mantalvanos with seven rebounds. Freshman center Jordan Baker grabbed six rebounds.
After a close first half with both teams exchanging punches, Briar Cliff went on a 12-5 run to close the first half. In the second half, NW rallied but fell short after Briar Cliff embarked on a 16-2 run that closed any chance of victory for NW.
“We just allowed them to get too many open and rhythmic shots offensively and we didn’t get too many fast-break opportunities, so our offense was slowed down,” Leeper said.
The Raiders will travel to Hastings on Saturday for a conference matchup with the Broncos. The game will begin at 4 p.m.
Last weekend, the Raiders hosted the Northwestern Classic at the Bultman Center. NW went 1-1 on the weekend with an 80-48 win on Friday night over Trinity Christian and an 88-82 loss to Davenport on Saturday.
In the win over Trinity Christian, NW managed to hit a season-high 10 three pointers on 48 percent shooting from beyond the arc.
Leeper and Baker both scored 13 points. Baker also pulled down 11 rebounds and got his second double-double of the season. Sophomore guard Keegan Mulder scored a career-high 10 points. Sophomore guard Joey Habtemariam dished out five assists.
Saturday’s loss to Davenport was close from start to finish between two nationally ranked teams. The Raiders shot 44 percent from the field and 31 percent from three point. NW also managed to outrebound Davenport 40-31 and grabbed 18 offensive rebounds.
Leeper scored a game-high 24 points and also had eight rebounds. Habtemariam scored a career-best 20 points. Baker pumped in 15 points.