The Northwestern men’s basketball team continued their seven-game win streak with a decisive 97-77 victory over rival Dordt College Wednesday night.
“The NW-Dordt games are always filled with emotion, drama and adventure,” said Head Coach Kris Korver.
After finishing the first period tied, the Raiders scored 63 second-half points to put the game away.
“Our guys played well to start the game and played incredibly well in the second half,” Korver said. “Basketball is a game of momentum swings. We had some runs and we extended those runs at different points in the game and fortunately when Dordt went on a run we were able to limit their runs.”
Sophomore Walker Seim led the team with 28 points and four rebounds. Junior Ryan Hoogeveen had 17 points and 11 rebounds and freshman Ben Miller had 17 points and nine rebounds.
“Ball movement and unselfishness are keys to Raider success. Always has been and always will be,” Korver said. “It was great to see our guys share the ball and not care who gets the shot; just keep moving the ball and sharing it and help each find an easier shot in rhythm.”
The weekend before, the Raiders brought back-to-back home victories at the Dordt classic against Bellevue, 81-73, and Central Baptist, 107-96.
“We had a much better focus on the defensive end to start the game, and the guys did a nice job of playing hard and made things difficult for Bellevue all game,” Korver said.
NW was ahead 40-35 after the first period and scored 41 points to Bellevue’s 38 in the second to get the win.
Seim led the team with 29 points and 10 rebounds, followed closely by freshman Daniel Van Kalsbeek with 28 points and 14 rebounds.
After a dominant first half, the Raiders survived a close 62-67 second half to top Central Baptist.
“When we play unselfishly, good things happen,” Korver said. “It is always exciting to see guys sharing the ball and making the extra pass to help a teammate find some success.”
Seim again led in scoring with 29 points and nine rebounds, while Van Kalsbeek had 16 points and eight rebounds.
NW continues play this weekend with a Saturday home game against Dana at 4 p.m.
