DWU MEN’S BASKETBALL GPAC PLAYOFF PREVIEW VS NORTHWESTERN
Dakota Wesleyan Men's Basketball vs Northwestern Preview
Mitchell, S.D. –
The Tigers ended their season with an overall record of 14-14 and 9-11 in conference play. They finished ahead of enough teams in the GPAC to make it to the GPAC tournament as the No. 8 seed against the No. 1 seed Northwestern Red Raiders. Northwestern won both games in the regular season over the Tigers. Tipoff is set for 8 p.m. in Orange City, Iowa on February 28th after the women's game.
Players to Watch
Dakota Wesleyan Tigers
Jakob Dobney has been the leading scorer for the Tigers throughout the season averaging 16.2 points on 45% field goal shooting. Dobney scored his season high 29 points at Waldorf and scored at least 20 points in eight games. The junior has been a lock down defender as well for the Tigers, guarding opponents top guard and even matching up against large players in the paint. Jakob has recorded 116 rebounds and 19 blocks so far this season.
Randy Rosenquist Jr., the true freshman, is the second leading scorer for the Tigers at 13.1 points per game. While on the road, Randy scored a career-high 39 points against Briar Cliff in the loss. In the second meeting with BC, Rosenquist would score the game winning shot to beat the Chargers. Randy leads the team in assists with 103 so far this season and averages 3.7 per game.
Samuel Aslesen has been the starting center for the Tigers all year and has been a force in the paint on both ends of the floor. The 6'7" junior averages 12.2 points per game with 5.9 boards. He currently leads the team in blocks with 51 and is third in the conference in blocks per game. Aslesen led the team in scoring with Dobney in the upset victory over No. 17 Morningside with 21 points.
Blaze Lubbers leads the team with total rebounds at 202 (7.2 per game) and is 7th on the GPAC for rebounds per game. Lubbers has recorded four double doubles this season. In a five-game stretch from January 10th through January 28th, Blaze had at least 12 rebounds in four of the five games including a career high 18 rebounds against No. 14 Northwestern. Blaze scored a season high 20 points in a win over Mount Marty in December.
Diang Gatluak has been an essential 6th man off the bench for the Tigers this season averaging just under nine points and four rebounds per game. After missing the front half of the season with an injury, Gatluak came back and has helped the Tigers win games down the stretch. Diang has scored 14 or more points in six games so far this season, including 14 off the bench in the road win over (RV) Hastings.
Kallan Herman adds long range scoring for the Tigers, averaging 8.5 points per game while shooting 34% beyond the arc. The junior adds a lethal mid-range jumper and a quick first step to his skill set as well to help get himself to the rim and score.
Northwestern Red Raiders
Alex Van Kalsbeek leads the Raiders with 20.6 points per game (8th in the GPAC) and adds 6.4 rebounds per game. Van Kalsbeek shoots an efficient 60% from the floor, just two spots below his teammate in the conference.
Dillon Carlson has made 75 three-pointers this season to lead Northwestern while shooting 33.6% from the arc. That mark puts him third in the conference for three-pointers made
Zach LaFave grabs 7.1 rebounds a game for Northwestern with 200 total so far this season. LaFave currently shoots 60.6% and is fourth in the conference in FG%.
Craig Sterk has swatted away 39 shot attempts to lead his team to go with his 108 rebounds and 33 steals. Sterk is behind Aslesen in the conference standings for blocks per game.
Head-to-Head –
Dec. 6th, Orange City, Iowa
Dakota Wesleyan 69 | No. 13 Northwestern 97
In the first meeting of these two teams, Northwestern showed why they were ranked No. 13 at the time in the NAIA. Northwestern hit 14 threes and held DWU to 37% shooting from the field. The Raiders as a team shot over 50% and out rebounded DWU 47-30. Randy Rosenquist Jr. led the Tigers with his 19 points, but five Raiders scored 12 or more points.
Jan. 24th, Mitchell, S.D.
Dakota Wesleyan 60 | No. 14 Northwestern 68
In the second match up, the Tigers struggled through the first half, only scoring 16 points but Northwestern wasn't shooting much better as they only had 28. The Tigers would put up 40 points in the second half thanks to Jakob Dobney and Rosenquist combining for 24 second half points and Diang Gatluak adding nine off the bench. The Tigers cut the lead to six points late in the second half but were unable to get any close and would drop the second contest to the Raiders by eight points. DWU forced Northwestern into more turnovers but were unable to capitalize off those extra possessions and make a comeback.
Coach Matt Wilber Thoughts –
In our sit down with Head Coach Matt Wilber, we got an idea of where the Tigers mindset is heading into this game. "I hope their mindset is excited and confident. We won't be feeling any pressure that we don't put on ourselves. Northwestern is a very good team and has a chance to host some national tournament games. Our team has a great core of people that have worked hard all year and have had many opportunities to cash in, whether it's during a game or coming back from a tough loss, they keep working to get better. It has obviously been a tough year at times and especially down the stretch, but they get to play a college basketball game in a great environment and need to be ready to celebrate that."
GPAC TOURNAMENT SCHEDULE:
Quarterfinals – Wednesday, February 28
No. 1-seed Northwestern vs No. 8-seed Dakota Wesleyan (8:00 PM, Orange City, Iowa)
No. 4-seed Morningside vs No. 5-seed Jamestown (7:00 PM, Sioux City, Iowa)
No. 3-seed Concordia vs No. 6-seed Dordt (8:00 PM, Seward, Neb.)
No. 2-seed Hastings vs No. 7-seed Briar Cliff (7:00 PM, Hastings, Neb.)
