March 9, 2007

POINT LOOKOUT, Mo. - #11 Northwestern (Iowa) defeated #6 Kansas Wesleyan, 74-54, as the single digit seeds continue to fall in the quarterfinal round of the 16th-Annual NAIA Division II Men's Basketball National Championship. The 2007 event is being held at the Keeter Gymnasium on the campus of College of the Ozarks (Mo.).

Northwestern took a slim 32-31 lead into the locker room after a very tight and low-scoring first half. The defensive battle continued for the first nine minutes of the second half with both teams struggling to find any offensive rhythm. With the score tied at 43, the Red Raiders erupted on a huge 23-2 run to take a big 66-45 lead and get command of the game. Northwestern limited the Coyotes to just 23 points and 21% from the field in the second half.

Northwestern was led by sophomore guard Kale Wiertzema who scored 16 points. Chad Schuiteman registered his second straight double-double with 11 points and 13 rebounds. Andrew Stimson made 3-4 three point baskets en route to 13 points. Northwestern shot 56% from the floor and 50% from beyond the arc.

Kansas Wesleyan was led by senior Anthony Smith who scored a game-high 22 points. Marcus Faubion, the KCAC Player-of-the-Year, was held to just nine points on 3-11 shooting. The Coyotes had their 19-game winning streak snapped and finish the season with a 28-4 overall mark. They were making their first trip to the national tournament.

Northwestern (Iowa) improves to 25-8 overall and will face the winner between unseeded teams, College of the Ozarks (Mo.) and Spalding University (Ky.). The quarterfinal game on Saturday will tip-off at 6:00 pm. The 32-team, single elimination tournament concludes Tuesday, March 13.