Jordan Call hits two of his 26 second half points.
Northwest in the NAIA Quarterfinals
PT. LOOKOUT, Mo. - For the second time in school history, the Northwest University Eagle men have earned a spot in the elite eight of the NAIA Division II National Championships in Pt. Lookout, Mo. today with an 83-74 victory over Northwestern College (Iowa) in Keeter Gymnasium. It marks the first time since 2007 an Eagle team has made it into the final eight.
Northwest led 12-8 early on but the Red Raiders scored seven straight points and pushed the lead to 22-16 with 10 minutes gone by in the first half. The Eagles fought their way back after a timeout and held a 30-29 halftime lead after a basket by Ryan Dornik.
In the second half and down three, Northwestern grabbed its final lead (45-42) after consecutive three-point plays by Ryan Stock and Walker Seim. A 14-2 Northwest run put the Eagles up for good but the Red Raiders kept it close behind the shooting of Walker Seim, who hit a tournament high seven three-pointers. Northwest made the plays and free throws at the end to hold off any NWC comeback attempt.
Northwest's (29-4) Jordan Call stepped up with a career high 33 points, 26 of them in the second half, but it was Rich Skillman that got things going with his opening steal and a dunk as he scored the first 6 points of the game and finished with 22 points, 6 rebounds, 4 assists and 6 steals. Ryan Dornik came off the bench to contribute 11 points and going 6 for 6 from the free throw line. Senior Ahmaad Cook contributed 8 points for the Eagles who shot 55% in the second half after a 31% first period. NU shot 42% for the game and 35% from 3 point range, including 50% (6-12) in the second half.
Northwestern shot 40% for the game and was led by Seim, who scored 32 points in the losing effort. Ryan Stock scored 12 points before fouling out with three minutes to go. Ben Miller and Zack Leeper added 11 points each. The Red Raiders season comes to a close with a 26-7 record.
"I'm proud of our guys," stated John Van Dyke. "That was an very good Northwestern team we beat today. Our guys stuck together, made big shots when we needed and made stops on defense at key times of the game. Our seniors are leading the way as they have all season."
The Eagles will face No. 1 seed Northwood of Florida at 5 p.m. tomorrow in Keeter for a chance to advance to the final four.