ORANGE CITY, Iowa — Northwestern erupted for 58 first-half points and never looked back Saturday night, rolling past Dakota Wesleyan 97-65 at the Bultman Center.
The Red Raiders (23-5, 15-5) shot a blistering 58.1 percent from the field and 55.2 percent from three-point range, using a barrage of early triples to build a commanding halftime lead.
Northwestern wasted no time setting the tone. A three-pointer from Jalen Langsy on the opening possession sparked a 12-0 run, and the Red Raiders continued to pour it on from deep. By halftime, Northwestern had built a 58-30 cushion behind nine first-half three-pointers.
Langsy led the balanced Northwestern attack with 18 points and six assists. Jesse Van Kalsbeek added 20 points and 10 rebounds for a double-double, while Brennan Reid scored 15 points and grabbed eight boards. Isaac Cordes came off the bench to hit five three-pointers and finish with 15 points.
Dakota Wesleyan (14-14, 9-11 GPAC) struggled to keep pace offensively, shooting 38.5 percent overall and just 7-of-29 from beyond the arc. The Tigers were also outrebounded 47-25 and committed 10 turnovers.
Gavin Hinker provided a spark off the bench with 14 points and five rebounds to lead Dakota Wesleyan. Noah Oberfeld added 13 points and eight boards, and Anthony Riggans finished with 10 points.
The Tigers will be at Northwestern again on Wednesday night for the quarterfinals of the GPAC Tournament as the No. 7 seed. Tip off it set for 7 pm in Orange City.