Vikings Upended by No. 12 Red Raiders

The Dana College men's basketball team hosted NAIA No. 12 Northwestern on Saturday, looking for its third straight win. Coming into the game, the Vikings knew they would have to play an almost perfect game to upset the Red Raiders. Unfortunately, costly turnovers and a minus 12 rebounding deficit were key factors in an 88-59 loss to the Red Raiders.

The Vikings came out very sluggish in the opening minutes, falling behind 13-0 at the 16:33 mark. Jon Person (JR, Olathe, Kan.) scored four straight points for Dana, cutting the lead to 13-4. The visiting Red Raiders out-rebounded the Vikings 25-18 in the first half and connected on 7 of 15 from beyond the arc to build a 39-25 halftime lead.  

Northwestern opened the first five minutes of the second half on a 21-7 run, extending its lead to 28. The Vikings gave the Red Raiders numerous second-chance points over the course of the game, which was a huge blow Dana’s upset bid.
 
Dana finished the game without making a three-pointer for the first time this season, finishing the game 0 for 10 while Northwestern shot a blistering 13 of 30 from the three-point stripe.  Six players scored at least nine points for the Red Raiders (17-3, 8-2 GPAC).

Eric Maassen (JR, Hancock, Iowa) led all Viking scorers with 14 points. Trent Albers (SR, Davenport, Neb.) was the only other Viking in double figures contributing 12 points and five rebounds off the bench. Doug Huston (JR, Olathe, Kan.) scored six points and dished out a game-high eight assists. Sean Johnson (SO, Council Bluffs, Iowa) had a solid game for the Vikings with seven points, five rebounds, and two assists.

Dana (10-13, 3-8 GPAC) will look forward to their home match up against the Nebraska Wesleyan Prairie Wolves on Tuesday night. Tip-off is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.
 
Story written by TJ Bartels, Sports Information Intern.  For more information, please contact Shad Beam, Sports Information Director at 402-426-7389 or sbeam@dana.edu.