ORANGE CITY, Iowa – Alex Van Kalsbeek’s free throw late in the second half gave him sole possession of Northwestern’s all-time career scoring record as the No. 7 Red Raiders held on for the win Wednesday night.
“Every time you play somebody a second time, you know that it’s gonna be a little tougher,” head coach Kris Korver said. He noted the defensive effort as a key factor, particularly the stretches of consecutive stops in the second half, saying, “I thought that was the difference.” The bench’s contribution was also highlighted, with Korver mentioning, “our bench was +25 in the plus minus chart.”
Northwestern started strong with Jesse Van Kalsbeek opening the scoring through a dunk at 19:04. The home team maintained an edge in the paint, scoring 22 points versus the Tigers’ six. Alex Van Kalsbeek led a crucial offensive stretch, contributing multiple buckets, including a layup at 5:28 to give the Raiders their largest lead of the half at four points. The first half concluded with the Raiders holding a narrow 36-34 lead, aided by Kaleb Booth’s late three-pointer.
In the second half, the Red Raiders demonstrated consistent scoring led by Jesse Van Kalsbeek, who contributed multiple layups and free throws, including a key layup at 9:34 that extended the lead to 11 points. Jalen Langsy and Kaleb Booth also added to the momentum with a three-pointer and defensive rebounds, respectively, bolstering the team’s performance. Despite turnovers, the Raiders maintained their advantage, finishing the half with a 37-33 edge over DWU, thanks in part to strong free-throw shooting and active defense.
With 11 seconds remaining, Alex Van Kalsbeek stepped to the line with an opportunity to seal the win and make history. Needing one point to break Northwestern’s career scoring mark, Van Kalsbeek drained the second of two free throw attempts to etch his name atop the record books.
“I’ve had the privilege and honor of coaching Brandon Woudstra when he broke his uncle’s record, and now with Alex, he’s the son of the program too,” Korver said. “He watched his big brother Daniel play, watched his big brother Justin play – he wanted to be like them and play for the Raiders and be better than them. He’s an incredibly hard worker. He’s overcome injury. He’s an awesome teammate. His teammates love him, but he’s worked and he’s earned it.”
Van Kalsbeek continues to add to his repertoire of memorable moments in the Bultman Center after breaking Colton Kooima’s single-game scoring record with 52 points last year. Tonight’s scoring output broke a career scoring record set by Brandon Woudstra (1999-2003), as he moved into first place with 2,479 career points.
“It’s really cool to see the baton passed from Brandon to Alex, both who are carrying on the tradition of Raider basketball.”
GAME NOTES
- Alex Van Kalsbeek now has 2,479 career points, the most in Red Raider history.
- He scored 22 points on the night, also adding seven boards and three blocks.
