WAVERLY, Iowa – Men's basketball is back in action on Saturday, Jan. 8 at 4 p.m. when Nebraska Wesleyan University travels to Levick Arena for an American Rivers Conference game.
Saturday, Jan. 8 – 4:00 p.m. – Waverly, Iowa – Levick Arena
Wartburg Knights (11-2, 4-0 A-R-C) vs. NWU Prairie Wolves (8-5, 2-2 A-R-C)
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In the Rankings
The Orange & Black are receiving votes for the second straight week in the D3hoops.com top 25 rankings. Wartburg is the only team in the A-R-C receiving votes and no team in the conference is currently ranked in this poll.
Last Time Out
In their last contest, the Knights held off a second half comeback from Central College to win 80-75 in an American Rivers Conference matchup on the road Wednesday, Jan. 8. Wartburg was led by Drew Olson, who tied his career-high in points with 26 (17 second half points).
The game started with a made three from both offenses and the first five minutes were back and forth with Wartburg holding a 15-8 lead. A Keagan John three-pointer extended the lead to 12 points with just under 10 minutes to play in the half. Central cut the lead down to seven, but the Knights closed the half on a Marshun Williams layup that made the score 42-28 at the break. Wartburg was led in scoring by John, who had 10 first half points for the Orange & Black.
Central went on a 11-2 run early in the second half to cut Wartburg's lead to 49-46 with 13 minutes left. Back-to-back threes from Williams brought the lead back up to nine points. The Dutch regained the lead with under five minutes to play and the teams went back-and-forth, which led to a 72-72 tie with just over two minutes to play.
Davis Roquet put two free throws in to make the score 74-72, but Kade Terrell answered from beyond the arc to make the score 75-74, Central, with just over 1:30 left in regulation. The Orange & Black closed on a 6-0 run coming from a three-point play from Olson and free throws from John and Jack Molstead.
Season Leaders
Olson is the leading scorer for the Knights this season with an average of 17 points per game. The Osage, Iowa native is shooting an efficient 54.5% from the field and 46.9% from three. Olson also leads the team in rebounding with an average of 6.2 per game. The senior guard has been active on the defensive side of the ball, averaging an A-R-C high 3.4 steals per game.
Molstead leads the Orange & Black in assists with an average of 5.5 per game and he adds 13.2 points per game along with it. The junior guard is shooting 43.1% from the field and 43.4% from beyond the arc. Molstead also averages 4.5 rebounds per game from his guard position.
Nebraska Wesleyan
Nebraska Wesleyan University men's basketball enters Saturday's matchup having won three of its last four games. The contest in Waverly will end a four-game road streak for NWU. The Prairie Wolves defeated Colorado College 83-67.
NWU is averaging 80.9 points scored as a team and are allowing 74.8 points scored against them. The Prairie Wolves offense is shooting 43.7% from the field and a 30% clip as a team from three-point range.
In comparison, Wartburg averages 80.1 points per game scored and allows just 70.8 points per game. The Knights shoot 51.2% from the field as a team and 36.3% from beyond the arc.
NWU is led by Peter Lash, who is averaging 17.4 points per game and is leading the A-R-C with an average of 10.3 rebounds per game. The freshman forward is shooting 48.2% from the field and 26.6% from three. Lash is the only player in the A-R-C averaging a double-double so far this season.
Glenn Carter is averaging 3.2 assists per game, which leads the Prairie Wolves, along with 14.2 points per game. The freshman guard is shooting 45.1% from the field and recorded a 31.3% three-point mark.
Series History
There have been 14 matchups between these schools and the Prairie Wolves lead the series 10-4. NWU has won the last eight matchups in the series dating back to 2017.
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