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Posted: Feb 11, 2016

NAIA Division II Men's Basketball Weekly Report

February 11, 2016

NAIA Network Division II Men's Basketball Game of the Week: No. 8 Northwest Christian (Ore.) (22-4, 14-1 CCC) at No. 24 Warner Pacific (Ore.) (16-8, 12-4 CCC), on Feb. 13 in Portland, Ore.

• No. 24 Warner Pacific tries to keep pace with No. 8 Northwest Christian in the Cascade Collegiate Conference standings on Saturday at 7:30 p.m. PST.

• Northwest Christian has won 17 of its last 18 games, including 15 in-a-row. Warner Pacific has won seven of its last eight games.

• Warner Pacific has posted a 9-3 home record, while Northwest Christian is 11-4 on the road this season.

• Northwest Christian won the first meeting between the two teams this season, 83-78, on Jan. 15, 2016.

• The Knights are led in scoring by Taylor Young, who is averaging 16.3 points per game. Javonte Byrd leads the Beacons in scoring at a clip of 14.4 points per game.

• Both teams have five players averaging double digits in scoring.

• Warner Pacific holds a 19-4 record against Northwest Christian in the all-time series, including winning 11 in-a-row from Feb. 24, 2010 to Feb. 6, 2015.

Around NAIA Division II Men's Basketball

(Through games played on Feb. 10)

• Davenport (Mich.) is No. 1 for the fifth-straight week in the eighth regular-season edition of the NAIA Division II Men's Basketball Coaches' Top 25 Poll. The next Top 25 poll will be released on Feb. 16.

• Four teams have 24 wins – St. Francis (Ill.), Briar Cliff (Iowa), Davenport and Indiana Wesleyan – which leads the NAIA. Three teams are second with 23 wins.

• There are no undefeated teams remaining.

• Gage Ott of Bethel (Ind.) holds the highest field goal percentage in the NAIA at 68.6 percent (157-of-229).

• Briar Cliff is leading the NAIA in team scoring, averaging 95.8 points per game. Senior forward Brandon Cole of Bryan (Tenn.) leads the nation in scoring at 29.2 points per game.

• Rochester (Mich.) owns the stingiest defense, as the Warriors are allowing only 57.6 points per game and holding opponents to 36 percent shooting from the field.

• Southern Oregon leads the nation is assists per game (20.1).

• Tennessee Wesleyan's Charles White is averaging 2.5 steals per game, which is tops in the NAIA.

• Grant Greenberg of Saint Mary (Kan.) scored his 2,000th career point in an 83-76 win over then-No. 11 College of the Ozarks (Mo.) on Jan. 4. The junior, who accomplished the feat in only 74 games, is the first Spire to eclipse the 2,000 career point total.

• Southwestern's (Kan.) Cameron Clark surpassed the 2,000-point, 1,000-rebound plateau with a double-double – 10 points and 11 rebounds - in an 82-71 win over Sterling (Kan.) on Jan. 20.

• Cory Cox of Cornerstone (Mich.) became the 40th Golden Eagle to join the 1,000-career points club, as he scored 14 points in a 58-66 win over then-No. 17 Aquinas (Mich.) on Jan. 20.

• Johnson & Wales (Colo.) scored a NAIA season-high 145 points twice this season - Nov. 6 and Nov. 8. Both games came against Oglala Lakota (S.D.).

• Nebraska Wesleyan connected on 23 3-pointers in a 97-89 win over Westminster (Mo.) on Jan. 18. The 23 three's made is a NAIA-high this season.

• Toby Baxter of Friends (Kan.) scored a NAIA season-high 46 points against Bethany (Kan.) on Nov. 21, 2015.

• Bethel head coach Mike Lightfoot became the second active NAIA Division II coach to reach the 750 career win mark. Lightfoot and the Pilots defeated then-No. 22 Keiser (Fla.) on Dec. 17, 2015, 77-75, to give Lightfoot 750 career wins.

• Grand View (Iowa) head coach Denis Schaefer recorded his 300th career victory on Oct. 30, 2015, in a 76-74 win over Briar Cliff.

• College of the Ozarks head coach Steve Shepherd recorded his 300th career win on Jan. 29th in an 89-72 win over IU Northwest (Ind.).

• William Penn (Iowa) head coach John Henry is closing in on the 300 career win plateau as he currently owns 299 victories. Henry and the Statesmen will be back in action on Saturday when they travel to take on Evangel (Mo.).

• Five teams currently have win streaks of 10-or-more – Tennessee Wesleyan (20 games), Northwest Christian (Ore.) (15 games), Davenport (11 games), St. Francis (10 games) and Tabor (Kan.) (10 games). Union (Ky.) is riding a nine-game winning streak and Southwestern has won eight games in-a-row.

• The Crossroads League (164-106) holds the highest winning percentage (0.607) of all conferences. The North Star Athletic Association (126-98) is second (0.563).

• 2016 Division II Men's Basketball Game of the Week:

  • Jan. 9 - No. 5 Davenport (Mich.) (A) def. No. 7 Cornerstone (Mich.) (H), 90-84.
  • Jan. 16 - No. 10 Keiser (Fla.) (A) def. No. 7 Warner (Fla.) (H), 65-59.
  • Jan. 23 - No. 10 Northwest Christian (A) def. (RV) College of Idaho (H), 72-62.
  • Jan. 30 – No. 2 St. Francis (Ill.) (A) def. Robert Morris (H), 92-83.
  • Feb. 6 – No. 3 Saint Francis (Ind.) (A) def. No. 18 Marian (Ind.), 87-76.

• The away team has won all five Games of the Week.

• Other Top 25 matchups this week:

  • Thursday – No. 5 Union (Ky.) at No. 13 Tennessee Wesleyan
  • Saturday – No. 4 Indiana Wesleyan at No. 25 Grace (Ind.)

• 2016 Player of the Week:

  • Jan. 5: Ilya Ilyayev, St. Francis (Ill.)
  • Jan. 12: Brandon Vanderhegghen, Grace (Ind.)
  • Jan. 19: Travis Giesselmann, Nebraska Wesleyan
  • Jan. 26: Aaron Larson, Olivet Nazarene (Ill.)
  • Feb. 2: Jesse Jones, Midland (Neb.)
  • Feb. 9: Aaron Larson, Olivet Nazarene (Ill.)

By Scott Barker, Communications and Sports Information Intern