Trojans Focused on NAIA Tournament Opener Against Northwestern
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KANSAS CITY, Mo. – Taylor (19-10) earned an at-large bid to the NAIA National Tournament announced Thursday evening and is set to travel to Orange City, Iowa as the No. 13 seed in the Naismith Region of the bracket.
Taylor had an amazing season, increasing its win total by five in Head Coach Austin Peters' second year at the helm. Peters guided a young team to a fifth-place finish in the Crossroads League, including wins over No. 4 Indiana Wesleyan, No. 19 Bethel, and No. 22 Huntington.
The Trojans' offense was spectacular this season, averaging 81.1 points while shooting 47.7 percent from the field and 37.5 percent from beyond the arc. The great ball movement of Taylor was showcased by an electric 18.7 assists per game, led by freshman point guard Carson Gould with 4.8 per contest. That mark is the highest in over two decades for Taylor and is three short of the most total assists in the same time span. Gould set the single game assist record with 13 in a win over Marian in January.
Pacing the offense for TU was junior duo Pete Combs and Izaiah Day. Combs was named First-Team All-Crossroads League after averaging 15.2 points, 5.0 rebounds, and 2.2 assists per contest while shooting 63.2 percent from the field and 45.7 percent from beyond the arc. Day was recognized as Second-Team All-Crossroads League after putting up 16.2 points, 4.4 rebounds, and 1.1 steals per game, while hitting a CL high 88 threes.
The TU defense was vastly improved and allowed under 73 points per game this season. A dedication to dominating the glass has proved fruitful, with Taylor bringing down 37.6 rebounds per game, and a rebounding margin of 4.0.
Northwestern is riding a 13-game winning streak into the first round, with their most recent loss back in early January. The Red Raiders finished second in the Great Plains Conference, but won the conference tournament in dominant fashion, sandwiching two blowouts with a seven-point victory over Mount Marty.
The Red Raiders have an elite offense, which tops the NAIA in points, field goal percentage, and three-point percentage. The Red Raiders have the NAIA's top two leading scorers in Jesse Van Kalsbeek (27.9) and Jalen Langsy (27.4). The dynamic duo were both named to the GPAC First Team, with Van Kalsbeek named the GPAC Player of the Year.
Kalsbeek is also second in the NAIA with 12.4 rebounds as he dominates the post, while Langsy is one of the best sharpshooters in the NAIA, with the third best three-point and free throw percentages. Langsy has made 138 shots from beyond the arc, which is 30 more than anyone else in the NAIA.
Northwestern is making its seventh-straight NAIA National Tournament appearance and have advanced to the sweet 16 the past two seasons. Colton Kooima took over as Head Coach this past offseason for a legend in Kris Korver, who collected two NAIA National Championships in 25 years as the Head Coach at Northwestern.
The winner between Taylor and Northwestern will advance to face the winner of the matchup between RV William Penn (25-6) and College of Idaho (20-10) for a chance to advance to the Round of 16 at the Municipal Auditorium in Kansas City, Missouri.
Admission is $12 for adults and $6 for K-College students. Tickets purchased online at nwcraiders.com/tickets will waive the processing fee, while tickets purchased at the gate will include a $1.00 fee. For those unable to attend the game, all NAIA Tournament games will be televised free of charge by the Urban Edge Network.