PLATTEVILLE, Wis. – Nebraska Wesleyan made a statement to the nation on Saturday night (March 10) as the Prairie Wolves men's basketball team rolled to a 130-97 victory over the No. 1 ranked team in the nation, Whitman College, in the NCAA III Tournament quarterfinals.
 
NWU will now take their high flying attack to Salem, Virginia for the 2018 NCAA III Final Four next weekend.  The Prairie Wolves meet up with Springfield College in the national semifinals next Friday.  It marks the fifth NCAA III Final Four appearance for Nebraska Wesleyan and their first trip since 1997.
 
In a battle of two of the top scoring teams in the country, it was the Prairie Wolves offense that shined much brighter than that of top-ranked Whitman's.  The Blue's full court pressure played right into the hands of the Prairie Wolves as they got to display their brilliant passing and shooting skills. 
 
The Prairie Wolves shooting spectacular started early and often and continued throughout the night.  NWU shot over 70 percent from the field in the first half and ended the game at 68.1 percent, including 15-24 from 3-point range as they scored a season-high 130 points.
 
Just over five minutes into the game, #1 Whitman had already used two timeouts to try to stop the NWU offensive juggernaut as the Prairie Wolves jumped ahead 20-7.  They continued to pour it on and a Jack Hiller fast break 3-pointer doubled up the score at 42-21 with nine minutes remaining.  The lead would get to as many as 27 points late in the 1^st half and the Prairie Wolves took a 67-41 lead into the halftime locker room sending shockwaves across DIII basketball.
 
Not wanting to let any momentum turn in the second half, Hiller came out and knocked down a pair of 3-pointers and Cooper Cook added a trifecta in the first three minutes to give NWU a lead of over 30 points.
 
Whitman, who entered the game with only one loss and led the nation with a scoring margin of 22.3 points per game, tried to make small runs by hitting 3-pointers but the Prairie Wolves always responded.  The Blues got within 25 points twice, but they could not withstand a quick 10-2 run by the Prairie Wolves to get back up by 33.
 
Coach Wellman was able to get all 15 players in the game and several reserves kept up the scoring pace as the Prairie Wolves finished with 130 points, just two points off the NCAA III Tournament record.
 
Six Prairie Wolves scored in double figures on the night, including all five starters as the Prairie Wolves topped 100 points for the ninth time this season.
 
Jack Hiller scored a career-high 30 points, going 6-10 from 3-point range and 12-17 from the floor.  Cooper Cook was 5-8 from 3-point range to score 21 points.
 
Deion Wells-Ross, the team's lone senior, posted a huge double-double of 21 points and 15 rebounds.  Nate Schimonitz, the hero from last night's victory, scored 16 points with five assists.  Ryan Garver added 14 points and had a team-high eight assists.  Austin Hall came off the bench to score 10 points with three assists.
 
Tim Howell led Whitman with 27 points as the Blues finish the year at 29-2.  They were 14-44 from 3-point range and had 88 total shot attempts, compared to 69 for the Prairie Wolves. 
 
Nebraska Wesleyan is now 28-3 on this magical ride under 4^th-year head coach Dale Wellman, who was the IIAC Coach of the Year for a second straight season.
 
Stay tuned to nwusports.com throughout the week for updates and information about the NCAA III Final Four in Salem, Virginia.