Game Time...No.17 Northwestern College opens its 2017-18 season against William Penn at home Tuesday night, Oct. 31. Tip-off at the Bultman Center is scheduled for 6pm. 

Follow the game live via the NWC webcast at the following link: Watch Now! 

All-Time...Northwestern has won four straight and is 4-3 all-time against the Statesmen, last playing at the Pizza Ranch Classic in 2010-11 resulting in an 88-64 win for the Red Raiders. 

Scouting Reports...

    William Penn University: 0-0     Head Coach: Steve Williamson (1st year)

The Statesmen are an NAIA D-I team that play in the 14-team, Heart of America Athletic Conference (HAAC) and like Northwestern, are making their 2017-18 season debut. Last year, William Penn finished tied with both Clarke and MidAmerica Nazarene for fourth place in the HAAC regular season with a 16-10 overall record and earned one of the final at-large bids into the 32-team NAIA D-I Championship, their first appearance in 29 years. They lost to Lewis-Clark State 59-45 in the first round, ending the year with an 18-14 overall record. 

Hired in April of 2017, Williamson comes to William Penn after a 12-year stint as head coach at Iowa Wesleyan where he had the best winning percentage and guided IWU to five trips to the NAIA D-II Championship. Williamson inherits a William Penn squad that returns two starters and 10 players from 2016-17. 

By the Numbers (based on 2016-17 season): 
Scoring Offense: 71.7ppg
Scoring Defense: 68.4ppg

Field Goal Percentage: 39%
3pt Percentage: 30% (174/583)
Free Throw Percentage: 65%

Rebound Margin: +1

Top Returners (stats based on 2016-17 season)
Sarah Hansen: 11.3ppg, 60 3pters, 30% 3pt, 1.4rpg, 43 assists
Vashti Nwagbaraocha: 10.8ppg, 7.3rpg, 36% FG, 85 assists, 72 steals (2nd team all-conference)
JeAnn Hiraldo: 5.0ppg, 2.4rpg, 15 assists, 15 3pters, 38% 3pt
Brynesha Mosby: 4.6ppg, 2.7rpg, 17 assists

Newcomers:
Sham Troupe-5'9 Jr from Mesa Community College
Shamiah Oliver-5-7 Jr from St. Louis Community College
Alfreda Roberts-6'1 Jr. from St. Louis Community College
Dymond Randle-5-11 Jr. from Lakeland Community College

    No.17 Northwestern College: 0-0     Head Coach: Chris Yaw (7th year)

Picked fourth in the GPAC Preseason coaches' poll, Northwestern is one of five conference teams ranked in the top 25, joining Concordia, Morningside, Dakota Wesleyan and Hastings. Yaw owns a 135-58 overall record in his six seasons as the Red Raiders head coach, including a 20-12 overall record last year. The Red Raiders finished fifth in the GPAC regular season at 10-10 and earned one of the final spots in the 32-team NAIA D-II Women's Basketball Championship. They defeated Southern Oregon in the first round but lost to top-seed Southeastern (Fla.) in the round of 16 to end the year. All five starters and the top eight scorers return from last year's team.

By the Numbers (based on 2016-17 season): 
Scoring Offense: 75.4ppg
Scoring Defense: 69.4ppg

Field Goal Percentage: 46%
3pt Percentage: 31% (164/535)
Free Throw Percentage: 74%

Rebound Margin: +7

Top Returners (stats based on 2016-17 season)
Kassidy De Jong: 18.3ppg, 30 3pters, 29% 3pt, 7.8rpg, 30 assists (NAIA All-American)
Darbi Gustafson: 12.1ppg, 7.9rpg, 28 blocks, 54% FG (All-Conference)
Haley Birks: 12.0ppg, 5.0rpg, 32 assists, 44 blocks, 25 3pters (All-Conference)
Paige Danner: 9.4ppg, 2.5rpg, 54 assists, 46 3pters
Renee Maneman: 9.0ppg, 4.3rpg, 238 assists (All-Conference)
Anna Kiel: 14.1ppg, 6.6rpg, 66% FG (All-Conference)