The Event...Northwestern College will host its annual Pizza Ranch Women's Basketball Classic this weekend, Nov. 10-11, at the Bultman Center. There will be two women's games each day, beginning Friday afternoon at 2pm and they will conclude Saturday evening.Â
The complete schedule as well as links to watch all of the games can be found here:
Schedule
All-Time...Northwestern is 3-0 all-time against Presentation, dating back to the first match-up played during the 1999-2000 season. The Red Raiders defeated Presentation last year 79-55. Northwestern is 0-1 all-time against Southeastern (Fla.), losing to the Fire 87-55 in the second round of the NAIA D-II Women's Basketball Championship last year.Â
Scouting Reports...
  Dordt College Defenders: 2-2          Head Coach: Kyle Lindbergh (1st year)
The Defenders are off to a 2-2 start to the 2017-18 season, earning wins over both Dakota State and Waldorf while losing to Mayville State and Jamestown. Last time out, Dordt earned a 65-48 win over Waldorf behind a 22-point, four rebound effort by sophomore guard Annie Rhinesmith.Â
Lindbergh takes over as the interim head coach for one season before Bill Harmsen, the current athletic director and head boys coach at Western Christian High School, takes over next season. Lindbergh, a former All-American for the Defenders' men's basketball team, inherits a squad that returns one starter and seven players from a 2016-17 team that finished 10th in the GPAC (5-15), 13-17 overallÂ
By the Numbers:Â
    Scoring Offense: 72ppg
    Scoring Defense: 78ppg
    Field Goal Percentage: 38%
    3pt Percentage: 30%, 30 3ptersÂ
    Free Throw Percentage: 77%
    Rebound Margin: +7
Top Players:
  Annie Rhinesmith-15.8ppg, 4.8rpg, 12 3pters, 19 assists
  Erika Feenstra-15.3ppg, 7.8rpg, 5 3pters
  Rachel Evavold-15ppg, 6rpg, 10 blocks (6th in NAIA)
  Payton Harmsen-6.8ppg, 6 3pters, 3.3rpg
  Ebby Prewitt-5.3ppg, 4.0rpg
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Presentation College Saints: 0-2Â Â Â Â Â Â Head Coach: Eric Nelson (5th year)
The Saints have lost both games and brings an 0-2 record into the Bultman Center this weekend. They lost to a pair of GPAC teams, Dakota Wesleyan (89-57) and Mount Marty (79-68), last week and play two more teams from that conference this weekend.Â
Nelson returns two starters and six players from a 2016-17 team that tied for sixth in the North Star Athletics Association with a 5-11 record, 8-21 overall. The Saints were picked to finish sixth out of nine teams in the NSAA preseason coaches' poll. Nelson came to Presentation after serving as the top men's assistant at both Mount Marty and Morningside.
By the Numbers:Â
    Scoring Offense: 63ppg
    Scoring Defense: 84ppg
    Field Goal Percentage: 31%
    3pt Percentage: 33%, 19 3ptersÂ
    Free Throw Percentage: 68%
    Rebound Margin: -14
Top Players:
  Allison Cox-19ppg, 5 3pters, 6rpg, 3 assists
  Shayla Strauss-12rpg, 5 3pters, 3rpg, 3 assists
  Macy Toelle-All-Conference; 11ppg, 3rpg
  Karly Sanchez-7.5ppg
  Leannah Vitalis-5ppg, 3 3pters, 2.5rpg
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No.4 Southeastern University Fire:Â 3-0Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Â Head Coach; Tim Hays (2nd year)
Earning their highest ever national ranking in the NAIA preseason coaches' poll, fourth-ranked Southeastern is off to a perfect 3-0 start to the 2017-18 season. They have wins over Saint Leo (Fla.), Loyola (La.) and Xavier (La.), all by double-digit numbers.Â
Hays is in his second year as the Fire head coach and returns one starter and five players from a 2016-17 squad that set a school record with a 28-1 record. The Fire won their second straight Sun Conference regular season title and went on to win their first two games at the NAIA D-II Championship before losing to eventual champion Marion in the quarterfinals. Last year's squad led the NAIA in scoring defense (55ppg), field goal percentage offense (50%) and defense (33%). Coach Hays brought in three NCAA D-I transfers and two NCAA D-II transfers this season.
By the Numbers:Â
    Scoring Offense: 75ppg
    Scoring Defense: 52ppg
    Field Goal Percentage: 54%
    3pt Percentage: 45%, 19 3ptersÂ
    Free Throw Percentage: 61%
    Rebound Margin: +6
Top Players:
  Ana Richter-(All-Conference) 16ppg, 3.3rpg, 13 assists
  Jaycee Coe-12ppg, 4 3pters, 3.7rpg (transfer from Kentucky)
  Emma Karamovic-11.3ppg, 6 3pters, 55% 3pt
  Maja Michalska-9ppg, 6 3pters, 75% 3pt
  Anissa Tourni-7.7ppg, 2.3rpg
    No.17 Northwestern College: 1-2   Â
Head Coach: Chris Yaw (7th year)
After a season opening win over William Penn, the Red Raiders lost to a pair of ranked teams last weekend, Jamestown and Mayville State. for a 1-2 record heading into the Classic.
Picked fourth in the GPACÂ 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:Â
    Scoring Offense: 70ppg
    Scoring Defense: 74ppg
    Field Goal Percentage: 41%
    3pt Percentage: 28%, 14 3ptersÂ
    Free Throw Percentage: 73%
    Rebound Margin: -9
Top Players:
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Kassidy De Jong-(All-American) 19.3ppg, 7rpg, 8 assists
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Darbi Gustafson (All-Conference)Â 15.7ppg, 6.3rpg
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Paige Danner-11.3ppg, 5 3pters, 2rpg
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Renee Maneman (All-Conference)Â 8.3ppg, 4.3rpg, 15 assists
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Haley Birks (All-Conference)Â 6.7ppg, 5rpg
Notes:Â
  De Jong ranks 25th all-time in career scoring, 17 points in back of Kerri Clark (1987-91) for 24th place
  Maneman is fourth all-time in assists, 11 shy of Becca (Hurley) Kramer (2007-11) for 3rd
  Birks is eight all-time in blocked shots, two in back of Kendra De Jong (2009-13)
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