Darbi Gustafson netted a game-high 24 points in leading 10th-ranked Northwestern to its ninth straight win, defeating College of Saint Mary 88-45 this afternoon at the Bultman Center. The Red Raiders improve to 12-2 in the GPAC, 17-5 overall.Â
Gustafson matched her career-high in points from earlier this season and also pulled down 10 rebounds in registering her sixth double-double of the season.
Kassidy De Jong scored 13 points, grabbed seven boards and dished out three assists and both
Paige Danner (11) and
Anna Kiel (10) were also in double figures.Â
With the game tied at two, a De Jong three-pointer began an 11-0 Northwestern run to put the hosts up for good 13-2. Five different players scored for NW during the run as they held CSM scoreless for nearly three minutes. Later in the quarter, Gustafson scored on a putback to cap a 7-0 run to give the Red Raiders a 22-6 advantage and led 25-8 at quarter's end.Â
Northwestern continued to roll, outscoring the Flames 14-1 at the start of the second quarter to take a 39-9 lead after a free throw by Kiel. A three-point play by De Jong during the final seconds gave Northwestern its largest lead, 51-18, at the half. The Red Raiders shot 57% in the first half and limited CSM to a mere 28% from the field and 0-10 from the three-point arc.
The Red Raiders pushed their lead to as much as 45 (70-25) after a three-pointer by
Erika Sage near the end of the third quarter. Every Red Raider played at least five minutes as the hosts led by at least 36 points for the entirety of the final quarter.
Northwestern shot 49% from the field and held a commanding 57-30 edge on the glass, pulling down 18 offensive rebounds.
Renee Maneman dished out 11 assists, her 10th game with 10+ assists this season. This is the longest win streak since the 2013-14 season for the Red Raiders.
Tyler Sumpter led College of Saint Mary (1-14, 3-21) with 12 points, the only Flames' player in double figures. CSM shot 26% for the game, 12% (2/17) from the three-point line.Â
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