Kassidy De Jong scored a game-high 24 points and was among five players in double figures as No.8 Northwestern defeated No.11 Morningside 91-66 in a conference match-up between ranked teams.
Northwestern improved its record to 3-1 in the GPAC, 6-1 overall.
De Jong knocked down 5-of-9 three-point attempts en route to a 24-point effort, her second straight and third overall 20-point game of the season.
Haley Birks missed just two shots, going 8-for-10 from the field, on her way to 18 points and
Darbi Gustafson contributed another double-double with 17 points and 11 boards.
Northwestern trailed just once and outscored the host Mustangs in every quarter. Tied at 12, Northwestern scored the final nine points over a 2:30 stretch to take a 21-12 lead at the end of the first quarter. Four different players scored during the run, two-point baskets by Birks, Gustafson and
Alexis Toering along with a three-pointer by De Jong.
Morningside countered with the first seven points of the second quarter to cut the lead down to two, 21-19, on a basket by Sydney Hupp with 6:25 left in the half. The Red Raiders, however, pushed the lead back up to 10 (38-28) after
Jada Cunningham converted two free throws just before the half.
Leading by nine, Northwestern put the game away with a 14-4 run over the final 3:22 of the third quarter to take a 68-49 advantage heading into the final period. De Jong and Bre Schuiteman hit back-to-back three-pointers and Toering scored five to spark the decisive run.
The Red Raiders extended their lead to 20+ points with 5:53 left in the final quarter.
Northwestern shot 52% for the game, 61% in the second half. They made 10-of-28 three-point attempts and held a commanding 43-24 edge on the glass. Schuiteman (12) and Toering (11) were also in double figures for Coach Yaw's squad.
Jordyn Moser led Morningside with 14 points, followed by Sierra Mitchell with 11, well below her GPAC-leading 22 points per game average. The Mustangs shot 42% for the game, 31% (5/16) from the three-point line.
Northwestern will play Waldorf in a non-conference match-up on Tuesday night, Nov. 20, in Forest City, Iowa at 6pm.
