Four Red Raiders scored in double figures in its 86-65 road win over Doane in the final game of the regular season played today in Crete, Neb.
Northwestern is tied with Dakota Wesleyan for second place in the final regular season standings with a 16-4 record, 21-7 overall. It looks like the Red Raiders will be the No.2 seed in the upcoming GPAC postseason tournament due to tie-breaking procedures.
Darbi Gustafson led Northwestern with 22 points and 10 rebounds, recording her GPAC-leading ninth double-double of the season.
Kassidy De Jong netted 18 points and pulled down six rebounds, followed by
Anna Kiel (14) and
Paige Danner with 10.
Back-to-back three-pointers by Danner and
Erika Sage ended a 15-3 run that put Northwestern in front for good, 21-9, with 1:46 left to play. Defensively, Coach Yaw's squad held Doane to just one field goal over a five minute period during the run. Northwestern held a nine-point lead at the quarter break.
Doane gradually came back over the first five minutes of the second quarter, making it a four-point game (27-23) on a put-back by Nicole White. Two free throws by De Jong began a 10-0 Northwestern run to push the Red Raiders lead to 14 (37-23) following a lay-up by Danner. Again, the Red Raiders defense keyed the surge, holding Doane scoreless for over three minutes.
Up nine at half, Northwestern displayed its balance on the offensive end as five different players scored during a 14-2 run that put the Red Raiders up by 18, 53-35, with six minutes left in the quarter. Doane would get as close as 12 during the fourth and final quarter but the Red Raiders outscored the hosts 12-0 over the final six minutes to secure the win.
Both teams shot comparable for the game (NW-48%, Doane-45%) but the Red Raiders held a commanding 46-17 edge on the boards, pulling down 15 on the offensive end compared to zero for the Tigers. The Red Raiders had the edge at the free throw line, making 18-of-22 (82%) while Doane was 7-for-12 (58%).
Renee Maneman dished out seven assists.
McKenna Dodd scored a game-high 26 points, closing her career with seven three-pointers. Alea Shaner added 14 for Doane, who finished 2-18 in the GPAC, 7-21 overall.
