Game Time...11th-ranked Northwestern College opens NAIA D-II Women's Basketball National Championship play this week against 22nd-ranked Friends (Kan.) at the Tyson Events Center in Sioux City, Iowa. Tip-off for the first round match-up on Thursday, March 8, is scheduled for 8:30am.

Northwestern, ranked 11th in the final poll, comes into the championship as a No.3 seed with a 22-8 overall record. 

Friends, a No. 6 seed, is 24-8 on the season

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NAIA Press Release | 

All-Time...This will be the second ever match-up between the two teams with Northwestern earning a 94-61 win over the Falcons last year during Christmas break.

Championship History..Northwestern is making its 15th appearance at the NAIA D-II Women's Basketball National Championship, tied with Indiana Wesleyan and Morningside for fifth most among this year's 32-team field. This marks the Red Raiders second consecutive appearance, losing to Southeastern (Fla.) in the second round after upsetting Southern Oregon in the first game last season. Northwestern has won the most championships (5) and is the active wins leader, boasting a 45-9 overall record. The Red Raiders won the championship in 2001, 2008, 2010, 2011 and 2012. 

Friends is making its third straight and 10th overall championship appearance, owning a 1-8 all-time record. The Falcons defeated Hastings in the first round before bowing out to Saint Xavier in the round of 16 last year. 

Championship Format...The 32-team field  is made up of 22 automatic berths and 10 at-large selections. Automatic qualification is given to conference regular-season champions, tournament champions or tournament runners-up depending on the conference. At-large teams were determined using the final regular-season Coaches' Top 25 Poll.

Scouting Reports...

    22nd-ranked / No.6 seed Friends Falcons: 24-8         Head Coach: Nicole Midder (1st year)

One of two teams from the Kansas Collegiate Athletic Conference in the 32-team field, Friends has a 24-8 record coming into Thursday's opening round game. The Falcons won the KCAC regular season title with a 20-2 record, securing an auto bid, along with Tabor, who upset the Falcons in the conference tournament final. Prior to the loss against Tabor on Feb. 26, Friends had won 15 straight games, dating all the way back to Jan.3. They are 0-1 against teams from the GPAC, losing to Dakota Wesleyan 100-70 on Nov. 11

Hired as the team's head coach last spring, Midder spent the last six years as the team's top assistant. She inherits a Friends team that returns four starters and 11 players from a 2016-17 team that won the regular season title with a 21-1 record, 28-6 overall. They earned their first ever win at the D-II championship, defeating Hastings in the first round.

By the Numbers:  (Conf. Rank / NAIA-rank (if top 10)
    Scoring Offense: 76.3ppg (1st)
    Scoring Defense: 70ppg (11th)
    Field Goal %: 40% (5th)
    Field Goal % Defense: 41% (9th)
    3pt %: 31% (5th)   
    3pt Made: 245 (2nd)
    Free Throw %: 73% (4th)
    Rebound Margin: -7 (12th
    TO / Game-17
    Steals: 490 (1st /2nd)

Top Players:
    Betty Akathiotou (All-Conference)  15.1ppg (5th), 3.5rpg, 27 3pters, 97 steals (2nd / 7th), 101 assists (4th)
    Makenzie Vining (All-Conference)  14.6ppg (6th), 89 3pters (1st), 37 3pt %, 4.8rpg
    Yowana Posey (All-Conference) 11.8ppg, 5.7rpg, 
    Laramie Edens  8.1ppg, 3.7rpg
    Lexi Evans: 7.8ppg, 62 3pters (4th), 115 steals (1st /2nd)

11th-ranked / No.3 seed Northwestern College: 16-4 (T2nd), 22-8     Head Coach: Chris Yaw (7th year)

The 22-wins by Northwestern is the most since the 2013-14 season and is the 16th time the Red Raiders have won at least 20 games in a season. They finished tied with Dakota Wesleyan for second place in the conference regular season with a 16-4 record and then lost to the Tigers in the conference semifinals. They earned the second of 10 at-large bids into the championship.

Yaw has guided Red Raider teams to the national tournament in five of his seven seasons and has made it to at least the second round in each of those years. 

By the Numbers: (GPAC rank / NAIA rank-if top 10)
    Scoring Offense: 78.2ppg (4th)
    Scoring Defense: 65.4ppg (4th)
    Field Goal Percentage: 48% (2nd /4th)
    3pt Percentage: 33% (6th), 185 3pters (8th)
    Free Throw Percentage: 75% (3rd)
    Rebound Margin: +9 (2nd / 8th)

Top Players: (GPAC rank / NAIA rank-if top 10) *returning starter
    *Kassidy De Jong (2x All-American) 17ppg (2nd), 7.8rpg (2nd), 44 assists
     *Darbi Gustafson (3x All-Conference)  14.6ppg (6th), 7.6rpg (4th), 58% (2nd / 10th)
     Anna Kiel (2x All-Conference)  12.8ppg, 61% FG, 5.7rpg
    *Renee Maneman  (3x All-Conference) 10.7ppg, 3.8rpg, 250 assists (1st /1st)
     *Haley Birks (2x All-Conference) 8ppg, 4.2rpg, 33 blocks (4th)    
     *Paige Danner  6.8ppg, 41 3pters, 35% 3pt FG 

De Jong ranks 11th all-time in career scoring w/ 1560pts

De Jong has scored in double figures in 27 games played this season

Gustafson has scored in double figures in 25 games this season

Maneman has 16 games with 10+ points and 11 games with 10+ assists