Game Time...A trip to the national semifinals is on the line as 11th-ranked Northwestern College plays #19 St. Francis (Ill.) in the quarterfinals of the 2018 NAIA Division II National Championship on Saturday, March 10. Tip-off at the Tyson Events Center is scheduled for 6pm. Northwestern, the No. 3 seed, is 24-8 on the season while the Fighting Saints are 22-9. 

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All-Time...This will be the first ever match-up between the two teams. 

Championship History..Northwestern is in 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 is 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 47-9 overall record. The Red Raiders won the championship in 2001, 2008, 2010, 2011 and 2012. This is the Red Raiders 12th trip to the national quarterfinals and first since the 2013-14 season. They are 9-2 all-time in the quarters.

St.Francis is making its third straight and overall appearance to the D-II Championship, losing in the first round in 2016 and reaching the semifinals last year where they lost to Marian (Ind.), the eventual national champion. The Fighting Saints are 5-2 at the championship.

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...

    19th-Ranked / No. 5 Seed  St. Francis (Ill.): 16-4 (3rd), 22-9 overall     Head Coach: Steve Brooks (1st year)

One of four teams from the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference in the 32-team field, St. Francis is 22-9 heading into Saturday's showdown against Northwestern. They finished third in the conference regular season with a 16-4 record, behind both Olivet Nazarene and Saint Xaiver. Cardinal Stritch also made it into the field from the CCAC. St. Francis lost to Trinity Christian in the first round of the postseason tournament and defeated Valley City State (56-47) in the first round and upset top-seed College of the Ozarks (Mo.) in yesterday's second round game.

Brooks, the NAIA's fifth winningest active coach, is in his first season at St. Francis after serving as the head coach at Indiana Wesleyan for 17 years. He won two national titles with the Wildcats (2007 and 2013); his 2007 team finished unbeaten on the year. He inherits a Fighting Saints team that returns one starter and 10 players from a 2016-17 team that won the CCAC title with a 20-0 record, 34-2 overall. 

    By the Numbers:  (Conf. Rank / NAIA-rank (if top 10)
       Scoring Offense: 67.3ppg (10th)
        Scoring Defense: 60.5ppg (1st)
        Field Goal %: 43% (3rd)
        Field Goal % Defense: 42% (11th)
        3pt %: 35% (4th)   
        3pt Made: 186 (8th)
        Free Throw %:72 (6th)
        Rebound Margin: 4 (3rd)
        TO / Game-14
    
    Top Players:
        Kaitlin Aylward (All-Conference)  17ppg, 31 3pters, 7.3rpg (7th) 63 assists
        Kamari Jordan (All-conference)  15.6ppg, 68 3pters, 109 assists
        Nichole Davidson 8.8ppg, 5.5rpg, 50% FG
        Ivana Markovic  6.2ppg, 30 3pters
        Andriana Acosta  5.7ppg

11th-ranked / No.3 seed Northwestern College: 16-4 (T2nd), 24-8     Head Coach: Chris Yaw (7th year)

The 24-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, the fifth under the guidance of coach Yaw.  The 24 wins is tied for the 11th most all-time, matching the 2006-07 season (24-9). 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: 78.4ppg (4th)
    Scoring Defense: 65.5ppg (4th)
    Field Goal Percentage: 48% (2nd /4th)
    3pt Percentage: 33% (6th), 190 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), 8.1rpg (2nd), 50 assists
     *Darbi Gustafson (3x All-Conference)  14.3ppg (6th), 7.5rpg (4th), 58% (2nd / 10th)
     Anna Kiel (2x All-Conference)  13.6ppg, 62% FG, 5.9rpg
    *Renee Maneman  (3x All-Conference) 10.9ppg, 3.8rpg, 268 assists (1st /1st)
     *Haley Birks (2x All-Conference) 8.2ppg, 4.3rpg, 39 blocks (4th)    
     *Paige Danner  6.8ppg, 42 3pters, 35% 3pt FG 

De Jong moved into 10th place all-time in career scoring in the win vs Friends; 1,576pts

De Jong has scored in double figures in 29 games played this season

Gustafson became the 32nd player in women's program to score 1,000 points ; reaching the milestone vs Friends

Gustafson has scored in double figures in 26 games this season

Maneman has 18 games with 10 points and 12 games with 10 assists

Danner scored her 750th point in the win over Eastern Oregon