No.3 Northwestern outscored top-ranked Dakota Wesleyan 21-10 in the final quarter to secure a 69-54 home win in a GPAC match-up between top five teams. Both teams move to 12-2 and into a first place tie with No.2 Concordia (Neb.) in the GPAC; the Red Raiders improve to 18-2 overall, Dakota Wesleyan 19-2. 

Holding a four point lead (55-51), consecutive baskets by Taylor VanderVelde and Alexis Toering pushed the Red Raiders lead to eight, 59-51, with 5:53 left to go. After a free throw by DWU guard Sydney Halling, Toering scored on a tough baseline drive and began a decisive 8-0 run, finished off with a Sammy Blum three-pointer at the 1:26 mark. 

Haley Birks, Darbi Gustafson and Blum all scored 13 points and Bre Schuiteman dropped in 11, giving the Red Raiders four players in double figures. Both Toering and Kassidy De Jong added seven points each with De Jong pulling down 10 boards to go with six assists. 

Northwestern shot 51% for the game, 62% in the second half, and 39% (7/18) from the three-point line. The Red Raiders held a 37-26 edge on the boards and limited Dakota Wesleyan to a mere 12% (2/17) from the three-point line. 

The Red Raiders scored the first four points of the game and held an early six point lead (14-8) after a Gustafson free throw. Dakota Wesleyan rallied with a 6-0 run over the final 90 seconds and tied the game at 14 by quarters end. 

The Tigers' run continued, scoring the first six points of the second period for its largest lead, 20-14, with a basket by Madison Mathews at the 5:51 mark. DWU held Northwestern scoreless for over seven minutes and without a field goal since the 2:52 mark of the first quarter. 

With the outcome possibly slipping away and all the momentum in DWU's favor, Blum drained back-to-back three-pointers and tied the game at 20. The lead changed hands six times over the final four-plus minutes in a first half that ended with a DWU one-point lead, 29-28.

Still down one, Northwestern went ahead for good on a jumper by Gustafson at the 7:52 mark of the third quarter. A free throw by Anna Kiel and later, another basket by Gustafson extended the hosts lead to five before DWU made it a four-point game by the end of the quarter, 48-44.

Dakota Wesleyan lost for just the second time in 21 games, dropping to 19-2 on the year. Rylie Osthus led the Tigers with 12 points, one of four players to score in double figures. Sydney Halling and Mathews both scored 11 and Sarah Carr dropped in 10 points. 

Of Note...

The last time Northwestern defeated the No.1 team was a 72-65 win over Morningside in 2015-16

The Red Raiders have outrebounded their opponent in 11 straight games