Game Time... Top 10 teams clash this weekend as No.3 Northwestern hosts No.9 Morningside on Saturday, Jan. 19. Tip-off at the Bultman Center is scheduled for 2pm. Northwestern has won three straight and is in a three-way tie for first place in the GPAC at 12-2, 18-2 overall. Morningside has won four straight and sits in fourth place in the current GPAC standings at 9-4, 17-4 overall. 

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All-Time...Northwestern has won the last two games played against the Mustangs and the teams have split (5-5) the last 10 match-ups. The Red Raiders are 32-47 all-time against Morningside, dating back to the 1976-77 season.

Last Time...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 played Nov. 17 in Sioux City.

De Jong knocked down 5-of-9 three-point attempts en route to a 24-point effort. 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 Cunninghamconverted 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.

Scouting Reports...

    No.9 Morningside College Mustangs: 9-4 (4th), 17-4 overall        Head Coach: Jamie Sale (17th year)

Since losing to Dakota Wesleyan 91-67 on Jan. 2, Morningside has won four straight games to improve to 9-4 in the conference, 17-4 overall. They are currently in fourth place in the GPAC standings, 1/2 game up on Dordt, with nine games left in the regular season. Morningside has wins over Mount Marty, Dakota State, No.12 Dordt and College of Saint Mary during their current streak.

Sale returns three starters and 10 players from a 2017-18 team that finished fifth in the GPAC at 13-7, 22-12 overall, losing to St. Xavier (Ill.) in the round of 16 at the NAIA D-II Championship. Sale, in his 17th season with the Mustangs, is the winningest coach in program history and must account for the loss of Madison Braun, the 2018 GPAC player of the year, who graduated last spring.

By the Numbers: (GPAC rank / NAIA rank-if top 10)
    Scoring Offense: 81.9ppg (4th / 7th)
    Scoring Defense: 69.6 (7th)
    Field Goal Percentage: 45% (3rd / 8th)
    3pt Percentage: 38% (2nd / 5th), 205 3pters (1st / 9th) 
    Free Throw Percentage: 70% (7th)
    Rebound Margin: +3 (4th)

Top Players:  (GPAC rank / NAIA rank-if top 10)
    Sierra Mitchell (all-conference) – 18.2ppg (3rd), 77 3pters (1st / 1st), 37% 3pt (6th), 39 assists
    Sydney Hupp (all conference) – 13ppg, 58% FG (3rd / 10th), 6.5rpg (7th), 26 blocks (4th)
    Skyler Snider - 8.4ppg, 3.8rpg
    Jordyn Moser (all conference) – 7.6ppg, 80 assists (6th)

No.3 Northwestern Red Raiders: 12-2 (T1st), 18-2 overall        Head Coach: Chris Yaw (8th year)

With its 69-54 win over No.1 Dakota Wesleyan last time out, Northwestern moved into a three-way tie for first place in the current GPAC standings with a 12-2 record, 18-2 overall. They have won three straight and are 4-1 since the new year, defeating Doane, Mount Marty, College of Saint Mary and DWU. The Red Raiders two losses are to DWU (76-73) and Concordia (93-85), both on the road. 

Northwestern is second in the GPAC and ranks fourth in the NAIA in points per game (87.8)

The Red Raiders are first in the nation in both field goal percentage (49%) and three-point percentage (40%)

Coach Yaw's squad is fourth in the NAIA and leads the GPAC in rebounding (+13); they have outrebounded their opponent in 11 straight games

Kassidy De Jong has scored in double figures in all but one game (19/20); the senior is closing in on the 2,000-point milestone

Both Darbi Gustafson (17th) and Haley Birks (24th) rank among the top 25 in career scoring with 1,360 and 1,200 points, respectively

Sammy Blum ranks third in the GPAC with 54 three-pointers and leads the NAIA in three-point percentage (51%)

Gustafson leads the GPAC with eight double-doubles; De Jong is third with five

By the Numbers: (GPAC rank / NAIA rank-if top 10)
    Scoring Offense: 87.8ppg (2nd / 4th)
    Scoring Defense: 63.5ppg (3rd)
    Field Goal Percentage: 49% (1st / 1st)
    3pt Percentage: 40% (1st / 1st), 169 3pters (4th)
    Free Throw Percentage: 76% (2nd)
    Rebound Margin: +12 (1st / 4th)

Top Players: (GPAC rank / NAIA rank-if top 10) *returning starter
     *Kassidy De Jong (2x All-American) 18.4ppg (2nd), 46 3pters (7th), 7.9rpg (2nd)
     *Darbi Gustafson (All-Conference) 16.4ppg (6th), 55% (4th), 8rpg (1st), 24 blocks (7th)    
     *Haley Birks (All-Conference) 13.5ppg, 85 FT % (3rd), 3.8rpg
     Sammy Blum - 11.6ppg, 54 3pters (3rd), 51% 3pt (1st / 1st), 72 assists (9th)