Game Time... No.2 Northwestern hosts University of Jamestown in the Red Raiders final home game of the regular season. Tip-off on Wednesday night is scheduled for 6pm. Northwestern is tied with Concordia for first in the current GPAC standings at 17-3 with two games left in the regular season. They are 23-3 overall. Jamestown is in 10th place in the conference standings with a 7-13 record, 13-15 overall. 

Follow the game live via the NWC webcast at the following link: Watch Now!

All-Time...The Red Raiders lead the all-time series 9-4 against Jamestown, going 4-1 over the last five games, dating back to the first meeting in 2001-02.

Last Time vs Jamestown...Haley Birks scored a season-high 26 points and Sammy Blum knocked down a go-ahead  three-pointer with under two minutes left as No.5 Northwestern earned a rugged 73-71 win over 20th-ranked Jamestown in a match-up played in Jamestown, N.D. on Dec. 5.

Birks made 8-of-16 field goal attempts, 9-of-11 free throws en route to 26 points, two shy of matching her career high set during her freshman year. Both Kassidy De Jong and Darbi Gustafson scored 20 point each while Gustafson pulled down a game-high 11 rebounds for her fifth double-double of the season. 

A tight game for the final two quarters, the largest lead for either team was three and there were eight ties and 20 lead changes (10 each quarter) during the final 20 minutes. With Jamestown leading 67-65 after a three-pointer by Noelle Josephson with 2:41 left to play, Blum answered right back with a three-pointer, her only basket of the game, to put Northwestern in front for good 68-67.

The Red Raiders earned a stop on the defensive end and Birks followed with a basket in the paint to put her team up three, 70-67, with :41 seconds left. Jamestown got a basket from Jory Mullen on its next possession but another basket by Birks put the Red Raiders back up by three, 72-69. Gustafson converted 1-of-2 free throws for a four-point lead and Jamestown scored a late basket by Emma Stoehr to make the final score 73-71. Northwestern forced a turnover on the Jimmies final possession to preserve the win.

Northwestern shot 48% for the game, 27% (3/11) from the arc and converted 22/26 free throws for 85%. Coach Yaw's squad held a slight 32-30 advantage on the boards. 

Noelle Josephson led Jamestown with 19 points, followed by Stoehr with 15 and Jenna Doyle with 12. The Jimmies relied heavily on shots from beyond the arc, shooting 34% (12/35) from the three-point line. Stoehr dished out eight assists for the Jimmies. 

The Red Raiders scored the first eight points of the game, six by De Jong, and led 16-13 by the end of the first quarter. Jamestown rallied with an 8-4 run to take its first lead (21-20) at the seven minute mark but Northwestern outscored the hosts 12-0 over a five-minute stretch to open up its largest lead of the game, 32-21, at the 2:30 mark. Jamestown made it a three-point game by halftime, 33-30.

Scouting Reports...

    University of Jamestown: 7-13 (10th GPAC), 13-15 overall            Head Coach: Thad Sankey (1st year)

The Jimmies defeated College of Saint Mary 84-71 last weekend to snap a four-game losing streak, all in GPAC play. Losses to Hastings, Midland, Dakota Wesleyan and Dordt prior to last weekend's win put Jamestown in 10th place in the GPAC standings at 7-13, 13-5 overall. They are just one game in back of eighth place Briar Cliff and 1/2 game behind ninth place Mount Marty.

Hired in July of 2018, Sankey is in his first season as the head of the Jamestown women's basketball program. Sankey spent five years in the same role at Concordia (Mich.) and played at Concordia (Nebraska) in the early 2000's. He inherits a Jamestown team that won the North Star Athletic Association regular season title with a 16-0 record and qualified for the NAIA Championship. They lost to Concordia in the quarterfinals to finish 31-5 and return two starters and eight players from last year's team.

    By the Numbers: (GPAC / NAIA rank-if top 10)
    Scoring Offense: 67.9ppg (10th)
    Scoring Defense: 66ppg (3rd)
    Field Goal Percentage: 38% (10th)
    3pt Percentage: 30% (8th), 235 3pters (3rd)
    Free Throw Percentage: 65% (11th)
    Rebound Margin: even (10th)

Top Players:  (GPAC / NAIA rank-if top 10)
    Allison Jablonsky - 11ppg, 23 3pters, 4.4rpg
    Paige Schmidt - 9ppg, 62 3pters (8th), 38 assists
    Emma Stoehr - 8.8ppg, 50 3pters, 109 assists (4th)
    Noelle Josephson - 7.2ppg, 4.4rpg, 49 assists

No.2 Northwestern College: 17-3 (T1st), 23-3            Head Coach: Chris Yaw (8th year)

Northwestern is tied with Concordia for first place in the GPAC with two games left in the regular season. Both teams own a 17-3 record and split during their regular season meetings. Northwestern is 23-3 overall and one of six GPAC teams ranked in the top 25.

By the Numbers: (GPAC / NAIA rank-if top 10)
    Scoring Offense: 86.3ppg (2nd / 4th)
    Scoring Defense: 64.1ppg (2nd)
    Field Goal Percentage: 49% (1st / 1st)
    3pt Percentage: 38% (1st / 4th), 209 3pters (5th)
    Free Throw Percentage: 76% (2nd)
    Rebound Margin: +12 (1st / 1st)

Top Players:  (GPAC / NAIA rank-if top 10)
    Kassidy De Jong (3x All-American)  18.5ppg (3rd), 49% FG (7th), 58 3pters (7th), 8.1rpg (T1st)
    Darbi Gustafson (2x All-Conference)  15.6ppg (7th), 54% FG (4th), 8.1rpg (T1st)
    Haley Birks (3x All-Conference)  13.2ppg, 87% FT (3rd / 8th), 3.8rpg
    Sammy Blum - 10.8ppg, 64 3pters (3rd), 95 assists (7th)
    Anna Kiel - 10.2ppg, 5rpg, 67% FG