Northwestern was outscored by 12 in the second half in losing to second-ranked Hastings, 82-71, in an afternoon match-up played today at the Lynn Farrell Arena in Hastings, Neb.

The Red Raiders dropped their third straight game and fall to 7-9 in the GPAC, 12-9 overall; Hastings remains unbeaten, improving to 16-0 in conference play, 24-0 overall. 

With Northwestern leading by one (40-39) at halftime, Hastings outscored the Red Raiders 43-31 in the second half to earn the come from behind win. The Broncos shot nearly 50% over the final 20 minutes and led 60-54 by the end of the third quarter. 

Still a five-point game (69-64) with five minutes to go, Hastings went on an 11-2 run over a four-minute stretch to preserve the victory. 

Sammy Blum matched her career-high with 27 points, making 10-of-21 field goal attempts. The junior guard has scored 20+ points in two straight games and in four overall this season. Alexis Toering was the only other Red Raider to net double figures, scoring 12 points to go with eight rebounds. 

Northwestern shot 39% for the game, 26% (5/19) from the three-point arc. They were outrebounded by one (35-34), led by Taylor VanderVelde with nine, and committed 18 turnovers compared to 11 by Hastings. 

A couple of three-point plays by Blum helped Northwestern race out to an 8-2 lead only to have Hastings come back to tie the score at 10 with 4:24 left in the first quarter. The lead switched hands five times and the score was tied five times for the rest of the quarter that ended 22-22. 

Two free throws by Maddie Jones gave Northwestern a five-point lead (34-29) at the five minute mark but Hastings went on an 8-2 run to pull ahead by one, 37-36, with two minutes left. A Bre Schuiteman basket put Northwestern in front, 40-39, at the half.

Hastings was led by All-American guard Shandra Farmer with 30 points, making 4-of-8 three-pointers, and Sophia Pankratz scored 11.