ORANGE CITY, Iowa – The No. 14-ranked Northwestern College women's basketball team (17-3, 9-3 GPAC) completed this season's sweep of the Warriors of Midland University (7-12, 3-9 GPAC) with an impressive defensive effort, 78-59.
"Another great team win," stated head coach
Kristin Rotert. "I was very pleased with our execution on the defensive end and our dominance on the boards. Offensively we continued to move the ball well and create great shots."
The Raiders got off to a slow start offensively shooting under 30 percent in the opening frame. Senior
Jada Cunningham paced the Northwestern offense with five first quarter points. Defensively, the Raiders held the Warriors to 25 percent from the field and took a two-point advantage into the second quarter.
Northwestern continued to make life tough on Midland's offense. Utilizing turnovers and pushing the pace, Northwestern was able to distance themselves with a 17-0 run midway through the second quarter.
Maddie Jones and
Molly Schany were both perfect from the field in the second quarter and scored nine points apiece. Key reserves
Zoe Heemstra and
Hannah Nerem provided a lift of the bench helping the Raiders hold a 26-15 edge on the boards. Northwestern took a 42-25 advantage into the halftime break.
The third quarter saw more of the same from the Raider's defense, holding the Warriors under 30 percent from the field and only allowing 13 quarter points. Northwestern continued to be efficient on the offensive end, getting a number of layups in transition and shooting 56.3 percent for the quarter.
The final quarter of play saw Northwestern hold a 15 plus point advantage for the entirety of the quarter. For the second straight game all 14 Raiders saw game action and the season sweep of the Warriors was completed.
Schany (So., Emmetsburg, Iowa/Emmetsburg) finished with 17 points, leading all scorers.
Devyn Kemble (Sr., Panora, Iowa/Panorama) finished with 15 points and four rebounds. Jones (Jr., Twin Lakes, Iowa/South Central Calhoun) filled the stat sheet with 11 points, six rebounds, and four assists. For the second straight game Heemstra (Jr., Orange City, Iowa/MOC-Floyd Valley) recorded a new career high with 11 points, going four for five from the field. H. Nerem (Jr., Edgerton, Minn./Southwest Minnesota Christian) led the team in rebounds with eight. "Zoe and Hannah brought a big spark off the bench and contributed valuable minutes," concluded Rotert.
Up Next: The Raiders will travel to Sioux City on Wednesday, Jan. 19, to take on the (RV) Briar Cliff Chargers at 6:00 p.m. from the Newman Flanagan Center on the campus of Briar Cliff University.
