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Northwestern College
HOME OF NORTHWESTERN RED RAIDERS ATHLETICS
HONORING CHRIST THROUGH EXCELLENCE IN ATHLETICS
Nike
wbb-briar-cliff-recap-2022
68
Briar Cliff BCU 5-3, 2-2
72
Winner Northwestern NWC 9-0, 4-0
Briar Cliff BCU
5-3, 2-2
68
Final
72
Northwestern NWC
9-0, 4-0
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 F
Briar Cliff BCU 17 14 17 20 68
Northwestern NWC 16 9 21 26 72

Game Recap: Women's Basketball | | NWC Athletic Communications

Raiders Down Briar Cliff with Second Half Comeback

Raiders end the month of November with a perfect 9-0 record

ORANGE CITY, Iowa – The newly ranked No. 16 Northwestern College women's basketball team (9-0, 4-0 GPAC) had a battle with a tough (RV) Briar Cliff Charger (5-3, 2-2 GPAC) team, erasing a 10-point second half deficit to finish the month of November with a perfect 9-0 record.
"I'm proud of our team for a tough and gritty win tonight," noted head coach Kristin Rotert. "Very proud of our mental toughness and composure in the second half and the tough plays we made late to secure the win."

Briar Cliff took advantage of a cold shooting start by the Raiders, extending their one-point lead at the end of the first quarter into a six-point halftime lead. The Chargers held Northwestern to just nine points in the second quarter. However, out of the halftime break it would be all Northwestern as they would put up 20+ points in both third (21) and fourth (26) quarters, guided by 50 and 60 percent shooting from the floor, respectively.

"A slow start to the game, we were able to settle in offensively and find a better rhythm and pace in the second half," said Rotert.

With 6:30 left in the third quarter, the Raiders faced their largest deficit of the game of 10 points (39-29). They would begin to chip away, but a Charger three from Kaegen Held would push the BCU lead back up to nine with just over three minutes to go in the third.

A pair of free throws from Maddie Jones (Sr., Twin Lakes , Iowa) would spark the 16-6 run needed to get back into the contest. The Raiders would pull within two points by the end of the third quarter and with the layup by Molly Schany (Jr., Emmetsburg, Iowa) would knot things up at 48-48. A Hali Anderson (So., Saint Ansgar, Iowa) three-pointer would give Northwestern their first lead of the second half at 52-53, and with four more unanswered points NWC would take the 57-52 lead.

"Molly did a good job handling the physicality of (Briar Cliff's) post and helping us control the boards," said Rotert.

Down the stretch, it would be the star of tonight's game, Taylor VanderVelde (Sr., Sioux Falls, S.D.) would knock down four free throws to ice the contest, as the Raiders would prevail 72-68.

"Taylor made some big shots for us late, and had some important offensive rebounds," concluded Rotert. "She made some clutch free throws. Great overall performance for her."

GAME NOTES:
  • Northwestern finishes the month of November undefeated for the second-straight season.
  • Taylor VanderVelde notches a new career-high 24 points in the comeback victory.
  • She led the team in scoring for the second time this season, the performance earned her Scooter's Player of the Game honors.
  • Molly Schany records her second double-double of the season, scoring 16 points along with 11 rebounds.
  • Four Raiders recorded double digits: VanderVelde (24), Schany (16), Maddie Jones and Hali Anderson (12).
  • Jones has now scored double digit points in all nine games this season.
  • The Raiders shot a stellar 12-for-14 (.857) from the free throw line to help seal the win down the stretch.
  • Four of the five Raiders who attempted free throws tonight did not miss at the line.
  • Emilee Danner led the team with five assists, followed by four from Jones.
  • Jones had a team-high three steals.
  • Briar Cliff won the turnover battle, having just 11 to NWC's 21.
  • As a team, the Red Raiders had 17 assists.
SCOOTER'S PLAYER OF THE GAME
Taylor VanderVelde
Up Next: The Raiders hit the road for Seward, Neb. on Saturday, December 3 to battle the Bulldogs of Concordia University (Neb.) (4-3, 2-3 GPAC) in a Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) clash with tip-off slated for 2:00 p.m. from Friedrich Arena.
 
Don't forget to follow Northwestern College Athletics on Facebook @nwcraiders, Twitter @nwcraiders, and Instagram @nwcraiders! #RaidersStandOut
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