OMAHA, Neb. – The newly No. 17-ranked Northwestern College women’s basketball team (5-0, 1-0 GPAC) hit the road to open Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) play traveling to Omaha, Neb. to face the Flames of the College of Saint Mary (7-1, 1-1 GPAC), handing the Flames their first loss of the season 67-59 behind a balanced scoring attack.
“Tough gritty road win for our team,” said head coach Kristin Rotert. “Keeping our composure down the stretch and walking out of Omaha with our first conference win of the season.”
The Flames came into the game hitting a quick three to get the crowd into it, leading by as many as seven points in the opening quarter; but by the end of the first quarter the Raiders knocked off the sluggish start to trail 13-11.
College of Saint Mary built their lead back up in the second quarter, leading by as many as seven points at 21-15. A big block from Emilee Danner (Jr., Westside, Iowa/Ar-We-Va) with 5:52 to go in the half spurred a 14-0 Raider run to give the Raiders a 28-21 lead, forcing the Flames to take a time out. The run would continue after time out, as the Raiders would take a 11-point lead at 32-21 into the halftime break.
Both teams struggled through turnovers in the first half with 15 combined turnovers, while each team took advantage of the turnovers combining for 19 points off those turnovers. The second quarter, during the Raider run, multiple Flame turnovers resulted in points for Northwestern. Hannah Nerem (Jr., Edgerton, Minn./Southwest Minnesota Christian) would be tied for the game-high eight points. Maddie Jones (Jr., Twin Lakes, Iowa/South Central Calhoun), Jada Cunningham (Sr., Sioux Falls, S.D./Washington), and Danner all contributed six points in the first half.
The Flames made halftime adjustments and started the third quarter with a 7-2 run to cut the Raider lead to five at 36-31. Northwestern would respond with a short spurt of their run of their own, spearheaded by Danner’s sparkplug plays, forcing yet another CSM time out. Saint Mary would attempt to get back into the game in the second half of the third, but the Raiders kept the lead taking a 47-41 lead into the final quarter of play.
A huge three from Cunningham early in the fourth would put the Raiders up 52-43 but CSM would continue to scrape it out. The Flames would cut it to five points with six minutes to play as the Lied Fitness Center would get loud, forcing a Raider time out. The game would remain close with under three minutes to go as CSM cut the Northwestern lead down to four, 58-54.
A 3-point basket with a minute left would trim the Northwestern lead to 61-59 as the Raiders would take a time out. Taylor VanderVelde (Sr., Sioux Falls, S.D./Washington) would drive and score with less then 10 seconds to shoot to give the Raiders some breathing room. A pair of late free throws from Devyn Kemble (Sr., Panora, Iowa/Panorama) after a CSM turnover would seal the Raider victory.
Three Raiders eclipsed double-digits in the victory, led by the scrappy 16 points and seven rebounds from VanderVelde. Cunningham contributed 11 points, seven assists, and six rebounds in the conference opening victory.
Up Next: The Raiders will return to the Bultman Center on the campus of Northwestern College this Saturday, November 20 to face the Doane Tigers for the GPAC home opener, following the conclusion of the 2021 NAIA Women’s Volleyball Opening Round match. Tipoff is tentatively scheduled for 6:30 p.m.
