ORANGE CITY, Iowa – The Northwestern College women’s basketball team (22-6, 14-6 GPAC) finished with four players in double figures, led by junior Maddie Jones with 18 points, and defeated the Lancers of Mount Marty (2-25, 1-19 GPAC) 63-52.
A slow start saw the Raiders down 9-2 in the early going. Back-to-back threes from Northwestern would pull them within three. Eight first quarter points from the Lancer’s Kiara Berndt would help the Lancers take a 20-17 lead after one quarter of play.
Jones would complete a three-point play to tie the game early in the second quarter. Back-to-back threes would give the Lancers a six-point lead. The Raiders would respond with a 14-0 run to end the first half, taking a 34-26 lead into the half. Led by Jones who had seven in the quarter. The Northwestern defense would hold Mount Marty to 14.3 percent from the field and shoot 63.6 percent on the offensive end.
A Hannah Nerem layup would give the Raiders a ten-point lead. The teams would trade buckets throughout the quarter but Northwestern would maintain a six to ten-point lead throughout. Northwestern would take a 48-40 lead into the final frame.
Another layup to open a quarter would give Northwestern a ten-point lead, this time Taylor VanderVelde finishing at the rim for the Raiders. The Lancers would pull within five but Jones would answer with two made free throws, followed by two more free throws by Jada Cunningham. A Jones old-fashioned three-point play would give Northwestern a twelve-point lead and the Raiders would cruise to their 14th conference win of the season.
Jones (Twin Lakes, Iowa/South Central Calhoun) would lead the Raiders with 18 points, tying her career high. She went a perfect ten-for-ten from the free throw line and led the team with three assists. VanderVelde (Sr., Sioux Falls, S.D./Washington) also finished in double-digits with ten points, she grabbed seven boards on the afternoon. Cunningham (Sr., Sioux Falls, S.D./Washington) finished with ten points, hitting two threes. Molly Schany (So., Emmetsburg, Iowa/Emmetsburg) rounded out the double-digit scorers with ten, also leading the team in rebounds on the day with eight. Nerem (Jr., Edgerton, Minn./SW Minn. Christian) came off the bench and provided six points and three rebounds.
Up Next: The Raiders will host No. 24 ranked Dordt on Wednesday, Feb. 16, with tip off set for 6:00 p.m. The Defenders are currently sitting second in the Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) and the Raiders are fourth.
