ORANGE CITY, Iowa – The Northwestern College women’s basketball team (4-0, 0-0 GPAC) returned to the court for the final night of the Pizza Ranch Classic and took on the No. 4-ranked Marian University Knights (2-2) and walked away with statement 78-62 victory.
“Tremendous win for our team today!” stated Head Coach Kristin Rotert. “I’m incredibly proud of the toughness and grit our team showed. We shared the ball well offensively and made tough plays down the stretch. Our defense in the second half fueled our offensive attack and allowed us to get out and run in transition.”
The first quarter of play went the way of the Knights, they were led by Abby Downard who scored 10 first quarter points. The Raiders shot an impressive 78% from the field but were slowed by four turnovers and were down at the quarter break.
The second quarter continued to be a back-and-forth battle as both squads shot north of 50%. The Knights held on to the lead behind 10 points from reigning NAIA Player-of-the-Year, Imani Guy. The Raiders were yet again very efficient offensively shooting 67% and went into the locker room down 41-30.
Coming out of the halftime break the Raiders made a defensive statement holding the Knights to three total points in the third quarter. The Raiders flipped the scoreboard in their favor behind the scoring duo of Emilee Danner (Jr., Westside, Iowa/Ar-We-Va) and Taylor VanderVelde (Sr., Sioux Falls, S.D./Washington) both scoring six points apiece. The Raiders stifling defense forced the Knights into eight turnovers and allowed Northwestern to get out on the break and take the lead into the final frame.
The final quarter of action would prove to be an exciting one. The Raiders were led by junior guard Maddie Jones (Twin Lakes, Iowa/South Central Calhoun) who had seven points and four assists for the quarter. Senior backcourt member Jada Cunningham (Sioux Falls, S.D./Washington) poured in nine points, going 3-3 from the field. The Knights would make a push but a momentum shifting and-one finish from Jones would give the Raiders all that they would need to seal up the 78-62 win.
Jones stuffed the stat sheet with 17 points, seven assists, and five rebounds. Danner continued her hot streak from the night before with 16 points. She also chipped in six rebounds and four assists. Molly Schany (So., Emmetsburg, Iowa/Emmetsburg) finished with an impressive 14 points and pulled down six rebounds. Cunningham and VanderVelde finished out the Raiders balanced attack with 13 and 11 points respectively. For the game the Raiders shot an outstanding 65% from the field and totaled 16 assists on 30 made field goals.
Up Next: The Raiders will begin Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) play on Wednesday, Nov. 17 at College of Saint Mary in Omaha, Neb. with tip off set for 6 p.m.
