ORANGE CITY, Iowa – A top-15 Great Plains Athletic Conference (GPAC) matchup between the No. 12 Northwestern College women’s basketball team (11-2, 5-2 GPAC) and the No. 10 Mustangs of Morningside University (8-3, 6-1 GPAC) proved to be a GPAC slugfest, with the final blow going the Raiders way, 78-77.
“What a great win for our team today,” stated head coach Kristin Rotert. “Incredibly proud of our effort and toughness, especially late in the game. I thought we made some big plays on the defensive end when we needed to and hit some really clutch shots down the stretch.”
The Raiders jumped out to the early 5-0 lead and then proceeded to trade body blows with the Mustangs. A Sophia Peppers made three gave Morningside the 13-11 lead midway through the first quarter. Northwestern finished the quarter on a 16-9 run to take a 27-19 lead into the second quarter.
Northwestern would extend their lead to ten early in the quarter on a Molly Schany free-throw. Peppers would continue to keep the Mustangs close scoring seven quarter points. Taylor VanderVelde would continue to slice her way to the rim scoring six points in the quarter to pace the Raiders. Northwestern possessed a narrow three-point lead after two more Schany free-throws. Morningside would nail a three at the buzzer to tie the game at 42 heading into the locker room at half.
Morningside would open up with a couple quick baskets to take a four-point lead. Schany made her presence felt with an impressive 14 quarter points, making sure the Raiders kept pace with the Mustangs. The teams continued to trade body blows and the Raiders took a one point lead into the final quarter of play.
An opening three by Peppers gave the Mustangs a two point lead, 63-61. The teams would trade baskets and another Peppers three would stretch the Morningside lead to five with 6:36 to play. A Devyn Kemble made layup would cut the lead to three, followed by momentum swinging Jada Cunningham three, tying the game at 70. After trading baskets neither team would score from the 4:45 to the 2:15 mark. Kemble again would find her way to the rim to give the Raiders a one point lead. A tough defensive stand would give Northwestern the ball and allow Schany to score her 27th point of the day, giving the Raiders a three point lead with 57 seconds to play. Sims would score for the Mustangs to cut the lead to one with 33 seconds left. With less than ten seconds to play VanderVelde drove across the lane finding Kemble in the corner for a game clinching three, extending the Raider’s lead to four, 78-74. Another Peppers three at the buzzer put the final score at 78-77.
Schany (So., Emmetsburg, Iowa/Emmetsburg) led all scorers with 27 points, also tallying eight rebounds on the day. Kemble (Sr., Panora, Iowa/Panorama) finished with 16 points. Cunningham (Sr., Sioux Falls, S.D./Washington) finished in double digits again with 15. VanderVelde (Sr., Sioux Falls, S.D./Washington) filled the stat sheet with six points, four assists, three rebounds, and two blocks. Emilee Danner (Jr., Westside, Iowa/Ar-We-Va) came off the bench to contribute nine points. The win snaps a five game losing streak to the Mustangs. For the game the Raiders shot an impressive 56.9 percent and held Morningside’s leading scorer, Sierra Mitchell, to five points.
Up Next: The Raiders will finish the first semester of their schedule at No. 18 Dakota State on Thursday, Dec. 16, with tip off at 5:30 p.m.
