ORANGE CITY, Iowa – The Northwestern College women’s basketball (1-0, 0-0 GPAC) team entered a new era with new Head Coach Kristin Rotert with a convincing 77-44 win over the Tabor College (Kan.) Bluejays (0-1, 0-0 KCAC).
“It was a great win for our team tonight,” said Rotert. “I am very proud of our effort on both ends of the floor. It was fun to compete in front of a great crowd of Raider fans and we look forward to many more great game days in the Bultman.”
Northwestern scored the first basket less than a minute into the game and never looked back, leading througout. The Raiders shot north of 40% in the first quarter led by senior guard Devyn Kemble (Panora, Iowa/Panorama) who was two for three in the opening frame. The Raiders led at the quarter break 14-8.
The second quarter saw a bit of foul trouble for the Raider’s post presence but freshman Maren Nerem (Edgerton, Minn./Southwest Minnesota Christian) stepped in to provide five second quarter points, including a last second layup just before the buzzer. The Raiders defense forced Tabor into 33% shooting for the quarter and forced four turnovers. The Raiders took the lead into the half 31-20.
The third quarter proved to a separator with the Raiders outscoring the Bluejays 23-13 for the quarter. Alyvia Owens did her part to try and keep the Bluejays within striking distance but returning All-Conference Molly Schany (So., Emmetsburg, Iowa/Emmetsburg) found her rhythm and tallied seven third quarter points on 3-3 shooting. Hannah Nerem (Jr., Edgerton, Minn./Southwest Minnesota Christian) also did her part in the post notching six points of her own.
The Raiders continued to pull away in the fourth quarter. A fast-paced offense proved too much for the Bluejays as Northwestern shot 58% for the quarter. Behind hot shooting and stout defense the Raiders finished the 77-44 win.
The Raiders were led by Kemble in the scoring column with 16 points on 7-13 shooting. Schany followed closely behind with 16 points. Senior Taylor VanderVelde (Sioux Falls, S.D./Washington) led the team with six rebounds on the night along with an efficient 12 points on 5-6 shooting. Junior point guard Maddie Jones (Twin Lakes, Iowa/South Central Calhoun) filled the stat sheet with 10 rebounds and seven assists. Emilee Danner (Jr., Westside, Iowa/Ar-We-Va) had a solid performance coming off the bench with 11 points, one block, and one steal.
Up Next: The Raiders will return to John and Ann Den Hartog Court in the Bultman Center on Tuesday, Nov. 9, to take on the Pioneers of MidAmerica Nazarene University with tip-off at 6:00 p.m.
