The No. 11 Red Raiders women’s basketball team put on a dominant display Wednesday night in the Bultman Center as they won 80-54 over the Mount Marty Lancers. Another outstanding performance from senior Kendra De Jong saw her score 24 points and 15 rebounds. This lead the Raiders to their third successive win in what has been a great week for the team.
The Raiders gained a 10-2 advantage early on in the game, and their lead was rarely threatened. The Raiders ended the first half with a 36-28 lead, shot 50 percent and restricted the Lancers to just 24 percent.
Junior Alli Dunkelberger hit three straight baskets to spark an 8-0 streak in the second half, and extend Northwestern’s lead to 66-46 and effectively ended the game.
“We came out and started really well,” senior guard Mallory Cunard said. “(In the) second half, we came out and finished the game off early on. It was a good win for us.”
NW out-rebounded the Lancers 47-33, and Cunard said that had a huge role to play in the win.
“Rebounding is always really big,” Cunard said. “We did a good job of getting cuts through the paint, and we all played to our strengths.”
The Raiders shot 55 percent, and were led yet again by De Jong, who bagged her seventh double-double of the season. NW’s defense also held strong, and forced the Lancers to shoot just 25 percent from the field. The win puts the Raiders at 12-5 in the GPAC and 18-6 overall.
NW upset the No. 3 Concordia Bulldogs 63-51 in the women’s basketball game played at the Bultman Center Saturday afternoon. Behind by one, the Red Raiders went on a 9-2 scoring streak to take a 13-7 lead during the early stages. The Raiders extended their lead to 24-15 before the Bulldogs rallied and reduced Northwestern’s lead to 30-26 going into the break.
The Bulldogs came out looking much stronger in the second half and tied the game. NW held the Bulldogs to just one field goal over nine minutes to regain the lead 44-37. Dunkelberger produced a three-pointer to stretch the Raiders’ advantage moments later, and they were able to retain their double-digit lead for the remainder of the contest.
Senior Kendra De Jong produced another outstanding performance, and led the Raiders with 15 points and 17 rebounds in the game. NW hit 34 percent of their field goal attempts on the game, led by De Jong who recorded her sixth double-double of the season. Junior Mackenzie Small scored a season-high 14 points, and Dunkelberger was also in double digits points with 11.
NW heads to Doane to play at 2 p.m. on Saturday.
