Lady Raiders cruise in victory

The women’s basketball team crushed Dakota Wesleyan 91-49 Wednesday night in the Bultman Center.
Senior guard Kami Kuhlmann led the Raiders in both points and assists with 19 points and six assists, while three other Raiders also scored in double digits in a balanced scoring attack.
Junior forward Kendra De Jong scored an extremely efficient 18 points on 8-10 shooting from the field.
Northwestern played tough defense all night, limiting Dakota Wesleyan to 23 percent shooting from the field.
The Raiders also won on the battle on the boards 47-33. De Jong in particular dominated the glass, grabbing 16 defensive rebounds, 18 overall.
Sophomore forward Alli Dunkelberger contributed three steals in  the strong defensive effort.
Neither squad was overly sloppy with their possessions, as the Raiders had only 12 turnovers, and the Tigers had 17.
With the win, NW clinched the conference’s third seed with a 15-4 record in the GPAC.
On Saturday, the Raiders defeated Doane at home 74-58. De Jong led all scorers with 21 and all rebounders with 16. Kuhlmann pitched in 13 points, while junior post Mel Babcock added 11. Dunkelberger led the Raiders with four assists.
NW ran out of the gates, building a large lead against the Tigers. But Doane responded with a 16-2 run of their own, and the first half ended in a tie.
“We started off really well, moving the ball well and playing really great defense,” Kuhlmann said. “We got a lot of easy baskets. Everyone was working so hard. Then we scored about seven points in the last ten minutes of the half and it was tied. We just didn’t get stops. Coach Yaw wasn’t very happy.”
But when the Raiders came out after half-time, their play tightened up.
“We were more patient on offense,” Kuhlmann said. “In the first half, we were getting just one or two passes and taking a shot. And on defense, we need to sprint directions a little more. Our girl would pass the ball, and we would just stand there. We tightened that up in the second half.”
The Raiders went on a 14-4 run and never looked back, stretching the lead to 16 by the end of the game.
“Doane works so hard. In the past they have been a team that will hang with you,” Kuhlmann said. “They work so hard, and they are so scrappy. You can just tell they want it.”
The Raiders’ final game of the regular season will occur when they travel to Midland on Saturday.
GPAC tournament play begins on Feb. 22, and the Raiders are assured of a home game.