vs. Morningside
Morningside College lit up the scoreboard to triple digits, 119-95 trouncing the Lady Raiders Jan. 31 at Allee Gymnasium in Sioux City.
The visiting Raiders were the aggressors in the first half. Only 4:45 into the game, the Lady Raiders jumped out to a 23-13 lead on the Mustangs, rated third nationally.
The first half was highlighted by red-hot shooting, with the Raiders shotting a sizzling 74% from the field during the first half. But an 8-0 run at the 13 minute mark cut the NW lead down to a two-point advantage which the Raiders would take into the halftime locker room.
“We did a great job attacking Morningside’s pressure and getting good shots in the first half. The problem was that we were not getting the stops on defense,” said Head Coach Earl Woudstra.
But from the 12 minute mark on, it was all Morningside. The Mustangs capitalized on NW foul trouble, finishing the game on a 43-21 spurt for the 24-point victory.
Morningside junior Brittany Carper put on an exceptional display setting a school record, 45 points for the Mustangs.
“She really hurt us on dribble penetration where she got to the line. It was a double whammy because she scored and we got key players in foul trouble,” said Woudstra.
The Red Raiders were led offensively by junior Lindsey Kropf’s 30 points and four steals. Senior Jaime Woudstra added a double-double with 22 points and 10 rebounds to go along with seven assists. Junior Carli Blom chipped in with 15.
“Playing in the GPAC means you have to play at your very best every night if you want to be successful,” said junior guard Mary Kummerfeld who provided 13 points off the bench.
vs. Dordt
The Raider women overcame a slow start to handily take care of Dordt College, 78-52 at the Bultman Center Wednesday.
The Red Raiders looked a bit sluggish in the first ten minutes of the game but turned it on in the waning moments of the first half. The Raiders finished the period on an 18-2 run.
The Raiders continued their dominance of the Defenders with strong second half. NW pushed the lead out to 31 points before finally taking the 26 point victory.
“I think we need to play intense defense every possession and take care of the ball on offense,” said Kropf who led the Raiders with 23 points Wednesday night.
Woudstra dumped in 20 points and blocked four shots for the Raiders. Blom recorded a double-double with 13 points and 12 rebounds.
The Raiders face a stiff set of competition in the next seven days. Tomorrow the Raiders head to eleventh ranked Concordia and turn right around to play host to the sixth-rated Tigers of Dakota Wesleyan next Wednesday
“We will need to play at our best level to compete with them. It provides a great challenge and an exciting opportunity,” said Coach Woudstra.
