Thursday night’s match-up against Concordia was not the offensive explosion that many were expecting, but the Lady Raiders still picked up a 72-66 victory to advance one win closer to the GPAC postseason crown. Northwestern relied heavily on their two leading scorers, senior Becca Hurley and sophomore Kendra De Jong.
The game was a constant battle as the Bulldogs tried to extend their post-season against the Raiders. Throughout the first half, both teams did not do enough to secure momentum or control, and the contest was a NW 34-28 lead at half.
It was Concordia who came out of the locker room playing better, and slowly fought to dig into the Raider lead. With two minutes left in the game, Concordia took the lead 64-63. Two free throws by Kami Kuhlmann on the next possession and a thunderous rejection by sophomore Mel Babcock helped NW pull away for the victory
Hurley had a truly gutsy performance of 31 points in 25 minutes while playing with a bruised thigh. Sophomore Kendra De Jong provided the biggest boost for the Raiders, dropping 17 points but also ripping down a staggering 22 boards. Junior Val Kleinjan led the team with four assists.
The Raiders will be hoping to improve on their 47 percent shooting and 18 turnovers when they take on Briar Cliff at 2 p.m. on Saturday.
