PHOTO BY MINDY FJELD Junior Paige O’Neal pulls up in Wednesday’s clash with Dordt. O’Neal had 10 points and five assists as the starting point guard.
Northwestern’s women’s basketball team bounced back in dominating fashion against rival Dordt after a tough loss at Concordia.
The No. 9 ranked Raiders beat Dordt 102-70 Wednesday night at home. It was an all-out team effort with seven players scoring in double figures.
Junior Karen Hutson scored all but two of her team-high 16 points in the first half to spark the team’s offense early on. Huston also grabbed a team-high eight rebounds.
Senior Alli Engebretsen and sophomore Arianne Gesell put in 14 points. Gesell also had seven rebounds. Senior Kenzie Small added 13 on 4-for-5 shooting from beyond the arc. Sophomore Whitney Vander Maten scored a career-high 13 points off the bench for the Raiders.
Senior Sam Kleinsasser had 12 points and junior Paige O’Neal had 10 points and five assists for the Raider women.
“When we have everyone competing at a high level is when we are at our toughest,” junior Paige O’Neal said. “Everyone was especially pumped to play Dordt. It’s always fun beating them.”
NW never trailed in the game, as they jumped ahead of Dordt early 26-9 in the first seven minutes. They continued to dominate, extending their lead to 20 by halftime, 55-35.
The second half was much of the same as the Raiders’ lead peaked out at 39.
The women dominated their opponents on the glass. They won the rebound battle 46-27, including 16 offensive rebounds. Their defense forced Dordt into 24 turnovers, which lead them to 30 points off of those turnovers. NW shot 55 percent from the field for the game, including 57 percent from the three-point line.
“If we continue to play the way I know these girls can compete, we will be in good business,” head coach Chris Yaw said.
The women have beaten Dordt 17 consecutive times: a streak dating back to the 2005 season.
They are now 23-4 overall, 15-4 in the GPAC. The Raiders will play their final regular season game at home on Saturday at 2 p.m. against No. 4 ranked Hastings.
The Raiders are all but assured a berth in the national tournament, but the final games of the season will help determine seeding for the GPAC tournament. A strong showing in the conference tournament could catapult the Raiders to a No. 1 seed at nationals.