- Samantha Kleinsasser puts up a shot earlier this season.
The top-ranked Northwestern women’s basketball team improved their undefeated record to 12-0 after impressive wins over Hastings and third-ranked Morningside.
Last Saturday, Dec. 4, NW headed to Hastings, Neb., and took down the Broncos 96-57. The Raiders had a hot night, shooting a total of 66 percent for the game and an outstanding 80 percent in the second half.
Senior Becca Hurley led with 20 points, eight rebounds and nine assists. Junior Kami Kuhlmann and sophomore Kendra DeJong added 19 and 18 points, repectively. Freshman Samantha Kleinsasser put in 11 points off the bench, and junior Val Kleinjan scored three from behind the arc to add nine.
The beginning of the game was close, but with the game tied 13-13, De Jong scored six straight points to start an 11-0 run by the Raiders. They never looked back, taking a 47-23 halftime lead and dominating second half play. NW also had a 36-26 advantage on boards.
Despite a close game on Wednesday, Dec. 8, the Raiders were not intimidated by Morningside’s third-place ranking and defeated the Mustangs on their home court, 82-72.
It was a back-and-forth game until NW went on a 9-0 run after the score was tied at 55. The Raiders led by as much as 12 with five minutes to go and held a lead of at least 10 for the rest of the game.
Hurley scored over 20 points for the eighth time this year, recording 25 for the night. De Jong scored 23 points and pulled down a career-high 17 rebounds to earn her second double-double of the year. Her rebounding total also tied the third highest mark in NW history. Kuhlmann added 11 points and senior Allison Hulst scored 10 off the bench and pulled down nine rebounds.
The Raiders shot 46 percent and held a 45-39 rebounding advantage.
