Northwestern’s women’s basketball team delivered a decisive victory over College of Saint Mary on Monday, Jan. 20 in the Bultman Center, closing the game with a score of 99-59. The game was a welcomed victory after three consecutive losses for the women’s team, putting their season record at 12-6 (7-6 in the GPAC).
Junior Sammy Blum played a key role in securing the win, making all four of her three-point attempts in the first half, and scoring another in the final 20 minutes. Blum totaled a 24-point contribution, her second best of the season. She also became the 29th player in program history to score 200 points in a career. Sophomore Devyn Kemble and freshman Hannah Nerem both contributed heavily to the win, each scoring 12 points respectively, while sophomore Taylor VanderVelde also added 11 points to NW’s total.
College of Saint Mary opened the game with a three-point shot but lost the lead to NW early on as the Raiders sunk the next 11 points. NW widened their lead through the first half and went into the break with a 51-34 advantage. The Raiders maintained their lead for the remainder of the game, continuing to outscore St. Mary throughout the second half.
NW’s women shot 44% for the game and 50% from the three-point line. Notable performances were made by freshman Maddie Jones, who matched a career high eight points and made six out of seven free throw attempts; senior Brooke Hunwardsen also secured a career-high six steals, with freshman Emilee Danner contributing four steals and five rebounds.
College of Saint Mary shot 41% for the game and 28% from beyond the arc. Clare Lewandowski led the score for St. Mary, sinking 19 points total. The Flames outrebounded NW 48-35 but committed 37 turnovers compared to 10 by the Red Raiders. The game left St. Mary with a 5-15 season record (2-11 in the GPAC).
Head Coach Chris Yaw was proud of the team’s efforts and said, “We played with great team energy and focus. We dictated with our defense and the ladies were very intentional about playing fast offensively. This was a great team win from how they pushed and prepared one another in practice to how they played on Monday.”
