ST. PAUL -- After two conference road losses Northwestern College was thirsty for success and would stop at nothing short of a victory. The Eagles took their vengence out on Northland College by defeating the Lumberjills 60-50.
Katie DeWitt (Lino Lakes, Minn./Centennial) (Lino Lakes, Minn./Centennial) led the charge for the Eagles with a career-high, 39 points.
Northwestern came out of the gate early with tough defense and tremendous shooting, which led to a 20-7 lead at the seven-minute mark. DeWitt delivered 18 points in the first twelve minutes to aid the Eagles to the early advantage.
NWC could not hold on to the sizeable lead though, as Northland tightened up their defense and amplified their aggressiveness toward the hoop with two lay-ups and six free-throws in the remaining three minutes, which produced a 24-20 score at half.
The Eagles proved they were the better team, however, as they opened the second half with an 8-3 run. The Lumberjills fought back with seven unanswered points of their own with 13 minutes to play, yet it was DeWitt and Northwestern who hit key shots and free-throws down the stretch to secure the win.
Northwestern capitalized on points in the paint, as the Eagles dominated Northland in scoring 28-14. NWC had excellent shooting on the night as well, finishing 46.8% from the floor.
DeWitt 's 39-point feat ranks third in Eagle's history for women's basketball. She now holds the third and fourth place record for single-game scoring, as she unleashed 36 points in the 2009-10 season. Beyond DeWitt, the Eagles were led by
Tanya Dickey (White Bear Lake, Minn./White Bear Lake) (White Bear Lake, Minn./ White Bear Lake) and
Mollie Sir (Cresco, Iowa/Crestwood) (Cresco, Iowa/Crestwood) who each added five points. Sir dished out six assists as well.
Northland 's Laura Fisher and Maria Mackey delivered 16 and 12 points, respectively for the Lumberjills. Mackey also pulled down 10 boards.
NWC will look to make it two in a row as they play host to the College of St. Scholastica tomorrow at Hoops Hysteria. Tip-off and all activities is scheduled for 3 p.m. in the Ericksen Center.
