Box Score
Game Reaction:
Chanel Madson
ST. PAUL -- Northwestern College returned to the win column with a 55-36 victory over Crown College on Tuesday evening. Despite an ok shooting performance, the Eagles took advantage of their size in the paint where they outscored the Storm 24-8 and grabbed 11 more rebounds than the visitors.
NWC started off somewhat slow, as each team had only scored three points in the game's first five minutes. A pair of free throws from
Jessica Fife (Maple Grove, Minn./Osseo) jumpstarted the Eagles, who took flight shortly thereafter on a 21-4 run to finish out the half with Northwestern up 32-13. Fife had eight points in the spree to cap off a 20-minute stretch that included 12 points and nine rebounds for the sophomore. Things continued to look upward for the Eagles, who extended their lead to 24 on a three-point basket by
Chanel Madson (Westbrook, Minn./Westbrook-Walnut Grove) three minutes into the second half. Another Madson trey pushed the margin to 26 with 10:47 left to go before the final buffer rested at 19 points in the Eagles' favor.
In addition to performing well in the paint, Northwestern scored 19 points off of 23 Crown turnovers while making the best of 13 second-chance points. Northwestern finished 20-60 from the field, but out-rebounded the Storm 46-32 overall and 21-10 on offensive boards.
Madson, who ended last week with a career-best 24-point performance against Bethany Lutheran on Saturday, led the Eagles with 18 points on Tuesday, making seven of her 16 attempts. Fife pulled down some additional rebounds in the second half to finish with a double-double that included 12 points and a dozen boards. Everyone dressed in an Eagles uniform saw time on the court.
Judy Mundt scored 25 points for Crown, who received just 11 total points from its other six players. Mundt never came off the court for the Storm (1-15, 0-8 UMAC).
Northwestern has something to build off of following the win that improved the Eagles to 6-13 overall and 3-5 in conference action. NWC will continue its home stand through the upcoming weekend, when the College of St. Scholastica and Northland College come to the Ericksen Center on Friday and Saturday.
