Box Score

MINNEAPOLS – The Northwestern College women's basketball team picked up its fourth consecutive Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) win Tuesday night in an 85-64 fashion over North Central University. The Eagles shot a blistering 63.2% from beyond the arc as the squad kicked off its second round of league play.

After a quick home basket by North Central, NWC matched, then one-upped the score courtesy of a Hannah Holm (Charlotte, N.C./GRACE School) three-point play just 30 seconds after tip-off. The scoring joust began, as each team converted on offense before Jacki Smith (Shoreview, Minn./Concordia Academy) extended the Eagles' lead to seven points as the digits read 13:04. Less than two minutes later, Smith struck again, increasing the positive margin to nine.

Both squads continued to exchange baskets with the visitors maintaining control of the contest. The 7:17 mark began a Northwestern rally as the duo of Sir and Smith combined with the Eagle defense on a 10-0 run, pushing the score to 38-21. NWC ended the period in another high style, as a Kim Campbell (Bloomington, Minn./Kennedy) trey found the bottom of the net with 29 seconds left in the period. The first 20 minutes of play saw the Purple and Gold notch a .636 mark in triple range while holding the Rams unsuccessful from the same area.

As action resumed following halftime, Northwestern's offense continued to shine, as the lead was stretched to 20 points on a successful pair of free-throws by Jessica Fife (Maple Grove, Minn./Osseo). Courtney Cunard (Missouri Valley, Iowa/Missouri Valley) kicked off an 8-0 run at the 15:49 mark, while a three-ball from Chanel Madson (Westbrook, Minn./Westbrook-Walnut Grove) end capped the showcase just 1:10 after it began. The 61-30 reading on the scoreboard held strong, even amidst a North Central team that cut the lead to 20 points with 9:42 to play, and later with just minutes remaining.


The Eagles saw scoring from 11 different players throughout the contest, with Sir and Madson leading the charge. Sir went 5-7 from the floor en route to a game-high 18 points, while Madson chipped in 17 of her own. Also reaching double-digits for Northwestern were Holm, who also posted 5-7 night and picked up 13 points, and Smith who added 12 to the total.


NWC won the battle of the boards, bringing in 41 as opposed to the home team's 34. With a three-point outcome of 12-19, the Eagles notched their highest percentage of the 2012-13 campaign, a .632 finish, thanks in part to a defense effort that kept the Rams to just two successful triple attempts.

Northwestern (12-7 overall, 7-1 UMAC) will have a quick few days of practice before hosting its final weekend of regular season home games, beginning Friday evening with a 5:30 p.m. matchup with Crown College.