Box Score

ASHLAND, Wis. – In a game of hot shooting, the Northwestern College women's basketball team won out, 70-55 over host Northland College on Friday night. The two squads combined for a .501 field goal percentage on top of a .581 mark from behind the arc throughout the 40 minutes of play.

Northwestern came out of the gates quickly, racking up the first nine points of the game and holding Northland scoreless until the 15:03 point. The Jills fought their way back into the contest, bringing the lead within three with just under 12 minutes left in the period, but a Kim Campbell (Bloomington, Minn./Kennedy) a minute later would double up the advantage. Both teams exchanged scores before Chanel Madson (Westbrook, Minn./Westbrook-Walnut Grove) capped off a mini-run, giving the Eagles their first double-digit buffer of the night.

As the first-half minutes fell off the board, NWC had pushed its lead to 13 courtesy of a Mollie Sir (Cresco, Iowa/Crestwood) trey before the host team scored the final six points of the period, leaving the game at 48-32 heading into intermission. An early help for the Eagles proved to be its conversion off of Northland turnovers and presence down low as the visitors doubled its opponent's first-half totals in both categories.

After an early Madson bucket, Northwestern extended its security to double figures before the Jills once again responded with a basket of their own. Madson would go on to own the next four NWC points, aiding the visitors to a 12-point upper hand with a Jessica Fife (Maple Grove, Minn./Osseo) close-range make quickly adding to the total. For the next 6:37 the Purple and Gold saw Northland slowly chip away at its lead, bringing the game within nine after a successful home free-throw attempt. Cue a Sir rally and the Eagles' lead was back up to 14 with less than nine minutes left on the board after the junior posted five consecutive points.

As the game began to wind down, NWC posted its largest margin of the night with 2:02 remaining, thanks to a Hannah Holm (Charlotte, N.C./GRACE School) put-in. The Eagles walked away from its second-to-last regular season game with a 70-55 victory, improving their Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) record to 10-3 on the year.

For the third straight contest, Sir led the visitors' charge with 20 points. Sir chipped in five triples, while Madson posted three of her own en route to a 16-point outing on 6-8 shooting. Rounding out the Eagles' double-digit performances was Fife with 12 points, while also picking up seven boards and dishing out six assists.

As a collective group, NWC continued its standout year from beyond the arc, making 10 of 16 attempts. The end percentage of .625 was the squad's second-highest mark of the 2012-13 campaign, just shy of the 63.2% result the Eagles earned earlier this season.

Northwestern (15-9 overall) will finish its regular season on Saturday, as the team will take on the College of St. Scholastica in a 1 p.m. matchup. Much still remains on the line for the squad, as much of the playoff seeding for the UMAC Postseason Tournament has yet to be solidified.