ST. PAUL, Minn.— The University of Northwestern women's basketball team celebrated a 72-55 victory over Bethany Lutheran College in the midst of hundreds of fans for Hoops Hysteria Saturday afternoon. The first half consisted of nine three pointers, giving Northwestern an early advantage over Bethany Lutheran. With a comfortable lead in the first half, the Eagles continued to hold strong defense to keep Bethany at a 17 deficit for the final score.

Chanel Madson (Westbrook, Minn./Westbrook-Walnut Grove) set the tone for the day, draining a three 20 seconds into the game. Madson continued to add momentum with another three as the Eagles took an early 13-5 lead just five minutes into the game. Jessica Cole (Altoona, Iowa/Southeast Polk) made UNW's fourth shot downtown with 14:03 on the board as the home team continued to feel the heat. Five minutes into the game, Cole made UNW's 5th three-pointer, bringing UNW to a comfortable 23-11 lead over BLC. As time was running out, Bethany Lutheran was unable to make a giant recovery as they went into half 41-29 behind the home team.

Bethany wasn't done fighting as the continued to put points on the board, bringing their deficit to only 10 points nine minutes into the second period, putting the score at 50-40. Angela DeBruzzi made a huge play for the Vikings with 10 minutes left as she swooshed a shot behind the arc, giving BLC an extra push. A layup by Regan Cooper (Pella, Iowa/Pella) put the Eagles at a 13 point lead with 7:56 on the clock. Jacki Smith (Shoreview, Minn./Concordia Academy) earned a rebound, allowing Madson to drain a three with just over four minutes, taking the Eagles to a 17 point advantage. Trying to find a window of opportunity, Bethany struggled to break through Northwestern's strong defense in the final minutes of play. A pair of free throw shots from Kim Campbell (Bloomington, Minn./Kennedy) and a final layup from Emily Van Lith (Minot, N.D./Our Redeemers) topped the Eagles off with a 70-55 finish as the Purple and Gold took the 72-55 victory over the Red and Black.

Senior Chanel Madson (Westbrook, Minn./Westbrook-Walnut Grove) led the pack with 22 points, followed by Emily Van Lith (Minot, N.D./Our Redeemers) (11), and Jessica Cole (Altoona, Iowa/Southeast Polk) and Kim Campbell (Bloomington, Minn./Kennedy), both with 10 points apiece. Northwestern (9-7, 5-0 UMAC) will travel to Crown College in St. Bonifacius at 5:30 p.m. on Friday to resume conference play. The Eagles will take on the University of Minnesota Morris on Saturday as they take the trek west to play at 3 p.m.