ST. PAUL, Minn. – The University of Northwestern women's basketball team returned to the Ericksen Center for a conference game against the Rams of North Central University. UNW dominated on both sides of the ball the entire game to take the victory 71-50, improving their overall record to 11-5, and UMAC record to 6-1. The Eagles are currently on a five game winning streak.
 
Taylor Shuck started off the scoring for both teams as she drained a three pointer with the shot clock winding down. The Rams responded with their own three before the Eagles drove down and swished another three, this time by Kelsea Lund (Madison, Minn./Lac qui Parle Valley). Northwestern was able to build an early lead thanks to their defense as they held NCU to five points in the first four minutes. However, North Central started to heat up, going on a 8-0 run to take a one point lead with a minute and a half remaining. In the final minute, Allison Eide (Farmington, Minn./Christian Life Academy) found a nice jump shot to give the Eagles a one point lead at the end of the quarter, 14-13.
 
Just like the first quarter, UNW came out hot, as they started with a 7-0 run in the first three minutes. They would not allow NCU to respond with any runs of their own as they held a lead of at least seven points throughout the rest of the second quarter. The Eagles headed into halftime leading the Rams 34-21.
 
It was the rebounding ability that propelled Northwestern in the first half as they won the rebound battle 24-14. The big gap was their offensive rebounding skills as they brought in 10 of those which resulted in 10 second chance points. UNW also forced a lot of turnovers as they forced 12 from NCU's offense. Just like their offensive rebounds, they capitalized on the turnovers, scoring 12 points off of them.
 
It was another great start for Northwestern in the third quarter as they came out firing with a 9-0 run, extending their lead to 22. The Eagles would have a lead as big as 25 halfway through the quarter before both teams would exchange baskets. Throughout the game, it seemed like whenever the shot clock was expiring, UNW always found a way to score. The final buzzer of the third quarter was no exception, as Lund found a midrange two pointer to give Northwestern a 60-37 lead going into the final quarter.
 
The fourth quarter saw the Rams outscore the Eagles 13-11 to provide a final score of 71-50 in favor of UNW. With free Chick-fil-A on the line, the crowd was waiting for the 70th point to go in. Rylie Hirschey (Pine River, Minn./Pine River Backus) would grant everyone's wish with a layup, off of a Grace Landvik (Roseville, Minn./Concordia Academy) steal and assist, to just put Northwestern over the cusp 
 
The Eagles shot well from all over the court, shooting 42.2 percent from the field, 33.3 percent from beyond the arc, and 80 percent from the free throw line. Their defense and rebounding continued to play a factor throughout the entire game. They won the rebound battle, 42-33, as well as the turnover battle, causing 22 turnovers. Showing off their passing skills, UNW finished the game with 18 assists.
 
Leading the team in points was the dynamic duo of Megan Roberts (Greeley, Colo./Dayspring Christian Academy) and Lund. Roberts completed another double-double, scoring 17 points and bringing down 15 rebounds. Lund, along with 17 points, served up dimes with four assists. Eide was the third best scorer with nine points to go with five rebounds.
 
Northwestern will be back on the road as they travel to take on the University of Minnesota Morris Cougars on Tuesday, February 1 at 6:00 p.m. For all things UNW women's basketball, visit www.unweagles.com or follow them on social media @unwwbb.