ST. PAUL, Minn. – University of Northwestern Women's Basketball opened their 2022-23 campaign on Tuesday night with a non-conference contest against Luther College in the Ericksen Center. A fourth-quarter rally by the Eagles fell short as UNW fell 73-65 to the Norse.
 
Luther leapt out to a 26-19 lead in the first quarter. The three-point shooting of the Norse was key in the opening frame as they made six of their eight attempts while UNW made two of eight from long range.
 
Northwestern outshot Luther from the field in the second quarter by over five percent, but the Norse outscored UNW 16-15 to go up 42-34 at the half.
 
Luther pushed their lead to 18 points at the end of the third quarter, up 63-45.
 
In the fourth quarter, the Eagles scored twice as many points as the Norse as they attempted a late rally. UNW outscored Luther 20-10 in the final frame, but the Norse lead held as Northwestern fell 73-65 in their season opener.
 
Lexi Hagen (Jordan, Minn./Jordan) led the Eagles in their home opener. The sophomore scored 20 points on 57.1 percent shooting, going 8-for-14 from the field and 2-for-5 from three. Hagen led the Eagles in rebounds as well, hauling in seven off the boards.
 
Rylie Hirschey (Pine River, Minn./Pine River Backus) scored a career-high 14 points in the game, surpassing her previous high of six. The sophomore primarily took shots from long range, shooting 44.4 percent from beyond the arc by making four of nine three-point attempts.
 
Allison Terry (Blaine, Minn./Blaine) scored 11 points in her collegiate debut. The freshman added a team-high three steals.
 
Second-chance points were key for the Norse as they led the Eagles 23-8 in that category. On the other hand, Northwestern had eight fast break points while holding Luther to just two.
 
Up next, the Eagles will travel up to St. Scholastica in Duluth on Saturday, November 12, for a 2:00 P.M. game against the Saints.