WAVERLY, Iowa – University of Northwestern Women's Basketball took on Wartburg College on the road on Thursday in the first round of the two-day Wartburg Holiday Tournament. The Eagles led by three at the half, but the Knights rallied down the stretch to take the game 64-55 over UNW.
 
In the opening quarter, the Eagles got off to a slow start while the tournament-hosting Knights went up 7-0. Northwestern then found their footing and played Wartburg evenly through the rest of the quarter, trailing 20-13 after the first 10 minutes.
 
UNW found a spark in the second quarter as they shot 63.6 percent from the field, making 7-of-11 total shots while going 4-for-8 from three-point range. While the Eagles offense took flight, the Knights made only 3-of-16 from the field and went 0-for-8 from beyond the arc in the quarter. Northwestern's offensive surge powered them to a 31-28 lead at the half.
 
The Knights recovered from their shooting struggles in the second quarter to outscore the Eagles 20-15 in the third, taking a 48-46 lead.
 
Northwestern rallied to retake the lead in the fourth quarter, going up 51-50 with 8:07 remaining. The Knights would go on to outscore the Eagles 16-4 down the stretch to take the victory on their home court.
 
Rylie Hirschey (Pine River, Minn./Pine River Backus) and Allison Terry (Blaine, Minn./Blaine) led the Eagles with 12 points each. Lexi Hagen (Jordan, Minn./Jordan) followed with 11 in the game. Livvy Grosz (New Brighton, Minn./St. Anthony) had a team-high seven rebounds on defense and added five points on the other end of the court.
 
Up next, Northwestern will take on Simpson College for the second and final game of the Wartburg Holiday Tournament on Friday, December 30, at 1:00 P.M. in Levick Arena.