MINNEAPOLIS – On the heels of a disappointing loss in Mankato on Wednesday, the objective for the final three games of the University of Northwestern Women's Basketball team's regular season is simple: find a way to win. While Saturday's 67-53 win at North Central University wasn't always the prettiest, the Eagles got the job done while never really seeming in jeopardy of slipping up.
UNW got off to a scorching hot start, getting two layups from
Grace Landvik (Roseville, Minn./Concordia Academy) and one from
Lexi Hagen (Jordan, Minn./Jordan) on its way to a 6-0 lead. After the Rams scored four straight, Hagen went to work in the post. On the following possession,
Jasmine Sondrol (Grand Forks, N.D./Red River) knocked down a three-pointer to extend the lead to 11-6.
Taylor Christenson (Maple Grove, Minn./Heritage Christian Academy) scored Northwestern's next seven points, giving her team a four-point cushion at 18-14. An
Ella Falk (Jamestown, N.D./Jamestown) layup after a
Reese Sellers (Yuma, Ariz./Yuma Catholic) offensive rebound kept the lead at four, then two
Allison Terry (Blaine, Minn./Blaine) free throws in the closing seconds put UNW ahead 22-17 at the end of the quarter.
The scoring slowed down for both sides in the second quarter, but the Eagles still were able to out-pace their counterparts. A Sellers stop-and-pop pushed the lead to seven, then a Landvik three on the ensuing trip made it 27-19. Over four minutes elapsed before UNW's next field goal, a Falk put-back that put Northwestern ahead, 30-23. Hagen drilled a triple on the following possession to push the lead to double-digits, and the final scoring play of the half came with 1:54 left when a Christenson and-one gave the Eagles a 36-25 advantage entering the intermission.
The second half belonged to Landvik, who opened the scoring with an offensive rebound and layup to extend her team's lead to 13. Another inside score by Landvik kept the margin at 13, and a pull-up jump shot by Falk on the next possession made it 42-27. The next four UNW points were scored inside by Hagen, then Falk converted a three-point play to give the Eagles their largest lead of the day to that point at 50-34. Northwestern got a four-point possession with under a minute left when Landvik was fouled on a made layup and missed the free throw, but the free throw was missed and rebounded by Falk, who found
Ryann Eddy (Northfield, Minn./Northfield) for a layup to extend the lead to 18. Landvik had one more trick up her sleeve, as she dropped in a shot high off the glass at the buzzer to make it 56-39 heading into the final period.
Sellers buried a three to kick off the fourth quarter and give UNW its first 20-point lead of the night. After over three minutes without a bucket, Landvik hit her second trey of the game, making the score 62-42 and essentially squashing any opposition hope of a comeback. To North Central's credit, it was able to pull within 13 on a couple of occasions, but Falk and Christenson both came through with buckets to fend off the charge. The 67-53 final score gave the Eagles a season sweep over the Rams for the third consecutive season. With Bethany Lutheran defeating UW-Superior in Mankato on Saturday, Northwestern (15-8 overall, 9-3 UMAC) is now back in a tie for first place in the UMAC with the Vikings and Yellowjackets, setting up what is sure to be a dramatic final week of the regular season.
Landvik's 20 points led Northwestern and was tied for the game-high. The senior guard added five rebounds, three assists and two steals. Christenson finished with 13 points and two assists, while Falk tallied 11 points, five boards, two assists and two steals. Sellers,
Lexi Garcia (Colorado Springs, Colo./Vanguard) and Sondrol also finished with two steals, with the latter adding four rebounds and two assists.
UNW will return home to take on Northland at 7:15 PM on Wednesday, February 19
th in the Ericksen Center.
