After Missing Out on Championship Last Year, Northwestern Back in Second-Round
Story by Nikki Sherrill, NAIA Media Coordinator
SIOUX CITY, Iowa – (Box Score) The biggest upset so-far of the tournament came behind a heavy Northwestern (Iowa) crowd. The No. 6 Red Raiders took on the No. 3 Southern Oregon Raiders in the first-round of the 2017 NAIA Division II Women’s Basketball National Championship, walking away with an 83-68 win to advance. The five-time National Champion, Northwestern, used the crowd to gain the advantage late in the game and did not let up as they blitzed Southern Oregon in the fourth to continue their 2017 campaign.
Northwestern, now 20-11 overall, earned an at-large qualification to Sioux City. The win today advances them forward into the second-round where they will meet undefeated and No. 2 Southeastern (Fla.) who won earlier over No. 7 Valley City State (N.D.) (24-9). The Red Raiders, in their 15th appearance to the national championship, earned their 47th win at the event.
This high-intensity game saw 18 lead changes, with the score being tied eight different times in the four quarters. Northwestern and Southern Oregon would not let another slip too far ahead of them, as the physical game allowed for both teams to take advantage of opportunities. However, in the fourth quarter, it was all Northwestern led by their fans. The Red Raiders outscored Southern Oregon 25-13 in the closing quarter and sealed the first-round victory.
Sophomore Kassidy De Jong, younger sister of 2013 NAIA Division II National Player of the Year and former Red Raider herself, led all-scorers with 29 points and eight rebounds. Renee Maneman also stood-out for Northwestern as she netted 15 points, including a half court heave at the buzzer to end the first-quarter and ignite the bench. Northwestern was 6-of-16 from beyond the arc and shot .565 from the field. The biggest difference in the game was on the glass as the Red Raiders out-rebounded Southern Oregon 43-26.
Southern Oregon was led by Tori Bradford who notched in a team-high 21 points while earning five rebounds – tying the Raider team-high. For the Raiders, their biggest difference in the halves came from long range as they connected on 9-of-18 in the first half, but also scored two 3-pointers in the remaining two quarters.
Southern Oregon, who was last season’s national runner-up, drops to 10-10 overall in the national championship during their 10th appearance to Sioux City.
