Red Raiders Unable to Put Out Fire
Story by Nikki Sherrill, NAIA Media Coordinator
SIOUX CITY, Iowa – (Box Score) Undefeated and unshaken, the Fire of Southeastern (Fla.) settled the Northwestern (Iowa) crowd in the second-round of the 2017 NAIA Division II Women’s Basketball National Championship and will advance into the quarterfinals – a first for the program. Southeastern defeated the Red Raiders 87-55 to capture the win and remain in pursuit of perfection on the year.
The first-ever quarterfinal contest for the Fire will match them against the winner of No. 1 Marian (Ind.) (31-3) and No. 5 IU East (Ind.) on Saturday. The contest is slated for a 6 p.m. tip, with the victor propelling itself into the national semifinals. The Red Raiders, who hit the 20-win mark in their first-round game, end the year at 20-12.
Over the course of the game, Southeastern used their size and athleticism to slowly pull away from Northwestern as the Fire relied heavily on their 3-point defense which held the Red Raiders to just 2-of-24 from long-range, only eight percent. Southeastern led for all but one minute of the contest and pushed its lead to as many as 32 late in the fourth quarter.
In every scoring category, the Fire out-performed the Red Raiders, most notably in the paint where Southeastern held a 50-26 advantage to go along with 19 points from its bench. Northwestern only counted on four points from its bench. The third quarter was the deciding stanza for the Fire as they outscore Northwestern 31-14. This point deferential separated the two programs and excelled Southeastern into the quarterfinals.
Bailey Hooker, who entered the tournament as the leading scorer for the Fire, led the way for Southeastern with 24 points. Sarah Green was right behind with 22 of her own points and seven rebounds. Ana Richter (11), Cassidy Block (11) and Christin Strawbridge (11) were the other double-digit performers for the Fire. From the field, Southeastern shot 48.5 percent and was good for 15-of-20 from the charity stripe.
Northwestern was led by Ana Kiel who connected on 29 points which led all scorers in the contest. Kiel brought down eight rebounds, as well. Kassidy De Jong, who averages 18.5 points per game coming into Sioux City, finished with a double-double by 12 points and 11 rebounds. No other Red Raider scored more than five points in the game.
The five-time national champion, Northwestern, sits with a 47-10 all-time record at the national championship in their 15th appearance. The Fire are 2-2 in their third appearance in Sioux City.
