Game Time... The Northwestern College women's basketball team will play Morningside in the GPAC Championship on Tuesday, March 4 in Sioux City, Iowa. Tipoff will be at 7:30 pm and can be heard via the KSOU web-cast or you can watch the live stats via the Morningside web-site.
Scouting Report... The Mustangs are ranked second in the NAIA with a 30-2 overall record. They captured the regular season championship with a perfect 18-0 mark and earned one of two automatic berths in the upcoming 32-team NAIA National Tournament. Morningside has won 27 straight games with their last loss to Northwestern back on Nov. 13, 70-67, in non-conference play. They defeated Dordt College in the quarterfinals (77-70 OT) and then rolled to a 87-57 victory over the fifth-seed Mount Marty in the semifinals.
Head Coach Jamie Sale's (7th year) club is second in the league averaging 86ppg and is third in the GPAC giving up 62ppg. They are second in field goal percentage (45%) and three point percentage (38%) and lead the GPAC with 315 three pointers. The Mustangs are sixth in rebounding (+2) but lead the league in steals and in turnovers forced (26.1).
Individually, four Mustang players average in double figures led by sophomore J.J. Hall at 12.8ppg. Hall is fifth in the league in three pointers (69), field goal percentage (52%) and steals (74). Juniors Autumn Bartel and Dani Gass average 12.5 and 11.1ppg, respectively. Bartel, a two-time all-league guard, is seventh in the GPAC with 103 assists and eighth in three point percentage (41%). Gass, a 2007 All-American, is second in both assists (173) and steals (92). She is third in the GPAC in rebounding (8.1) and sixth in field goal percentage (78%). Kristi Tighe comes off the bench to score 10ppg and leads the team with 77 three pointers. Brittany Williamson and Roni Miller lead the frontcourt and combine to score 15.5ppg. Leslie Floral, a sophomore guard, rounds out the starting lineup and averages seven points per game. Laura Nelson comes off the bench and has made 52 three pointers, shooting 42% from beyond the arc.
Last Time Out... Morningside ended Mount Marty College’s 11-game winning streak with a convincing 87-57 romp in last Saturday’s GPAC semifinals. Dani Gass posted game-high totals of 14 points, nine rebounds, and six assists for the winners. She was joined in double figures by Mustang teammates Kristie Tighe and J.J. Hall with 12 and 11 points, respectively.
The Red Raiders defeated Hastings 76-59 in the semifinals of the GPAC Postseason Women's Basketball Tournament featuring a pair of top-ranked teams. Debbie Remmerde led four NWC players in double figures with 23 points. Miranda Boekhout tied a career high with 17 while Amy Larson (15) and Crystal Algood scored 15 and 11 points, respectively. Mandy Carr led NWC with eight rebounds and Remmerde added seven. Boekhout and Carr dished out six and four assists. Northwestern committed just 17 turnovers against the Hastings pressure while the Red Raiders forced 21 HC turnovers.
Red Raider Notes...Head Coach Earl Woudstra is the all-time winningest coach in the program's history with a record of 305-124. He has led his team to the national tournament six times, including the last two seasons. In 2000-01, Coach Woudstra led his team to the national championship and has twice led the Red Raiders to a Final Four finish. This is the eighth season in which Woudstra has led NWC to 20+ wins.
The Red Raiders are the highest scoring team in the league at 89ppg. They also lead the NAIA in assists, field goal and three point percentage. Defensively, NWC is giving up 68ppg and lead the GPAC in field goal percentage defense at 37%.
Four Red Raider players are in the GPAC's top 10 in field goal percentage, led by sophomore Randa Hulstein at 68%. Crystal Algood (2nd-62%), Debbie Remmerde (3rd-61%), Becca Hurley (10th-49%) are also among the league leaders. Remmerde leads the NAIA averaging 30ppg and is one of three NWC players in double figures. Amy Larson is fourth at 17.3ppg while Hulstein averages 10 points off the bench. Algood is seventh in the GPAC in rebounding (7.5) and leads the league in blocks (96). Miranda Boekhout averages 7ppg and is closing in on 1,000 career points, with 976. She leads the league with 180 assists and averages five boards per game. Mandy Carr is third in the GPAC with 157 assists, leads the team with 59 steals and averages 4.8 boards per game.
Last Meetings... This will be the third meeting between the two teams with each team winning on its home court. Northwestern defeated the Mustangs in a non-conference game on Nov. 13, 70-67, which was Morningside's last loss. Amy Larson led all scorers with 21 points while Deb Remmerde added 16. Dani Gass led M'side with 17 while Autumn Bartel and Kristi Tighe both scored 15. Morningside won the rematch on Feb. 20, 88-86, on a last second put-back by Roni Miller. Amy Larson and Debbie Remmerde scored 27 and 24 points each while Randa Hulstein added 17 points and pulled down eight rebounds. Morningside was led by Gass with 21 points and Brittany Williamson added 18.
Next up... The national tournament is up next for the Red Raiders which will begin on March 12 in Sioux City. The brackets and schedule will be released by the NAIA on March 5.
2007-08 media guide
