Game Time... The Red Raiders continue play at the 2008 NAIA D-II Women's Basketball Championships this evening as they take on Cornerstone (Mich.) at 7:30pm. Northwestern, seeded first and ranked third, carries a 31-2 overall record into the matchup against the Golden Eagles. Cornerstone is seeded fifth and is 25-8 overall. The game can be heard via the NWC webcast at the following link: webcast.
Scouting Report... The Golden Eagles of Cornerstone (Mich.) finished second to Davenport during regular season play in the Wolverine-Hoosier Conference. They were ranked 20th in the final poll and earned one of the at-large bids into the national tournament. Cornerstone is making sixth ever appearance, all since the 2001 season.
Cornerstone has won 10 of their last 11 games, including a 64-55 win over fourth-seed Sterling in the first round. Their only loss was to Aquinas in the conference championship game, 62-53. Head Coach Carla Fles earned conference coach-of-the-year honors this season.
The Golden Eagles average 69ppg and shoot 44% from the field. They are tough defensively, giving up just 58ppg and holding their opponents to 34% from the floor. Individually, Cornerstone is led by junior Jenna Plewes, a first team all-league selection, who averages 14.3ppg. She ranks second on the team with 6.5rpg and is the overwhelming leader in assists with 103. Second team all-conference freshman Brooke Carter averages 13.6ppg and a team-best seven rebounds per game. The conference freshman-of-the-year is shooting 51% from the floor. Junior guard Kara Overbeek is the other top scorer, averaging 11.3ppg. Tami Thelen, another junior, is the team's best three point shooter with 49 and is shooting 35% from beyond the arc. 5-11 sophomore forward Ali Keag scores 7.8 points and pulls down 6.6rpg. Freshman Amanda Gorski leads the players off the Golden Eagle bench averaging 6.1ppg.
Last Time Out... Cornerstone upset fourth-ranked Sterling College (Kan.), 64-55, in the first round to get their 10th win in the last 11 games. Jenna Plewes led three Golden Eagle players in double figures with 22 points. Kara Overbeek added 18 points, including three three point baskets.
Northwestern cruised to a 97-48 win over Holy Names (Calif.) in the first round. Leading by 13 (44-31) at the half, NWC scored the first 19 points of the second half and never looked back. Debbie Remmerde netted a game-high 30 points while Amy Larson added 22. NWC out-rebounded Holy Names, 71-34, led by Randa Hulstein with 14.
Red Raider Notes...NWC is making their seventh trip to the national tournament, all under the direction of Head Coach Earl Woudstra. This is the third straight appearance as the Red Raiders lost in the Final Four in 2006 and fell in the Sweet Sixteen round last year. Northwestern is 17-5 all-time at nationals with one national championship (2000).
NWC rank second in the nation scoring 90ppg. They lead the NAIA in field goal percentage (53%) and three point percentage (43%). The Red Raiders are ninth in rebounding (+7) and are giving up 68ppg. Coach Woudstra's squad is holding opponents to just 37% from the floor.
Individually, Northwestern is led by a strong cast of seniors: Crystal Algood, Miranda Boekhout, Mandy Carr, Amy Larson and Debbie Remmerde. They have combined for 103 wins, 26 losses and three trips to the national tournament. Remmerde, a three-time NAIA All-American, is the all-time leading scorer in NAIA D-II history. The 5-9 guard, who was the GPAC Player-of-the-Year for the second time this past season, leads the nation in scoring (29.5) and several other offensive categories. Remmerde has made 53% of her three pointers (114/211) and is shooting better than 97% from the free throw line. Larson, a 5-6 guard, earned first team all-GPAC honors after averaging 17.3ppg. She is fourth in the NAIA with 98 three pointers and has scored over 1,000 points in her career. Boekhout, an honorable mention all-GPAC pick, averages seven points per game, five rebounds per game and is fourth in the NAIA with 187 assists. She has scored 991 points in her career, is the all-time assist leader at NWC and is second in blocked shots in a career. Algood, a 6-4 post player, earned second team all-GPAC honors after leading NWC with 7.5rpg. She is also averaging 8.6ppg and leads the GPAC with 98 blocked shots. Carr, a 5-9 guard, was third in the league with 166 assists and averages 5.3 points and 4.8 rebounds per game. She is second all-time at NWC in steals and assists and earned honorable mention all-league honors. Sophomore Randa Hulstein and freshmen Becca Hurley and Morgan Achterhoff are the top players off the bench for Coach Woudstra's squad. Hulstein averages 9.8ppg, six boards per game and is shooting 68% from the floor. Hurley, a 5-9 guard who earned honorable mention all-league honors, averages eight points per game and is third on the team with 31 three pointers. Achterhoff averages three points per game.
Next up...The winner will take on either #7 Eastern Oregon or #3 Black Hills State in the Elite Eight round on Saturday at 8:00 p.m.
2007-08 media guide
