Game Time... The Northwestern College Red Raiders continue the tournament trail this evening as they take on Black Hills State (S.D.) at 8:00 pm tonight in the Elite Eight. NWC, one of the top seeds at the national tournament, is 32-2 overall and has won six straight games. The Yellow Jackets are a third seed and carry a 28-5 overall record into tonight's contest. The 2008 NAIA D-II Women's Basketball Tournament is being played at the Tyson Events Center in Sioux City, Iowa.
Scouting Report... BHSU is one of two teams from the DAC still remaining in the tournament field (Minot State as well). The Yellow Jackets finished tied for first in the regular season with "Dakota State at 11-3 and then won the DAC Tournament as the second seed. They are 29-5 overall and have won 11 straight games. BHSU finished the season ranked 15th in the final NAIA poll and received one of the three #3 seeds.
Head Coach Mark Nore, in his fourth season with the Yellow Jackets, has compiled a 74-67 record during his tenure. He earned DAC Coach-of-the-Year honors this past season. BHSU is making their fifth appearance to the national tournament and first since 2002. This will be their third trip to the Elite Eight and their best finish was in 1997 when they lost to Northwest Nazarene in the championship game.
BHSU averages 73.7ppg and shoots 45% from the field. They are second in the nation in three point percentage (40%) and have made 188 three pointers this season. Defensively, the Yellow Jackets are giving up 62.2ppg and opponents are shooting 38% from the floor.
Individually, the Yellow Jackets are led by seniors Lacey Haughian and Snjezana Dojcinovic who combine to average 27ppg. Haughian, a 6-2 post player, earned first team all-DAC honors after averaging 14.8 points and 6.5 rebounds per game. She led the team with 40 blocked shots. Dojcinovic, a 6-2 forward who earned second team all-league honors, averages 12.2ppg and six rebounds per game. Both players are shooting around 50% from the field. Sophomore Brittany Fuhrman, a 5-6 guard, is the team's top perimeter shooter with 86 three pointers. She is third in the NAIA in three point percentage (45%) and averages 11ppg. Bayley Chevron and Lindsey Buthe round out the starting line-up for Coach Nore's club. Chevron, a 5-7 sophomore, averages 7.4ppg and is second on the team with 84 assists. Buthe, a 5-11 senior forward, averages 5.5ppg, 3.3rpg and leads the team with 88 assists. Guards Katelynn Lamb and Alexis Krull come off the bench for the Yellow Jackets. Lamb averages 7.7ppg and has 23 three pointers and Krull is second on the team with 27 trifectas.
Last Time Out... BHSU edged Rio Grande (Ohio) in the first round, 63-61. The Yellow Jackets struggled from the field, shooting just 36%, but controlled the boards, 47-37. Haughian led the way in the scoring (24) and Dojcinovic recorded a double-double with 18 points and 12 rebounds. Black Hills State then defeated seventh seed Eastern Oregon last night in the second round, 63-48. The Yellow Jackets struggled from the three point line (2-of-16) but forced 20 turnovers and once again controlled the glass, 45-40. Haughian led BHSU in scoring with 21 points. Lamb and Dojcinovic both scored 10.
Northwestern has cruised thus far at the tournament, defeating Holy Names (Calif.) in the first round (97-48) and Cornerstone (Mich.) (86-57) in the second. Last night, the Red Raiders jumped out to a big lead and never trailed, leading 49-20 at intermission. Debbie Remmerde scored 36 points, making 6-of-8 three pointers, to give her 66 points in the two games. Amy Larson added 19. For the second straight game, NWC dominated the glass, out-rebounding Cornerstone 49-27. For the tournament, the Red Raiders have a 120-61 rebounding advantage.
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. This is also the fifth time that NWC has been in the quarterfinals. 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 105 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 (120/219) 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 101 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 191 assists. She has scored 993 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 101 blocked shots. Carr, a 5-9 guard, was third in the league with 170 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.
Last Meeting w/ BHSU... The Red Raiders defeated Black Hills State on Nov. 24, 99-79. Northwestern led 47-39 at halftime and outscored the Yellow Jackets, 52-40, in the second half. The Red Raiders forced 27 BHSU turnovers and held them to just 40% from the floor. NWC shot 49% from the field, 36% from beyond the arc.
Five Red Raiders scored in double figures, led by guards Debbie Remmerde and Amy Larson who netted 27 and 26 points, respectively. Crystal Algood, Mandy Carr and Becca Hurley added 11 points each. Miranda Boekhout dished out six assists and became Northwestern's all-time leader with 477, surpassing Jackie Olson's (2000) old mark of 472. Black Hills State out-rebounded NWC, 43-38. The Red Raiders were led by Remmerde with eight; and she also had five steals. The Yellow Jackets were led by Lacey Haughian with 19 points. Brittany Fuhrman made 5-of-10 three pointers for 15 points.
Next up... The winner will advance to play in the Final Four on Monday, March 17 at 8:00 pm. They will play the winner of the Morningside (Iowa) vs. Minot State (N.D.) game.
2007-08 media guide
