Game Time... This time it counts! Northwestern College will face GPAC rival Morningside for the fourth time this season, only this time the stakes are a great deal higher. The top-seeded Red Raiders, ranked third in the final poll, square off against the Mustangs, also a top seed and ranked second in the final NAIA poll, in the Final Four. The winner advances to play in the NAIA Championship game tomorrow night at 6:30 p.m. against either top seed College of the Ozarks or #2 seed and GPAC rival Hastings. To listen to the game via the NWC webcast, click on the following link: webcast.
Scouting Report... The Mustangs bring a 33-3 overall record into tonight's semifinal contest. They have been ranked in the top 10 all season long and finished the year second behind College of the Ozarks. Morningside, one of three GPAC teams in the Final Four, won two national championships (2004 and 2005) and are making their sixth consecutive appearance at the national tournament. The Mustangs are 15-3 all-time at the tournament.
Head Coach Jamie Sale, in his ninth season at Morningside, is 221-81 and earned GPAC Coach of the Year honors this season. The Mustangs are fourth in the NAIA in scoring (85.8), second in three pointers per game (10.1), fifth in three point percentage (38.5%) and second in turnover margin. Defensively, Morningside is giving up 62ppg and is second in the NAIA with 529 steals.
Individually, Morningside is led by juniors Autumn Bartel and Dani Gass, who both average around 13ppg. Bartel earned second team all-GPAC honors for the third straight year and has scored over 1,000 points in her career. The 5-9 guard is fourth on the team with 51 three pointers and is shooting 42% from beyond the arc. A 5-9 junior guard, Gass earned first team all-GPAC honors and is a returning NAIA All-American. An excellent slasher and great leader, Gass shoots 51% from the floor and has a team-high 182 assists. She is also the leading rebounder with 8.1 per game.Sophomore J.J. Hall, a 5-8 guard, ranked second on the team with 12.5ppg. A first team all-GPAC pick, Hall was second on the team with 73 three pointers and shoots 83% from the foul line. Brittany Williamson, a 5-11 sophomore, is the inside presence for the Mustangs. Williamson is averaging nine points and 3.6 rebounds per game. Leslie Floral, an honorable mention all-GPAC pick, is a sophomore guard averaging seven points per game. The top reserves for Coach Sale's squad are Kristi Tighe, a 5-6 senior who earned honorable mention all-GPAC honors this year. Tighe led the team with 84 three pointers and shoots 43% from beyond the arc. Sophomores Laura Nelson and Roni Miller come off the bench and average six points per game each. Nelson, another dangerous three point shooter, is 54/130 from beyond the arc (41.5%). Miller will play inside and is shooting 53% from the floor.
Last Time Out... The top-seeded Mustangs defeated Berea (Ky.) 104-80 in the opeing round and followed with a 70-62 win over #4 St. Ambrose in the second round. Morningside then defeated upstart Minot State (N.D.) in the Elite Eight, 87-86, after officials ruled after the game that the potential game-winning shot by Minot was after the final horn, thus, advancing Morningside into the semifinals. Dani Gass led the Mustangs with 22 points and J.J. Hall added 18 points in the win.
Northwestern cruised through the first two rounds, downing Holy Names (Calif.) (97-48) and Cornerstone (Mich.)(86-57). In the Elite Eight, they led by just two at the half (44-42) over Black Hills State (S.D.) but used an 18-4 run at the start of the second half to pull away. The Red Raiders held the Yellow Jackets to 25% from the field in the second half, 12% from the three point line. Northwestern was led by GPAC Player-of-the-Year, Debbie Remmerde, who netted 40 points. She leads the tournament with 106 points in the three games. Remmerde also has scored 3,783 points in her career, just 72 shy of tying the all-time NAIA record held by Miriam Walker (Claflin). Amy Larson added 15 while Randa Hulstein had 14 points and seven rebounds off the bench.
Red Raider Notes... The Red Raiders are making their fourth trip to the Final Four and second in two years. Northwestern lost in the semifinals to Hastings in 2006 but advanced to win the championship in 2001 and lost in the final game in 2000. Coach Woudstra's squad is 19-5 all-time in seven national tournament appearances.
Head Coach Earl Woudstra is in his 14th season at NWC and is the program's all-time leader with over 300 wins. This year's team is second in the NAIA averaging 89ppg and leads the nation in both field goal percentage (53%) and three point percentage (43%). Defensively, NWC is equally as tough, giving up just 68ppg with opponents shooting just 37%. Northwestern has a +9 rebounding margin.
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 in her career, leads the nation in scoring (29.5) and several other offensive categories. Remmerde has made 53% of her three pointers (126/219) 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 102 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 195 assists. She has scored 997 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 Meetings vs Morningside...This will be the fourth meeting between the Red Raiders and Morningside. Northwestern is 2-1 this season with a non-conference win (70-67) on Nov. 13 and then defeating the Mustangs in the GPAC Championship, 83-79. Morningside knocked off NWC on Feb. 20, 88-86, to win the regular season title.
Next up...The winner will play in the NAIA National Championship game tomorrow night at 6:30 pm.
2007-08 media guide
