Game Time...Top-seeded Northwestern will play third-seeded Iowa Wesleyan with a trip to the national semifinals on the line on Satuday, March 13 at the 2010 NAIA D-II Women's Basketball National Championship. The Red Raiders were ranked third in the final NAIA poll and are 28-5 overall heading into the quarterfinal contest while Iowa Wesleyan finished the season ranked 13th and is 27-7 overall. Tip-off for the game in Sioux City, Iowa is scheduled for 3:00 pm. Listen live to the game via the NWC webcast at the following link: Listen Now!
Tournament History...Northwestern is making its ninth appearance to the national tournament, all of them coming since the 1999 season. They have missed out on the tournament just three times (2003-05) since the 1999 season. The Red Raiders are 26-6 at the national tournament and have won the championship two times (2001, 2008). They were the national runner-up in 2000, losing to the University of Mary (N.D.), and have made it to the national semifinals (2006, 2009) on two other occasions. In 2002, Northwestern lost in the quarterfinals and in both 2007 and 1999, they lost in the round of 16.
Iowa Wesleyan is in its fourth national tournament, all since the 2006 season, and are in its first ever national quarterfinals. In 2006 and 2009, the Tigers lost in the first round to Northwestern (93-78-2006) and Concordia-Oregon (70-68 OT). In 2007, Iowa Wesleyan defeated second-seeded Menlo (Calif.) 63-50 in the first round but lost to Taylor (Ind.) in the second round. They are an even 3-3 at the national tournament.
How They Got Here...The Red Raiders earned one of the two automatic bids from the Great Plains Athletic Conference by way of their runner-up finish to Hastings in the GPAC postseason tournament. They also finished second to Hastings, the nation's top-ranked team, in the GPAC regular season with a 15-3 record. The GPAC, which has won all but one (2007) of the national championships since 2001, boasts a tournament high five teams in the field of 32: Hastings (1), NWC (1), Briar Cliff (3), Morningside (4) and Concordia (6).
In the first round, Northwestern raced out to a 16-3 lead in the first five minutes and never looked back, blowing out an out-matched Indiana Northwest squad 100-47. The Red Raiders shot 56% from beyond the arc, making 14-of-25 three-pointers, their second highest output of the season. Val Kleinjan led five NWC players in double figures with 17 points, going 5-for-7 from the three-point arc. Allison Hulst came off the bench to score 15 and Kendra DeJong added 12. Randa Hulstein and Thea Engen shared game-high honors with nine rebounds. Hulstein added 10 points and now is just six points away from 1,000. Becca Hurley added six points, seven boards and six assists. The Red Raider defense held Indiana Northwest to just 24% from the field.
In yesterday's second round, it was more of the same as Northwestern pulled ahead early and ran past 14th-ranked Sterling (Kan.), 90-52. Offensively, Northwestern showed why they lead the nation in field goal percentage, shooting 56% from the floor, 62% in the second half. Defensively, they got it done as well, holding Sterling to just 25% from the field. A balanced offense that featured four NWC players in double figures highlighted the afternoon, led by Kendra DeJong and Becca Hurley with 19 points each. Randa Hulstein chipped in 14 and became the newest member of the 1,000 point club. Kami Kuhlmann chipped in 12. Northwestern outrebounded Sterling 51-33.
Iowa Wesleyan won both the regular season and postseason tournament championship in the Midwest Collegiate Conference to earn an automatic berth into the 32-team field. They posted a 15-1 conference record, losing only to Mount Mercy (58-50) on Jan. 9. The Tigers then went 3-0 at the conference tournament, knocking off Viterbo (Wis.), Saint Ambrose (Iowa) and Grand View (Iowa) in the championship, 62-54.
At the national tournament, they defeated sixth seeded Walsh (Ohio) 79-68 in the first round and got by second-seeded Jamestown (N.D.) by the same score in the second round.
In the win over Walsh, both teams finished the game shooting over 40 percent but it was the 35 trips to the free-throw line by Iowa Wesleyan that made a difference. Both teams were statistically even heading into the break, but Iowa Wesleyan changed the pace and separated from the Cavaliers in the second half, pushing a six-point lead to 13. The Tigers held at least a seven-point advantage for the final 7:53 of the contest. It was Iowa Wesleyan’s 28 points in 35 attempts from the charity stripe that proved to be the deciding factor, as Walsh only managed to get to the line 10 times. Anna Jones came into the national championship averaging 10.3 ppg, was the go-to player for the Tigers, scoring a team-high 21 points on 5-of-8 shooting. She took full advantage of 12 trips to the free-throw line by picking up 11 freebies. She also dished out a game-high six assists. Jill Ginder and Jessie Beachey added 19 and 15 points, respectively.
In its second round, upset win over Jamestown, Iowa Wesleyan hit 10 clutch free throws down the stretch to earn its first trip to the quarterfinals. The opening half was a neck-and-neck battle with Iowa Wesleyan holding a slight 31-30 edge. The Jimmies took a four-point lead to start the second half but that lead quickly vanished as Iowa Wesleyan twice held an 11-point advantage midway through. Krista Shaikoski’s trey with 4:20 remaining brought Jamestown within two, but Jill Ginder answered right back for Iowa Wesleyan to regain the five-point lead. Jessi Beachey sunk all six of her free throws in the closing 2:50, with Ginder and McCreight each knocking in a pair to secure the win. The Jimmies could not get within more than six points during the final stretch. The Tigers ended the game at 92.3 percent from the line (24-of-26). Beachey and McCreight each poured in 19 points as the game’s leading scorers, followed by 14 from Jones and Ginder’s 11. McCreight drained three of Iowa Wesleyan’s four shots from the 3-point line and McCreight adding the other trey.
Common Opponents...Northwestern and Iowa Wesleyan have both beaten Dana, Midland Lutheran and Valley City State during the regular season. The Red Raiders lost to Jamestown while the Tigers are 1-1 against the Jimmies.
Past Tournament Meetings...Northwestern defeated Iowa Wesleyan in the first round of 2006 93-78 in the only prior meeting at the national tournament.
Scouting the Tigers...Iowa Wesleyan and head coach Steve Williamson are one of two Midwest Collegiate Conference teams in the 32-team field and both they and Grand View are in quarterfinals. The Tigers have won 16 straight games and have not lost since a 58-50 setback to Mount Mercy on Jan. 9. They opened the season with a 2-0 record but lost six straight games before turning the season around and winning 25 of their 26 games. Other losses were to John Brown, College of the Ozarks, USD, Jamestown, Maryville and Quincy. Coach Williamson, in his fifth year with the program, earned coach of the year honors in the conference.
The Tigers average 75 points per game, shooting 45% from the field. They are making 32% of their three-point attempts, making nearly five per game. Defensively, Iowa Wesleyan is giving up 61ppg and are the fifth best rebounding team in the NAIA at +11. The Tigers get to the foul line frequently and are shooting 74% from the charity stripe.
Individually, they are led by 6-2 junior forward Jessi Beachey, both the conference player and newcomer of the year. Beachey averages nearly 18 points per game and ranks sixth in the NAIA at shooting 58%. She also pulls down 5.8 boards per game. Melanie McCreight and Anna Jones joined Beachey as first team all-conference players. McCreight, a 5-6 junior guard, averages 13 points and 3.5 rebounds per game, along with hitting a team-best 50 three-pointers. Jones, a 5-7 sophomore, averages 10 points per game and is 10th in the NAIA with 163 assists. Jill Ginder and Sheray Brown round out the starting line-up for the Tigers. Ginder, a 5-7 junior guard, averages 9.1 points per game while Brown, a 5-10 junior, leads the team with over nine boards per game. She earned honorable mention all-conference honors.
About NWC... Becoming a regular at the national tournament, Northwestern is making its fifth consecutive and ninth overall tournament appearance at the Big Dance. With 25 Team1.jpg)
tournament wins, the Red Raiders trail only Hastings for total number of victories at the championships. Coach Earl Woudstra has guided the Raiders to every one of their nine national tournament appearances and has led his team to a pair of national championships and three other trips to the Final Four, including last year. Woudstra, in his 16th season with the program, ranks in the top 10 among active D-II coaches with a 363-138 record.
Northwestern is one of four top seeds and brings a 27-5 overall record into the second round. All five of their losses this season were to ranked teams on the road (Hastings (2x), Jamestown, Morningside and Briar Cliff) and all of those teams are among the top four seeds at the national tournament.
The Red Raiders are third in the NAIA in scoring, averaging 84 points per game. They lead the nation in field goal percentage (49%) and are ninth in three-point percentage (37%), averaging about six three-pointers per game. Defensively, NWC is equally impressive, giving up 65 points per game and holding opponents to just 36% from the field. They are also the ninth best rebounding team in the NAIA at +8.
Coach Woudstra's squad features a balanced offense with four players scoring in double figures and a total of eight players averaging four or more points per game. Junior Becca Hurley, a 2009 All-American and two-time first team all-GPAC performer, leads the attack with 16 points per game, sixth best in the GPAC. Hurley ranks second on the team with 55 three-pointers, shooting 39% from beyond the arc, and pulls down 6.4 boards per game. She also led the conference in assist/turnover ratio, ranking second in assists with 138. Kendra DeJong averages 14 points per game and was a second team all-GPAC pick and the Freshman of the Year. DeJong is shooting 59% from the field, seventh best in the NAIA, and pulls down 6.5 rebounds with 90 assists this year. Kami Kuhlmann, a 5-6 sophomore, averages 13.8 ppg and is shooting a team best 41% from beyond the arc (45/109) and along with Hurley, form one of the best free throw shooting pairs in the nation. She earned second team all-GPAC honors this year. Senior Randa Hulstein patrols the middle and averages 13.1 points and a team-high 8.7 rebounds per game since joining the team after the volleyball season. An honorable mention All-American in 2009 and two-time first team all-GPAC pick, Hulstein is shooting 61% from the field, has dished out 81 assists and leads the team with 35 blocked shots. She scored her 1,000th point in yesterday's win over Sterling, becoming the 23rd member of the club and joins teammate Becca Hurley, who reached the mark earlier this year. Hulstein also ranks ninth alltime in rebounds with 744 and in the top five in blocked shots (97). Sophomore guard Val Kleinjan rounds out the starting lineup and averages 7.6 points per game. One of the top perimeter threats in the GPAC, Kleinjan has 63 three-pointers this year, shooting 40% from beyond the arc. Allison Hulst (5.5), Katie Nieuwsma (5.0), Kristin Neth (4.2) and Andrea Wedel (3.5) are the top reserves for the Raiders and give NWC one of the deepest benches in the NAIA.
2009-10 Media Guide
2010 Basketball Camp
