Northwestern at College of the Ozarks

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Game Time... The Northwestern College women's basketball team will play for the NAIA D-II Women's Basketball National Championship this evening as they take on top-ranked College of the Ozarks (Mo.) at 6:30 pm. The Red Raiders have won eight straight games and are 34-2 overall while Ozarks is 35-1 on the season and won 23 straight games. You can listen to the game via the Northwestern College webcast at the following link:  Listen here!

Scouting Report... The Bobcats have been ranked first all season long and bring a 35-1 record into tonight's championship game. Ozarks has won 23 straight games, losing only to U. of Nebraska Kearney, 71-69, on Dec. 18. They swept through the MCAC regular season with a 12-0 record and then followed with a postseason championship. Ozarks is making their seventh straight trip to the national tournament and 13th overall appearance. This is their third consecutive championship game (0-2) as they lost to Hastings (58-39) in 2006 and then to Indian Wesleyan (48-34) last year. Overall, the Bobcats have a 20-13 record at the championships.

Like Northwestern, Ozarks is one of the highest scoring teams in the NAIA, averaging 88ppg. They are third in the country in shooting percentage (47%) and are fourth in three point percentage (39%). Defensively, the Bobcats are giving up 60ppg and hold their opponents to 38% from the field, 27% from the three point line. They are second in rebounding (+11.7) and fourth in team assists (566). The Bobcats are coached by George Wilson, in his 11th season at Ozarks and 42nd season of coaching overall. He has a 263-61 record during his tenure.

Individually, the Bobcats are led by two-time All-American, 5-8 junior Janessa DeMuth, averaging 17ppg. The MCAC Player-of-the-Year shoots 53% from the field, 45% from the three point line (63/141) and leads the team with six rebounds per game. DeMuth leads the team in assists (116) and is the all-time leader with over 364 steals. Kayli Combs, a 5-6 junior, returns after she earned third team All-American honors in 2007. Combs averaged 15.3ppg and leads the team with 89 three pointers and is shooting 46% from beyond the arc. 5-10 junior Lindsy Murray earned first team all-MCAC honors after averaging 12.8ppg and 5.6rpg. She is shooting 57% from the field. Emily Nichols and Rebekah Howard start in the Bobcat front-court. Nichols, a 6-0 junior, earned honorable mention all-MCAC honors after averaging 10.4 points and 5.5 rebounds per game. Howard, a 5-11 senior, averages 9.1 points and 4.5 boards per game. She also has 31 three pointers this season. Josie Sparkman and Kayla Messick are the other key players for the Bobcats. Sparkman, a 5-9 junior, averages nearly nine points per game and has 62 assists this season. Messick, a 5-8 sophomore, averages 3.5ppg and has made 19 three pointers this season. Her sister, Lindsey Messick, also will come off the bench and averages 2.3ppg.

Tournament Recap... Ozarks opened the tournament with a 110-37 win over Maine-Fort Kent. The Bobcats proceeded to defeat #5 MidAmerica Nazarene (Kan.), 82-69, and then #3 Concordia (Neb.), 78-53. They then faced #2 Hastings in the semifinals where they needed double overtime to down the Broncos, 79-75. Down five with under a minute left, Ozarks scored the final five points of regulation, the final basket off an offensive rebound with four seconds left, to send the game into overtime tied at 61. Hastings led by six early in the first overtime and still led by three (72-69) with nine seconds to go. After an Ozarks timeout, Kayli Combs banked in a three as time expired to send the game into a second overtime. Ozarks' defense stepped up in the second overtime, giving up just three points. The Broncos did have chance to tie the game at 77 but turned the ball over on an out-of-bounds play which sealed the Bobcat victory. Ozarks was led by Combs with 26 points and Lindsey Murray added 18.

Northwestern rolled through the first two rounds, recording a 97-48 win over Holy Names and an 86-57 win over #5 Cornerstone (Mich.). In the Elite Eight, the Red Raiders led by two at the half but began the second half on an 18-4 run to pull away from #3 Black Hills State (S.D.), 91-69. In the semifinals, Northwestern met second-ranked and number one seed Morningside for the fourth time this season. The Red Raiders led from start to finish and registered a 93-69 win over the Mustangs to advance to their third championship game in the program's history. Debbie Remmerde led the way with 30 points while Miranda Boekhout added a tournament high 15 points, eight rebounds and five assists. In the process, Boekhout scored her 1,000th point in her career.

Red Raider Notes... Northwestern is making their third championship game appearance, having lost to the University of Mary (N.D.), 59-49 in 2000 but winning the title the following year over College of Idaho, 77-50.

Debbie Remmerde and Amy Larson are the leading scorers, both during the season and at the national tournament. Remmerde is leading the tournament field with 34ppg and 25 three pointers. The senior is fourth in field goal percentage, shooting 67% from the floor. Larson is averaging 20ppg in the four wins and has made 12 three pointers at the tournament. Both players earned first team all-GPAC honors this season. Mandy Carr and Becca Hurley are the other top back-court players for Coach Woudstra's squad. Carr, a three-year starter, is second all-time in both assists and steals. Carr is a two-time all-conference player and averaged 5.3ppg. Hurley, a freshman from Pleasant Hill, Iowa, came off the bench to score eight points per game. She earned honorable mention all-league honors and has made 31 three pointers this season. The Red Raider front-court boasts seniors Miranda Boekhout and Crystal Algood as well as sophomore Randa Hulstein. Boekhout is the all-time assists leader at NWC and has scored over 1,000 points in her career. She is second all-time in blocks and is among the top 10 in career rebounds. Algood earned second team all-GPAC honors after averaging 8.6ppg and 7.5rpg. She is the all-time leader in blocked shots and is also among NWC's all-time leaders in rebounding. Hulstein, a 6-1 sophomore from Sioux Center, comes off the bench and averages 10ppg and 6 rpg.

NAIA D-II Womens' Basketball Championship