Jamestown at Northwestern

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• BOXSCORE

Game Time... The Northwestern College women's basketball team plays host to Jamestown (N.D.) and Valley City State (N.D.) in non-conference hardwood action at the Bultman Center. Both Jamestown and NWC are ranked in the NAIA preseason poll as the Jimmies are ninth and the Red Raiders come in at #14. Tipoff for Friday night's contest is at 6:00 pm and Saturday's game against VCS is at 2:00 pm. Both contests can be viewed/listened to via the NWC web-cast.

Scouting Report...Jamestown earned the top spot in the DAC preseason poll as they totaled five first place votes, 45 total points, just edging out Minot State with a pair of first place votes and 43 total points. The Jimmies return all five starters from a 2007-08 squad that finished tied for fifth place with a 6-8 DAC record, 14-15 overall. Their season ended in the conference semifinals where they lost to second-seed Black Hills State. Jamestown led the DAC in rebounding margin (+5) and scoring defense (61ppg).

Head Coach Mark Wiest is in his fifth year with the Jimmies and has guided them to a 59-57 overall mark. Wiest's squad comes into Friday night's contest with a 2-2 record with wins over Brandon (89-49) and Briar Cliff (71-66) and losses to Lakehead (74-70) and to #2 Hastings (55-50) at the Tyson Tipoff Classic last weekend. Coming into the weekend, Jamestown is averaging 70ppg and giving up 61ppg.

Coach Wiest's squad returned all five starters from last season but lost DAC defensive player-of-the-year Guili Variano to injury in the preseason. Heidi Fiechtner, a 6-1 senior, is averaging nearly a double-double with 13 points and a team-high seven rebounds per game. Allison Epping, a 6-1 post player who transferred from Carl Sandburg CC, will start opposite Fiechtner in the front court and averages 11.5 points and six rebounds per game. Also in the Jimmies front court is 6-1 freshman Mara Paulson who averages eight points and five rebounds per game off the bench.Jamestown is led in the back court by guards Katie O'Neill, Kellie Schuneman and Amanda Rantapaa. Schuneman, a 5-5 sophomore, averages a team-best 14ppg and has five three pointer this season. Rantapaa is the top perimeter threat with eight three pointers and averages 7.8ppg. O'Neill, a 5-9 transfer from Australia, runs the point and has dished out a team-best 16 assists to go with 9.8 points and 7.8 rebounds per game. The top reserve is Nicole Ahlers, a 5-9 freshman, who averages two points and 2.2 rebounds per game.  

Valley City State: The Vikings and head coach Jill DeVries come into the weekend with a 1-0 record. The defeated Peru State, 68-62,on Nov. 1 in the season opener. VCSU was picked last in the DAC preseason poll after a 5-23 season in 2007-08 in which they were 0-14 in the DAC. Seven players return from that squad, including three starters.

Headlining the list of returners are guards Mandy Johnson and Amanda Brown. A 5-9 sophomore, Johnson averaged 8.5 points and 3.4 rebounds per game last season. Brown, also a 5-9 sophomore, averaged 7.4 and 3.5 rebounds per contest as a freshman. Brittany Olson, the only senior for Coach DeVries' squad, also returns in the Viking back court. A couple of newcomers look to play major roles for Valley City State this season. Abby Rittenhouse, a 6-1 sophomore transfer from St. Cloud State, scored 29 points and pulled down 13 rebounds in her team's season opening victory over Peru State. Caitlyn Wojahn, a 5-1 sophomore guard, transferred in from USF and scored 12 points in her first game as a Viking. Jacklyn Mitchell, a 5-9 sophomore, is the top reserve for VCSU.

Last Time Out... Jamestown defeated Briar Cliff 71-66 on the second day of the Tyson Tipoff Classic on Nov. 1. The Jimmies led by six at halftime but were outscored by one in the second half (35-34). Jamestown shot just 38% from the floor but limited BCU to 36% and dominated the glass against the Chargers, 50-29. JC pulled down 18 offensive rebounds, led by O'Neill with five to go with seven on the defensive side. Fiechtner led four players in double figures with 16 followed by Epping and Schuneman with 14 each.

Valley City State defeated Peru State in its season opener, 66-62. Both teams struggled from the floor as the Vikings shot 31% compared to 30% for Peru State. Rittenhouse led all scores with 29 points and also pulled down a game-high 13 boards.

Northwestern defeated Waldorf 93-82 in non-conference women's basketball action this past Wednesday night in the Bultman Center. They shot 47% for the game and four players scored in double figures, led by sophomore Becca Hurley who netted a career-high 20 points in her season debut. Hurley, who finished her soccer season last weekend, also grabbed three rebounds and dished out four assists. Val Kleinjan netted 19 points, including five three pointers and Kami Kuhlmann and Katie Nieuwsma added 14 and 13 points, respectively. NWC dominated the glass, 47-33, led by Kristin Neth who pulled down a career high 13 boards.

Red Raider Notes... In its three games, Northwestern is averaging 94.3 points per game and their opponents are scoring just over 80ppg. Five players are scoring in double figures for Coach Woudstra's squad, led by sophomore Becca Hurley with 20ppg in the one game she played vs Waldorf. Val Kleinjan is scoring 19ppg and Kristin Neth leads the team in scoring (18), rebounds (9.7) and is second with 10 assists. Freshmen Kami Kuhlmann (15.7) and Katie Nieuwsma (11) are also putting up double figures so far this season. Nine players are currently averaging over 15 minutes per game for Coach Woudstra.

The Series... The Red Raiders are 2-1 all-time against Jamestown and 3-0 versus Valley City State. Last season, NWC made the trip north and defeated VCS 95-62 and 86-63 over Jamestown.

Next up... Northwestern will play top-ranked Morningside on Tuesday night, Nov. 11, in Sioux City, Iowa.