Dakota Wesleyan at Northwestern

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Game Time... Fourth-ranked Northwestern begins its final week of the regular season tonight as they play host to Dakota Wesleyan in GPAC women's basketball. The Red Raiders are currently in second place in the GPAC standings with a 13-3 record, one game in front of third place Briar Cliff. They are 22-4 overall. Dakota Wesleyan is tied for 11th place within the GPAC with a 4-12 record and is 8-20 overall. Watch/Listen live to the game via the NWC webcast at the following link: Watch/Listen Now!

All-Time Series...The Red Raiders hold a 27-12 advantage in the series against DWU, winning nine of the last 10 match-ups. The Tigers last defeated Northwestern on Feb. 11 of last year in Mitchell, S.D., 75-66. Earlier this year, Northwestern defeated the Tigers, 70-62.

Last Match-Up...Northwestern earned its ninth straight win when they defeated Dakota Wesleyan 70-62 in Mitchell, S.D. on Jan. 15. In a very tight first half that featured five ties and nine lead changes, DWU held its largest lead at the 10 minute mark, 24-19. Northwestern then began a 12-2 run and limited the Tigers to just two field goals over the final six minutes en route to a 33-29 halftime lead.

NWC scored the first four points of the second half but DWU followed with an 11-3 run to tie the game at 40. The Red Raiders bounced back and took the lead for good with a 9-0 spurt and led by as much as 13 (62-49) with three minutes left to play.

Randa Hulstein led the way with 19 points, six rebounds and six assists while Kendra DeJong recorded a double-double with 15 points and 10 boards. Allison Johnson led DWU with 23 points.

DWU News and Notes...The Tigers come in with a 4-12 GPAC record, 8-20 overall, and have lost their last three games. Since a 69-59 win over Dana on Jan. 30, DWU has lost to USF (68-42), Concordia (78-56) and Mount Marty (70-45). In their loss to Mount Marty on Feb. 10, DWU jumped out to an early 7-0 lead and held the Lancers scoreless for the first five minutes. Mount Marty, however, outscored the Tigers 33-11 the rest of the half behind a barrage of three-pointers and went on to record a 70-45 win. Dakota Wesleyan shot 39% for the game and was led by Allison Johnson and Ashley Mailey who both scored 12 points.

Aaron Kahl is in his third year as the head coach of the Tigers and holds a 30-33 all-time record during his tenure. Last year, DWU finished with a 13-18 overall record, 6-12 and a ninth place finish in the GPAC. Four starters return off last year's squad, including two players who earned all-league honors.

Dakota Wesleyan averages 62ppg, shooting 41% from the field. The Tigers shoot 34% from beyond the arc and rank fifth in the GPAC with 188 three-pointers (6.7 per game) this season. Defensively, DWU is giving up 68ppg and opponents are shooting 42% from the field.

Senior Allison Johnson is one of two Tigers' players scoring in double figures with a team-best 14.3ppg. The 5-6 guard, who earned second team all-GPAC honors for the second straight year in 2009, is shooting 35% from beyond the arc and leads the team with 46 three-pointers. Maggie Malloy, a 5-9 sophomore guard, averages 12ppg after earning honorable mention all-GPAC honors last year. Malloy leads the team with 5.8 rebounds per game. Ashley Johnson, a four-year starter and sister to leading scorer Allison Johnson, ranks second on the team with 73 assists to go with nearly eight points per game. She ranks second on the team with 33 three-pointers. Angela Noteboom averages 5.3 points per game, shooting 50% from the floor while Ashley Mailey, a transfer from Dakota State, averages six points and five rebounds per game.

Red Raider Notes... Northwestern saw its five-game win streak come to end this past weekend as they lost on the road to top-ranked Hastings, 83-70. The Broncos broke open a close game with an 11-2 run to close the first half and led 46-32 at intermission. Northwestern battled back to within five (51-46) on a lay-up by Randa Hulstein but the host Broncos pulled away with a 20-5 run and led 71-51 with seven minutes left. Northwestern shot 42% from the field and three Raiders scored in double figures, led by Randa Hulstein with 16 points and 11 rebounds, her fifth double-double of the season. Kendra DeJong netted 14 points and pulled down five rebounds while Becca Hurley added 13 points, eight rebounds and dished out five assists.

Coach Woudstra's squad held the fourth spot for the second straight week in the NAIA D-II women's basketball poll released earlier this week. They join four other GPAC teams in the top 25, including Hastings, Briar Cliff, Morningside and Concordia. Northwestern is in second place in the GPAC with a 13-3 record and leads Briar Cliff by one game.

The Red Raiders are one of the highest scoring teams in the NAIA, averaging over 83ppg (third best in the nation). They lead the NAIA in field goal percentage (48%), rank third in the GPAC in three-point percentage (35%) and are the best rebounding team in the GPAC at +8. Defensively, Northwestern ranks third in the GPAC in field goal percentage (37%), giving up 66 points per game.

Northwestern features a balanced offense with four players scoring in double figures. Becca Hurley averages 16 points per game with 39 three-pointers and a team-best 102 assists. The junior leads the GPAC in assist/turnover ratio and has scored in double figures 22 times this season. Kami Kuhlmann averages 14.4ppg with 33 three-pointers, shooting 39% from beyond the arc. The sophomore has scored in double figures in 19 games this season. Kendra DeJong averages 14.2 points and 6.4 rebounds per game, shooting 57% from the field. Randa Hulstein ranks second in the GPAC and fourth in the NAIA in field goal percentage (64%) and averages 13.9 points and a team-best 8.5 boards per game. She has scored 930 points in her career. Val Kleinjan is the top perimeter threat for Coach Woudstra's squad, shooting 39% from beyond the arc with 49 three-pointers. The Raiders bench contributes nearly 20 points and nine rebounds per game, led by Katie Nieuwsma and Allison Hulst.

Up Next... Northwestern will play its final home game of the regular season on Saturday, Feb. 20 when they host the University of Sioux Falls. The game will also be Parent's and Senior Day for the Red Raiders.