NU's Emily Drivstuen shared team scoring honors with Kia Gibson.
Northwest Downs #3 Lewis-Clark State
KIRKLAND, Wash. - Northwest University handed #3 Lewis-Clark State their first loss in 12 games as they defeated the Warriors, 70-47, in non-conference play tonight. LCSC came into the game 11-0 and ranked #3 in the NAIA Division I poll.
The game was a low scoring affair for over 10 minutes of the game as the teams found themselves tied 9-9 with 8:45 remaining in the half. Northwest took an 13-9 lead on Jessalyn Jackson’s tip in with 7:33 on the clock, but State would go on a 6-0 run to re-take the lead, 17-13 on two free throws by Jasmine Stohr with 5:44 to go until the break. Back would come the Eagles on an 8-3 run capped off by Emily Drivstuen’s 3-pointer with 2:37 left to make it 21-20. NU would then score the next 11 straight points as Drivstuen would hit another 3-pointer with 4 seconds to go to put the Eagles up 32-20 at halftime.
LCSC would start the second half with a 5-0 run on a layup by Jasmine Stohr and a 3-point play by Kenna Reiter to pull the Warriors to within seven, 32-25. State would get to within 4 points, 34-30, on a Stohr jumper, but NU’s Kia Gibson would drop in two free throws to get NU’s lead back up toe 36-30 at the 17:17 mark. A 7-2 run by Northwest would make it 43-32 with 12:14 to go in the game. The Eagles would slowly inch away from LCSC and find themselves up by 17, 60-43 with 8:04 on the clock. Two free throws by NU’s Erika Hornyak would make it a 20 Eagle point lead with a minute 39 seconds to go as the Eagles would seal away the upset of the #3 team in NAIA Division I.
Emily Drivstuen (Soph., Monroe, Wash.) and Kia Gibson (Sr., Spokane, Wash.) led Northwest U. (9-4, 3-1 CCC) with 15 points each. Jessalyn Jackson (Jr., Vancouver, Wash.) scored a double-double on the night with 12 points and 12 rebounds. Senior Erika Hornyak (Everett, Wash.) added 9 points including a perfect 5-5 from the free throw line. NU out rebounded LCSC 46-44.
LCSC (11-1, 0-0) from the Frontier Conference was led by Jasmine Stohr's 21 points while teammate Alyssa Fierro registered a double-double with 12 points and 17 rebounds. LCSC shot a cool 25% (15-60) from the floor and were held to 5% (1 for 19) shooting from beyond the 3-point arc.
“I felt more like a cheerleader than a coach tonight,” stated Eagle coach Lori Napier. “The kids just went out and got it done on their own without me making a lot of decisions. It was fun to watch.”
The Eagles just completed a week of final exams and will now take a break until December 30th when they resume conference play in Olympia against the Evergreen State College.