Jessica Wilkerson registers a double-double against Concordia.
Northwest Defeats Cavs, Clinches Tourney Spot
KIRKLAND, Wash. – Northwest U. defeated Concordia U. 74-56 in Cascade Conference play tonight clinching a spot in the 2010 CCC post season tournament. With the victory the Eagles improve to 11-4 in conference and 15-8 over all. Concordia drops to 5-10 in the CCC and 11-14 for the season.
NU jumped out to an early 12-9 lead on the Cavaliers, but CU would battle back to take the lead, 15-14, on jumpers by Mariah Ladd and Danielle Clauson at the 11:57 mark. The first half would see 3 ties and 10 lead changes. With Concordia leading 24-23 with 6:30 remaining in the half, NU would regain the lead for good as Jessalyn Jackson would lay the ball in and connect on a free throw as she was fouled on the play. The Eagles would slowly begin to put some distance between themselves and the Cavs as a 3-pointer by Jessica Wilkerson and two free throws by Jackson would give NU a 7 point lead, 31-24, with 4:27 remaining. Another Wilkerson trey would give Northwest its largest lead, 36-24, with 2 minutes 24 seconds to go until halftime, but CU would again battle back to out score Northwest 8-3 to make it 39-32 as the teams headed to their locker rooms.
In the second half, NU would maintain their lead, increasing it to 17 points at the 12:52 mark (52-35) and an 8-2 run by the Eagles would bump their lead to 60-37 with 10:23 to go in the game. Each time Concordia would, the Eagles would seem to answer. Sarah Eischen would hit a free throw to pull CU to within 15 points (6:07), but NU would go on a 6-2 run to make it 70-51 with 4:25 left in the contest. Concordia’s Megan Padilla would hit a 3-pointer with 8 seconds left to make the final score, 74-56. CU was plagued by cold shooting in the second half as they were held to 21% going 7 for 34 from the floor.
Northwest U.’s Jessica Wilkerson led the Eagles with a game high 20 points and registered a double-double by adding 15 rebounds. Sophomore Jessalyn Jackson scored 13 points and grabbed 8 rebounds while teammate Emily Drivstuen scored 12 points. NU shot 42% from the floor and 54.5% from 3-point range.
“I feel this team really deserves it,” commented NU Head Coach Lori Napier following the game. “They’ve put in a lot of hard work in the off season. They all get along as teammates and are focused on one goal. I am proud of them.”
Concordia was led by Danielle Clauson’s 14 points while Rachel Scarpelli added 13 points and 7 rebounds. Sarah Eischen dropped in 10 points and gathered 9 rebounds. CU knocked down 77% of their free throws, hitting 10 of 13 from the charity stripe.