Leading by as many as four points in the first half, Northwestern was plagued with foul trouble and allowing offensive rebounds as the host Vikings closed to within one point at 23-22 at the six-minute mark. Bethany Lutheran later put together a 9-0 run to secure a 33-29 halftime advantage.
Trading baskets to start the second half, Northwestern got a defensive stop and back-to-back three-pointers by Aimee Lind (Rib Lake, Wis.) and Luanne Toews (Lustre, Mont.) to tie the score at 37 points a piece with 17 minutes remaining. Four free throws by the Vikings, and a three-point field goal by Jessica Merseth gave them a quick seven point advantage, but the Eagles responded and tied the score at 44-44 at the 13 minute mark. After trading basket-for-basket for a time, Bethany Lutheran began to pull away with five minutes left, leading by eight points at 65-57. Successful free throw shooting down the stretch allowed the Vikings to lock in the victory.
Bethany Lutheran’s Eva Voss (North Mankato, Minn./MN Valley Lutheran) and Jessica Merseth (Mankato, Minn./MN Valley Lutheran) recorded 20 points and 14 points a piece, while Laura Parochka (Mayer, Minn./Watertown-Mayer) added 14 points. Lind led the Eagles with 15 points on 5-of-9 shooting from behind the arc. Jen Adamson (Fargo, N.D./Oak Grove) added 14 points and 9 rebounds, while Katie Tuseth (White Bear Lake, Minn.) pitched in with 13 points and 3 assists.
Northwestern College will next clash with Martin Luther College (Minn.) on Saturday, February 17. The Eagles will face the Knights on the road at 3 p.m.
Northwestern College vs Bethany Lutheran 02/15/07 5:30 pm at Mankato, MN At Mankato, MN BETHANY LUTHERAN 73, NORTHWESTERN COLLEGE 62 NORTHWESTERN COLLEGE (7-16 (5-7)) Lind, Aimee 5-9 0-0 15; Adamson, Jen 5-15 4-6 14; Tuseth, Katie 6-18 0-0 13; Ross, Julie 3-8 2-4 8; Baker, Shelby 1-3 1-2 3; Toews, Luanne 1-3 0-0 3; Doyle, Nikki 1-2 0-0 3; Hendrickson, Kayla 1-1 0-0 2; Nelson, Marcy 0-1 1-2 1; Sir, Kelly 0-5 0-0 0. Totals 23-65 8-14 62. BETHANY LUTHERAN (17-7 (9-4)) Merseth, Jessica 7-14 5-6 20; Voss, Eva 6-21 8-10 20; Parochka, Laura 5-8 1-2 14; Hines, Cali 3-5 0-0 6; Bremer, Leslie 2-5 0-0 4; Kahle, Lindsey 1-4 1-3 4; Olson, Rachel 1-2 0-0 3; Gudahl, Casey 0-6 2-2 2; Erdman, Molly 0-1 0-0 0. Totals 25-66 17-23 73. Northwestern College.......... 29 33 - 62 Bethany Lutheran.............. 33 40 - 73 3-point goals-Northwestern College 8-26 (Lind, Aimee 5-9; Doyle, Nikki 1-2; Toews, Luanne 1-2; Tuseth, Katie 1-6; Nelson, Marcy 0-1; Sir, Kelly 0-3; Adamson, Jen 0-3), Bethany Lutheran 6-16 (Parochka, Laura 3-5; Olson, Rachel 1-1; Kahle, Lindsey 1-3; Merseth, Jessica 1-2; Gudahl, Casey 0-4; Erdman, Molly 0-1). Fouled out--Northwestern College-None, Bethany Lutheran-Merseth, Jessica. Rebounds-Northwestern College 34 (Adamson, Jen 9), Bethany Lutheran 56 (Merseth, Jessica 14; Voss, Eva 14). Assists-Northwestern College 19 (Adamson, Jen 3; Ross, Julie 3; Baker, Shelby 3; Tuseth, Katie 3), Bethany Lutheran 18 (Erdman, Molly 4; Merseth, Jessica 4). Total fouls-Northwestern College 20, Bethany Lutheran 15. A-414