NAMPA, Idaho – Northwest Nazarene women's basketball built an early lead and held off a Saint Martin's late charge to come away with a 78-65 win over the Saints on Saturday night.
How It Happened
- The Nighthawks started hot, scoring 27 points in the first quarter to take a 13-point lead, 27-14.
- The lead grew to as much as 20 during the second quarter, but the Saints chipped away a little before the break to bring it back down to 13, 42-29.
- Saint Martin's made a run, cutting the deficit down to nine after the third quarter and as close as seven with 2:50 to play in the fourth, but the Nighthawks stood strong and went 8-8 from the free throw line the rest of the way to secure the win.
Nighthawks Notes
- NNU improves to 11-4 on the year and 5-2 in GNAC play with their seventh win in the last eight games.
- The Nighthawks are now tied with Montana State Billings for second in the conference standings, trailing just Western Washington at 4-1 in the GNAC.
- Erin Jenkins led the Nighthawks for the second-straight game, notching another 20-point effort with 23 points, four rebounds, and five assists.
- Nyalam Thabach also tallied 20 points along with six boards and two steals.
- Jordan Pinson added 13 points and six assists, while Cami Knishka finished with 10 points.
- NNU almost shot 50% in the game, finishing at 46.3% from the field.
- The Nighthawks were also very strong from the free throw line, converting on 23 of 27 attempts for a rate of 85.2%.
- NNU led for almost the entire game at 95%, only trailing for one minute early in the first quarter.
- The Nighthawks' bench outscored the Saints' bench 22-6.
- The game served as the Kerri (Locke) Van de Wetering Memorial game, honoring the former women's basketball player's life and legacy with a new scholarship to benefit NNU women's basketball.
Next Up
The Nighthawks will head out on the road for the next two weeks, starting with a trip to Central Washington next Saturday.
