MONMOUTH, Ore. – Northwest Nazarene women's basketball was able to hold on late against a feisty Western Oregon side on Saturday, taking a 64-63 victory over the Wolves.
How It Happened
NNU and WOU went back and forth over the first quarter, with neither team leading by more than four as the Nighthawks took a 15-14 lead.
The Nighthawks went on a run to open the second, taking an eight-point lead on a
Teagan Thurman jumper with 7:31 on the clock. The Wolves would go on an 11-1 run to close the half, though, taking a 34-31 lead into the break.
WOU continued that run into the second half, taking a 41-31 advantage at the 8:18 mark after an 18-1 run in total. NNU fought back before the end of the third, however, cutting the deficit down to four, 50-46, on a
Lydia Nieto triple at the buzzer.
An Ashlyn Sylve jumper and
Nyalam Thabach layup quickly tied the score at 50 early in the fourth, and NNU would eventually take the lead and build it to six, 60-54, on a Thurman jumper with 5:53 to play.
The Wolves would not go away, though, fighting back to tie the game at 62 with 64 seconds remaining and then take a one-point lead on a free throw with 31 ticks on the clock. Thurman would come up huge for NNU, draining a jumper with 13 seconds left to put the Nighthawks in front for good.
Nighthawks Notes
- NNU improves to 15-8 and 9-6 in GNAC play, completing the season sweep of the Wolves.
- NNU has now defeated WOU nine times in a row, dating back to the 2016-17 season.
- Thurman and Nieto each finished with 12 points to lead the Nighthawks in scoring, with Thurman adding nine rebounds and Nieto five boards.
- Jordan Pinson was also in double figures with 10 points, while Cami Knishka dished out six assists.
- Thabach was close to a double-double with nine points and seven boards, while Emma Clark notched four steals.
- NNU had a big advantage from deep, shooting 53% with eight made triples compared to 25% for WOU.
- The Nighthawks also tallied 14 steals while the Wolves had eight.
Next Up
The Nighthawks will wrap up their four-game road trip in Bellingham on Monday, visiting the No. 11 Western Washington Vikings.
