Women's Basketball Opens Season With 64-58 Win Over Saint Joseph's

OVERVIEW – ST. JOSEPH'S

SCORE: Northwood 64, St. Joseph's 58

RECORDS: Northwood (1-0), St. Joseph's (0-1)

LOCATION: Riepma Arena – Midland, Mich.

RECAP: Northwood uses big performance from Jordyn Nurenberg in 64-58 season-opening win over Saint Joseph's Saturday afternoon (November 12).

FIRST QUARTER

• Northwood got going early on to the tune of a 7-3 run to open the game.The Timberwolves would eventually pull away and extend their lead to 22-13 by the end of the first ten minutes behind their 44.4% mark behind the arc (4-9). NU also held the Pumas to 33.3 percent from the floor in the quarter (5-15) 

SECOND QUARTER

• The Pumas began the second stanza with a chip on their shoulder. Going on a 9-2 run to begin the period, they cut the lead to 24-22. The score eventually was tied 31-31 at the break.
• The Timberwolves went just 3-13 from the floor in the quarter, while the Pumas went 5-11. 

THIRD QUARTER

• St. Joseph's would build on their momentum to grab the first six of eight point scored in the quarter to go up by four early in the stanza. However, the Timberwolves would battle back and regain a 41-39 lead at the halfway point.
• A 9-0 run out of the media timeout extended the NU lead to 11, but the Pumas again came back with a 9-0 run of their own to cut the lead back to two by the end of the third. Both teams had their best shooting quarter of the day, with the Timberwolves netting 53.8% of their shots (7-13) and Pumas getting 60% of theirs to go down (6-10). 

FOURTH QUARTER

• The final period of regulation continued to remain tight. Opening on a 5-2 run, the Timberwolves held a lead as big as five and kept a 57-53 lead with five minutes to play in regulation. The Timberwolves would make three free throws down the stretch to close out the win.
• NU's defense in the fourth quarter was the key to the win, as the Timberwolves held St. Joseph's to 3-18 from the floor in the quarter (16.7 percent).

GAME STATS

• FG PERCENTAGE: Northwood .377 (23-61), St. Joseph's .352 (19-54)
• 3-PT PERCENTAGE : St. Joseph's .500 (4-8), Northwood .250 (5-20)
• FREE THROW PERCENTAGE: St. Joseph's .889 (16-18), Northwood .619 (13-21)
• REBOUNDS: Northwood 41 (14 offensive), St. Joseph's 37 (9 offensive)
• ASSISTS/TURNOVERS: Northwood 14/11, St. Joseph's 11/16

TOP NU PERFORMERS

• Jordyn Nurenberg: 18 points, 16 rebounds, four blocks
• Maddy Seeley: 13 points, two rebounds, three assists, two steals
• Lindsay Orwat: 11 points, six rebounds, two steals
• Ashley Campbell: Nine points, six assists

NORTHWOOD NOTES

• Northwood outscored St. Joseph's in the paint (36-24), off of turnovers (18-12), second chance points (9-8) and off of the fast break (4-0).
• The Timberwolves have beaten the Pumas in nine straight games – all of which have been coached by Jeff Curtis. NU was 2-4 against Saint Joseph's prior to Curtis' arrival. 

UP NEXT

• The Timberwolves will continue the GLIAC/GLVC Challenge against Wisconsin-Parkside Sunday (November 13). Game time is set for 1 p.m.