NAMPA, Idaho – An aggressive defensive attack and efficient shooting led Northwest Nazarene to a 76-51 win over The College of Idaho on Wednesday in the Johnson Sports Center.
The Nighthawks (3-4) applied pressure for the full 40 minutes to finish with 20 steals on the defensive end, with NNU knocking down 25-of-54 (46 percent) of their shots from the field and 5-of-12 (42 percent) from beyond the arc on the other side of the floor.
In the early going, NNU built a 22-10 lead after the first quarter of play, with the Yotes (4-10) responding to the early deficit by hitting their first four shot attempts of the second to tighten the margin and stick around.
Senior guard
Kate Renfro started the run by knocking down a 3-pointer 11 seconds into the second, followed by baskets on back-to-back possessions from
Emma Anderson and
Kaylee Krusemark. A pair of Krusemark free throws with 7:10 before the break made it 26-19 NNU, with a
Kenadee French jumper with 5:42 on the clock continuing the stretch of made field goals for C of I in the quarter and holding the score in reach at 30-21.
For the rest of the half, the Nighthawks would go on a 13-5 stretch to bring a 43-26 lead into the locker room.
C of I made a push again to start the second half, rattling off a 6-0 rally to make it 43-32 before NNU built some separation with a 14-0 run in response.
Lexi Mitchell led the Yotes in scoring with 13 points on 4-of-9 shooting from the floor, adding two rebounds, two assists and two steals.
Kate Renfro connected on two 3-pointers to finish with seven points and four assists.
Inside players
Emma Anderson and
Mattie Creager were each efficient on the offensive end. Anderson went 3-of-4 from the field with six points and two rebounds, while Creager finished 3-of-3 with six points and three rebounds.
Tayla Sayer led the team with eight rebounds to go along with four assists.
The Yotes won the battle on the glass 37-34 and shot 18-of-50 (36 percent) on the night.
C of I rounds out the week on Saturday at home against Lewis-Clark State, with tip time scheduled for 7 p.m.
