WOLVES HOLD ON TO DEFEAT NORTHWEST MISSOURI STATE

Nov. 23, 2001

Northern State led by as many as 18 points in the second half but had to stave off a late rally to defeat Northwest Missouri State 67-63 Friday in the Metro State Roadrunner Classic in Denver, Colo.

Northern (2-1) handed NMS (2-1) its first loss of the season thanks in large part to a big first half. The Wolves shot 52 percent in the stanza and built a 46-36 lead going into halftime.

After starting off the same way in the second half, the team went cold down the stretch. Senior guard Sara Hemquist (Baxter, Minn.) iced the game with a free-throw that put the Wolves up four with seven seconds remaining. Senior guard Holly Schaunaman (Leola) had her best showing of the young season, scoring a game-high 16 points to go with six rebounds, five assists and two steals. Sophomore guard Carin Rambow (Litchfield, Minn.) scored 13 points and grabbed a career-high nine rebounds. Junior post Tia Michalski (Willow Lake) added 12 points, seven boards and three blocks. Rounding out NSU's double-digit scorers was redshirt freshman Natalie Hopkins (St. Louis Park, Minn.), who chipped in 11 points to go with eight rebounds.

Northern faces host team Metro State Saturday at 4 p.m.