Monday, December 17, 2012

PORTLAND, Ore. - Not to be outdone by its men's team, Northwest Nazarene's women's basketball team had a pair of dominating performances in posting two victories last weekend in the Saint Martin's University Classic.

The Crusaders defeated Dominican (Calif.) 80-45, then cruised past Simpson (Calif.) 95-55.  The two wins enabled NNU (8-2 overall) to complete its non-conference schedule with a perfect 8-0 record. 

It also earned them GNAC Team of the Week honors, the same honor the NNU men's team received last week.

Forward Megan Hingston keyed the two victories, scoring 43 points and grabbing 21 rebounds.  She was an honorable mention selection for GNAC Red Lion Player of the Week honors.

Hingston currently ranks second in the GNAC in scoring (18.0 points per game) and fourth in rebounding (8.2).  Guard Chelsie Luke had 36 points and five steals in the two contests and is now fifth in the GNAC in scoring, averaging 15.3 points per game.

Team-wise, the Crusaders rank second in the conference in scoring (73.4) and are third in scoring margin (10.8).

With the non-conference portion of its schedule completed, coach Kelli Lindley's team will now concentrate on preparing for the rest of its conference campaign.  The next game for NNU is Jan. 5 when it hosts Central Washington.