Duo Leads RedHawks Comeback for 16th Win

Before a capacity crowd on homecoming and senior night, the Lady RedHawks gave the fans a treat and sent them home happy with a hard-fought 77-73, comeback victory over Trinity International (Deerfield, IL). Resilient play and a "refuse to lose" attitude by RedHawks stars Sharon Houston and Nina Wills carried IU Northwest during a key 10-0 second half run that helped the RedHawks regain the lead and momentum that led to their 16th win of the season. A physical and up-tempo style along with full court pressure led to a remarkable 40 turnovers by IU Northwest and injuries to both RedHawks starting guards Juliette Keller and Wills. While Keller left the game minutes before halftime with a hip injury and was unable to return, Wills was able to return from a ankle injury late in the second half to tandem with Houston to help seal the victory.
As Trinity International's pressure forced RedHawk errors, it also led 30 fouls by TIU and 43 free throw attempts by IU Northwest (28-43). IU Northwest led 30-28 at the half before falling behind 49-41 midway through the second half. During the key 10-0 RedHawk run, Wills converted three straight layups going to the basket, two of which resulted in three-point plays and the ankle injury which would force her to miss several minutes late in the second half. During that second half run, Houston and Wills put the RedHawks on their back and took over the game. Houston led all scorers with a game-high 38 points to go along with a season-high 26 rebounds and 6 blocks. Houston was the recipient of several great finds from Wills who finished with 8 assists to go along with her 16 points and 5 steals. "We've seen this happen before when we've been short-handed due to injuries when Sharon and Nina take over the game and simply refuse to lose" said Head Coach Ryan Shelton. "We knew coming into the game that Trinity would be probably the most physical and intense team we have played all year. I credit Coach Stout (Trinity) as very few teams play as hard as her kids, tonight we matched their intensity and effort and with the game on the line our kids seemed to want it more, I couldn't be more proud of them" added Shelton.

While the first 20 minutes was a bit of a defensive battle, fatigue and foulf trouble for both teams open things up a bit as both teams combined 92 points and a flurry of fast break baskets to make for a thrilling finish. Kym Daniels making her third straight start turned her in her third straight strong performance with 9 points and 5 rebounds to go along with strong interior defense. Sophomore guard Juliette Keller added 7 points in just 14 minutes before leaving the game shortly before the half. The extent of Keller's injury was unclear after the game, however the IU Northwest staff didn't seem to believe it was a serious injury that would cause her to miss an extended period of time. Freshman forward Justine Jones played heavy minutes (36) and chipped in 7 points, 8 rebounds and 3 steals.

The win was the third straight win for IU Northwest who improved to 16-10 on the season and have seemed to gained the momentum they lost in a late January skid. The RedHawks shot 51% for the game their third straight game shooting above 50% and were 67% from the line (28-43) and were just 1-6 from 3-point range. Trinity International was led by Lavina Price who had 20 off the bench for TIU including 5-8 from three-point range. IU Northwest returns to action this Friday with a trip to Grand Rapids, MI where they will take on Kuyper College on Friday and Grace Bible on College on Saturday.