Redemption for Reivers, Defeat Number One Kirkwood

The Reiver women (14-2) handed Division II No. 1 Kirkwood (14-1) their first loss of the season 73-68, avenging their 73-55 loss on Jan. 30.

"It's a huge win, on the road against the number one team in the nation. It was pretty awesome," Reiver women's coach Lindsey Vande Hoef said. "I'm really proud of our girls."

After trailing most of the first half, Iowa Western seized control with a key third-quarter where the Reivers outscored the Eagles 21-15, after trailing by three at halftime. After the first couple possessions, the Reivers established an in the paint presence.

"We didn't start very well in the third quarter in our first few possessions," Vande Hoef said. "But, then we kind of turned it on after that, and made a big momentum swing in that quarter. I was really proud of how the girls executed our game plan."

Iowa Western had 36 points in the paint for the game and 15 second-chance points.

Gabriella Smith helped lead that charge with a double-double of 19 points and 11 rebounds. In addition, Coach Vande Hoef gave kudos to Isnelle Natabou, who added another key 18 points and eight rebounds.

The presence inside proved vital as the Reivers only made four three-pointers. "We were getting the ball to Izzy (Natabou) a lot," Vande Hoef said. "They had a hard time guarding her inside, then Gabby (Smith) also really stepped up and made some big plays. It was really nice to see us all put it together, despite our guards not shooting very well, that's hard to overcome, but it was really exciting to see the girls overcome that."

The Reivers have now won nine straight. Next up for the Reivers is a home game against NJCAA DI McCook. Tip-off is set for 6:00 p.m. The game can be watched here.