Slow Start No Match for Fast Finish as Reivers Top Northeast

Norfolk, Nebraska

A sluggish start gave way to an avalanche of offense for Iowa Western Women's basketball Wednesday night against rival Northeast.

The Hawks (3-2) and Reivers (4-1) have slugged it out in recent years for the right to represent Region XI in the District Championship.  For one quarter it appeared that the story would play out much the same as in past years, with a knock-down-drag-out fight.

The home squad got off to a decent start, forcing six Reiver turnovers to take a 17-13 lead through one.  Gabriella Smith, on the way to another double-double performance, scored five points and grabbed four rebounds in the opening stanza.

Quarter number two played out entirely different however as the Reivers shot nearly 60% from the field while erasing the deficit and more than doubling their first-quarter output.  Isnelle Natabou led the way with nine points and five rebounds in the period, while Hayley Berfield hit two big threes as part of an eight-point quarter.  

"Really excited to see some big plays from Isnelle", said Head Coach Lindsey Vande Hoef, "her play was a BIG momentum swing for us in that 2nd quarter."

Berfield added eight more in the third and capped her night with six more in the fourth.  The sophomore finished 8-14 from the floor including a blistering 6-9 from beyond the arc to lead all scorers with 22 points, dishing out seven assists in the process. 

Vande Hoef added, "I am really proud of the team effort, we really shared the ball and played some solid team basketball." 

Smith had 21 points and 11 boards for her second straight double-double.  Geassy Germano had 15 while Natabou finished with 11 points in her most impressive performance yet as a Reiver.

Overall the Reivers shot 48% from three (12-25) and 54.2% overall in picking up their fourth win of the season.  The Reivers 'd' also held the Hawks to just a 3-19 performance from three and forced 21 turnovers. 

The Reivers will play the second of three straight on the road when they travel to Mason City on Saturday to face North Iowa Area.  The game with the Trojans is scheduled to tip at 1:00 pm as part of a double-header of hoops with the NIACC and Iowa Western men.

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