ST PAUL, Minn. - The Luther College women's basketball team picked up its first win of the season Saturday afternoon, defeating Northwestern-St. Paul 65-56 at the Ericksen Center.
The Norse got off to a strong start, taking a 20-19 lead after the opening quarter. Northwestern-St. Paul responded in the second quarter, outscoring Luther 14-8 to take a 33-28 advantage into halftime.
Luther battled back in the third quarter, putting together an 18-point period to pull within one, 47-46, heading into the fourth. The Norse took control early in the final quarter, with Abby Anderson's basket giving Luther a 48-47 lead. Luther continued to build momentum, using a pair of three-pointers from Lexi Thomas to extend its advantage to 59-52 with 4:20 remaining.
The Norse maintained their lead down the stretch, closing out the 65-56 victory while holding Northwestern-St. Paul to just nine points in the fourth quarter.
Thomas led Luther with 15 points, including three three-pointers, and added nine rebounds. Haylie Strum finished with 13 points, five rebounds and four assists, while Anderson added 12 points. Adalyn Long also reached double figures with 11 points, and Abigail Panka contributed five points, six rebounds and five assists.
Luther shot 44.9% from the field and out rebounded Northwestern-St. Paul 34-28. The Norse also held the Eagles to 21.1% shooting in the fourth quarter.
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Up next Luther will come home to Gerdin to take on Martin Luther College on Monday Nov. 16th at 7 p.m..
