March 17, 2008

SIOUX CITY, Iowa. - Northwestern (Iowa) used long distance precision to take down Morningside (Iowa), 93-69 in the semifinals of the17^th annual NAIA Division II Women's Basketball National Championship at the Tyson Events Center/Gateway Arena in Sioux City, Iowa.

Northwestern (34-2) rode the three-point shooting precision of seniors Debbie Remmerde and Amy Larson to a large first half lead and never looked back. Remmerde connected on 7-of-10 from long range while Larson hit on 5-of-8 from deep to always keep the Mustangs at bay.

Morningside (33-4) could not find an offensive rhythm as Northwestern press break led to multiple easy buckets for the Red Raiders. The lone bright spot on offense for Morningside was junior Dani Gass who scored 25 points, 17 of which came in the second half.

Remmerde led all scorers with 30 points while Larsen finished with 25. Senior Miranda Boekhout added 15 points while making 7-of-8 free throws for the Red Raiders.

Gass led the Morningside offense while Autumn Bartel added 15 points. Laura Nelson contributed with 11 points off the bench for the Mustangs.

Northwestern advances to the finals to take on the College of the Ozarks (Mo.) at 6:30 p.m. on Tuesday. This is the Red Raiders first appearance in the finals since 2001 when they defeated the College of Idaho 77-50.