Kansas City, Mo. – The Northern State University women's basketball team tallied their first top-25 victory of the 2017-18 season, defeating No. 3 Harding in the season opener. The Wolves downed the Bison 83-78, improving to 1-0 on the year.
 
Northern took a 17-8 lead right out of the break and led a majority of the game, with their largest lead of 17 points coming with just under eight minutes in the third quarter. The Wolves out-scored the Bison in the Bison in three of the four quarters. The Wolves shot 41.9 percent from the floor, 35.3 percent from the arc, and 86.2 percent from the foul line.
 
NSU tallied 22 points in the paint, 12 points off the bench, 12 points off 18 Bison turnovers, and a game leading 30 points off 18 offensive boards. The Wolves out-rebounded the bison 40-31 in the win, notching 22 defensive boards. They also forced 28 personal fouls which resulted in 25 points from the foul line.
 
Sophomore Jessi Marti led the team with a career high 20 points, shooting at a 46.1 clip. She was followed by Miranda Ristau with 19 points and Brianna Kusler with a career high 16 points of her own. Ristau tallied four rebounds, while Kusler led the team with nine.
 
Jill Conrad and Alexis Tappe rounded out the starters with eight points each in the win. Tappe added a team second best eight rebounds, while leading the team with three assists and four steals. Brynn Flakus and Sara Tvedt led the team off the bench with six points and three rebounds each.
 
Northern returns to action tomorrow at 12 p.m. from Kansas City, against No. 13 Central Missouri.