GARY, Ind. – Behind six in double figures, the Indiana University Northwest women's basketball team defeated Olivet Nazarene 89-73 Friday to punch its ticket to the CCAC Championship game and the NAIA National Tournament for first time since 2019.
 
The RedHawks are now 24-6 and travel to IU South Bend 7 p.m. eastern Monday for the chance to claim the postseason crown.   
 
IUN was down nine with 3:44 left in the opening quarter but following a Sarah Martin bunny the RedHawks found an offensive rhythm and got the deficit down to three (22-19) at the end of the period.
 
Less than a minute into the second stanza, Karli Miller scored inside the paint to give IUN its first lead of the evening and the RedHawks would hold the advantage for the remainder of the game. IUN would eventually go up by 26 after Emma Schmidt drained a bomb with 4:54 left in the contest.
 
"One of our points of emphasis for the game was to stay aggressive to take advantage of all of ONU's defensive pressure," head coach Jesse Ford said. "We really handled their press cleanly and were able to compose ourselves to find the perfect shots in transition."
 
Martin finished the game with a team-best 22 points, while Michaela Schmidt, Alyna Santiago, Tiara Jackson, along with Miller and Schmidt combined to drop 65 points. Jackson also finished with 15 rebounds and her 21 double-double.
 
-18 IUN turnovers only 11 came over the final three quarters
-Chance for the RedHawks to claim a conference championship for the first time since 2012
-Third meeting with IUSB during the 2022-23 season