{gallery}11_04_10/nwcbball{/gallery}Sophomore Megan Smith reaches for the ball during the Trappers' season-opening victory against Williston State College on Monday. The Trappers resume their season in Gillette against Colorado Northwestern this Friday afternoon. Tribune photo by Randal Horobik NWC goes wire-to-wire against Williston state One season after suffering a broken leg, Mckenzie Garrett returned to Ken Rochlitz Court, netting team highs of 20 points and four steals to go along with seven rebounds as the Northwest College Trappers scored a 73-59 women's basketball victory over Williston State College. As far as first games go, Trapper head coach Janis Beal couldn't have asked for much more. Northwest led wire-to-wire in its season opener. After holding Williston scoreless for a 4:30 stretch of the first half, during which time the Trappers pushed a 12-8 lead into a 22-8 advantage, NWC's lead was never out of double digits.

“It was nice to come out and take control,” Beal said of the win. “It really started at the defensive end. We were in position and hustling and getting tips and getting to the loose balls.”

Northwest weathered an early spate of fouls — Williston entered the bonus with more than 14 minutes left to play in the first half — but then settled down. The Trappers actually wound up out-shooting Williston from the foul line in the first half and showcased some of the same deadly accuracy that ranked the school among the nation's leaders in team free throw percentage last season.

The result was a 39-26 halftime lead.

Northwest pushed that margin to 20 points and appeared on the verge of elevating matters to blowout status. The game never got there, however. The visiting Tetons scored seven straight points in response and the Trappers' lead bounced between 10 and 18 points for the remainder of the night.

Helping prevent Williston from ever making a serious charge at the NWC lead was a Trapper defense that produced 14 steals and forced a total of 37 turnovers in the game. Northwest was also 14-for-16 at the foul line in the second half and finished the game shooting nearly 77 percent from the stripe.

“It was good to see that many steals in the first game,” Beal said. “There were times in the second half where we lost some of that intensity, but I was pleased with the way we created turnovers and, despite the fouls, I was pleased with how physical we played.”

In addition to Garrett's leading night, the Trappers received 14 points from Megan Smith. Jessica Fisher had 10 points and 10 rebounds for Northwest. The Trappers held a 51-40 advantage on the rebounding glass.

Tarryn Macpherson paced Williston with 18 points. Toni Johnson kicked in 10 for the Tetons, who were similarly opening their 2010-2011 season.

Despite the win, the Trappers won't have far to look for areas of improvement. The team shot less than 36 percent from the floor and misfired on all but two of its 13 3-point attempts. The Trappers were also guilty of 33 turnovers of their own.

Northwest College hits the road this weekend, making an appearance at the Gillette College Tournament. The Trappers play Colorado Northwestern in a 1 p.m. Friday opener. The team faces Dawson Community College at 1 p.m. on Saturday.

The Trappers' next home game will come on Nov. 20 when the squad plays the Northwest All-Stars.

NWC scoring —Butler 2, Goodman 9, Ryan 5, Smith 14, Garrett 20, Duran 2, Fisher 10, de Souza 5, Santos 6, Carrizales 0, Otineru 0.