After a strong showing at home, Northwest College women’s basketball went back out on the road this past weekend to take part in the Miles Community College Classic on Friday and Saturday, losing to United Tribes Technical College 74-71 on Friday before defeating hosts MCC 62-51 on Saturday.

UNITED TRIBES 74, NORTHWEST 71

Kicking off the action on Friday the Trappers (8-2) went to battle with the Thunderbirds (2-8) with the hopes of extending their winning streak to four games.

A strong start gave Northwest an early boost, holding a 6-0 lead before United Tribes scored.

The rest of the first quarter was a battle, with Natalyah Nead beating the buzzer to tie the score at 15 heading into the second quarter.

Both teams continued to battle in the second quarter, with neither team able to create separation by more than a possession with the Thunderbirds taking a narrow 33-31 lead into the half.

A quick scoring outburst pushed the lead out to eight for United Tribes, before Northwest again closed the game down to one possession, trailing 47-45 heading into the fourth quarter.

Northwest regained the lead in the fourth quarter 55-53 with 6:46 remaining and held the lead for nearly three minutes before the Thunderbirds regained it 61-59.

Another late push helped United Tribes take the lead 70-61, before a strong push by Northwest cut down the final score to 74-71.

Northwest was unable to stop Myona Dauphinais, who finished with 32 points for the Thunderbirds.

“Our girls need to get better at executing scouts and understanding that if we put something on the scout we need to execute it,” coach Lauren Davis said.

Nead and Roxanne Rogers led the Trappers with 20 points each, while Darla Hernandez finished with 15.

The bad news coming out of the contest for Northwest was the loss of Hernandez to a late knee injury, which kept her out of Saturday’s contest.

NORTHWEST 62, MILES CC 51

With Hernandez out against MCC (4-6), the Trappers opened Saturday just like Friday, as the game remained a battle early with the game tied at 15 heading into the second quarter.

The Pioneers took advantage of the free throw line, making five in the second quarter to help take a 29-23 lead into the locker room.

Northwest regained the lead at the end of the third quarter on a Jimena Montoro-Cabezas bucket, outscoring MCC 13-5 in the third quarter to take a slim 36-34 lead into the final frame.

The Trappers never relinquished the lead in the fourth quarter, and six Nayeli Acosta free throws in the last minute helped seal the win 62-51.

“The win was huge for us,” Davis said. “We had a big talk on Friday, Central (Wyoming) went and beat United Tribes on Saturday. We talked about that, you have to respect every opponent and you are getting everybody’s best effort as everybody should be getting ours. We are working on how to prepare the right ways.”

Montoro-Cabezas led the Trappers with 17, followed by Acosta with 14, Rogers with 13 and Kamber Goodluck with 10 after being inserted into the starting lineup.

LONG ROAD TRIP

Northwest continues its road trip this weekend, heading down to Salt Lake City to take part in the Salt Lake Community College Bruin Classic.

The weekend kicks off today (Thursday) against the All-Stars at 3 p.m.

Northwest then gets a strong early season test against hosts, No. 14 ranked SLCC (6-0).

“We are preparing mentally, that’s the biggest thing,” Davis said. “We are trying to keep everybody healthy, and doing the right things after the games to make sure their bodies feel good.”

The Trappers then get another matchup against Colorado Northwestern Community College (2-5) who Northwest defeated 81-67 at the Central Wyoming College tournament three weeks ago.

Davis will hope to get more production out of her bench, with Anna Knight being the only player off the bench to score in Montana after contributing three points over both days.

“That is a thing we have been working on,” Davis said. “Coming off the bench and understanding your role and being able to contribute.”

After being injured Friday, Hernandez and the team had good news Saturday as her scans turned up negative and did not show significant damage.

“She landed weird on her knee, we got it looked at and the MRI is clean,” Davis said. “There’s some swelling, soreness and stiffness. We are going to rehab her knee the best we can. There is no set date, she could return this weekend. If not, I would rather have her healthy long-term than throwing her back in when it’s sore.” 

UNITED TRIBES 74, NORTHWEST 71

Offensive rebounds in ()

Points — Natalyah Nead 20, Roxanne Rogers 20, Darla Hernandez 15, Nayeli Acosta 8, Jimena Montoro-Cabezas 7, Anna Knight 1

Rebounds — Natalyah Nead 6 (2), Jimena Montoro-Cabezas 6 (2), Roxanne Rogers 5 (3), Darla Hernandez 5 (1), Nayeli Acosta 4, Kamber Goodluck 2 (1), Anna Knight 1 (1)

Assists — Roxanne Rogers 2, Jimena Montoro-Cabezas 2, Darla Hernandez 2, Nayeli Acosta 1, Kamber Goodluck 1

Steals — Roxanne Rogers 2, Kamber Goodluck 2, Jimena Montoro-Cabezas 1, Nayeli Acosta 1, Darla Hernandez 1

NORTHWEST 62, MILES CC 51

Points — Jimena Montoro-Cabezas 17, Nayeli Acosta 14, Roxanne Rogers 13, Kamber Goodluck 10, Natalyah Nead 6, Anna Knight 2

Rebounds — Nayeli Acosta 7, Anna Knight 7 (3), Natalyah Nead 4, Roxanne Rogers 4 (1), Jimena Montoro-Cabezas 3, Batoul Khaleefah 1

Assists — Roxanne Rogers 2, Jimena Montoro-Cabezas 1, Nayeli Acosta 1, Anna Knight 1

Steals — Roxanne Rogers 5, Nayeli Acosta 3, Natalyah Nead 2, Jimena Montoro-Cabezas 2, Kamber Goodluck 2, Batoul Khaleefah 2

Blocks — Natalyah Nead 1