ST. PAUL, Minn. - Wartburg women's basketball remained perfect on the year when it defeated the University of Northwestern 62-41 for its first road victory of the season on Saturday, Jan. 16 inside the Ericksen Center. The Knights now lead the all-time series against Northwestern 3-0. 

The Orange and Black (3-0, 0-0 A-R-C) will return to action on Tuesday, Jan. 19 for a nonconference battle against the University of Dubuque (1-2, 0-0 A-R-C) at 7 p.m. inside Levick Arena. 

After a closely contested first quarter, the Knights went on a 20-5 run in the second and held a comfortable 30-12 lead at halftime. The Eagles battled back in the third period and outscored Wartburg 19-18 as they shot 61.5% from the field and 60% from long range. However, the Knights were able to stop the bleeding in the fourth and go on to win the contest. 

The Orange and Black were led by senior forward Payton Draper and freshman forward Jaedon Murphy who both scored a team-best 11 points. Draper shot 80% from the field and nearly recorded her first double-double of the year when she ripped down a game-high nine rebounds. Senior guard Ally Conrad led all players in assists with five to go along with her five rebounds and nine points. The Knights moved the ball well throughout as 10 of the 12 players recorded a basket in the contest. 

The points in the paint heavily favored Wartburg as the Knights outscored the Eagles 32-16 in the post. The supporting cast for the Orange and Black outmatched Northwestern's bench, as Wartburg held a 27-3 advantage in that category. Defensively, the Knights forced 16 turnovers on seven steals and held the Eagles to 28.1% from the field and 23.8% from 3-point land.