LINCOLN, Neb. - The Wartburg women's basketball team opened its 2021 American Rivers Conference schedule on Saturday, Jan. 30 with a decisive 79-45 victory at Nebraska Wesleyan University.

The Knights (5-0, 1-0 A-R-C) remained unbeaten while shooting 30-71 from the field and 13-36 from beyond the arc. Wartburg limited NWU to just 13 points in the first 20 minutes and forced 27 turnovers.

A collective effort paced the Knights' offense, with senior forward and Waverly native Payton Draper leading with 14 points off 5-6 shooting. Ally Conrad and Sara Faber followed with 11 points each, while Bailey Naig tallied a game-high and tied a career-high with nine rebounds off the bench.

Wartburg kept the Prairie Wolves off the board in the first 10 minutes, leading 10-0 heading into the second frame. The Knights then shot 50 percent in each of the final three quarters to maintain a significant lead throughout. 

A three-pointer from Hannah Anderson in the final minute of the second period granted the Knights their largest lead of the first half at 31-13, where the score stood at the break.

In the second half, the Orange & Black notched 24 points each in the third and fourth quarters while limiting NWU to 32 points. Wartburg tied a season-high with 13 steals and generated 26 points off the home team's turnovers. Nearly half of Wartburg's points came from its bench as well, with 34 points tallied by the Knights' reserves.

Wartburg next schedule game versus Luther College on Jan. 27 was postponed due to health and safety reasons. In place of the postponed contest on Jan. 27, the Knights will host a nonconference game against Iowa Wesleyan University at 6:15 p.m. inside Levick Arena.