KIRKLAND – Northwest got 2020 off on the right foot Friday with a come-from-behind 68-57 win over Dickinson State in the NU Holiday Classic.
 
Sam Van Loo scored 21 points and added six rebounds for the Eagles. Andie Kristinat scored 13 points and added five rebounds. Ellesse Fitzgerald, Maya DuChesne, and Livi Lindsey scored eight points each, with DuChesne adding a team-leading seven rebounds.
 
"It was a good win tonight for the Lady Eagles," said NU Head Coach Ken Crawford. "We are learning how to keep focus and concentration for an entire game, and we needed that tonight as the game was close throughout. We go against Vancouver Island University tomorrow and hopefully take another step forward as we head into league play."
The Eagles trailed by as many as 11 points in the second quarter but narrowed the lead to 35-32 at halftime.
Kristinat and Lindsey scored the last four points of the third quarter to send the Eagles into the final frame with a 54-50 edge.
 
The Blue Hawks cut the lead to one point early in the quarter before Kristinat buried a three-pointer, and DuChesne added two baskets in a 9-0 run to build the lead to 60-50 with 5:18 to play.
 
Van Loo scored with 1:51 to play for a 66-52 lead--the largest margin for the Eagles on the night.
 
The Eagles improved to 3-10 and host Vancouver Island Saturday at 7 p.m.