KIRKLAND – Northwest fought off a late surge by Lewis & Clark State to open the women's basketball season with a 69-61 win Saturday.
 
The Eagles led by as many as 10 points in the first half and went to the intermission with a 39-30 lead.
 
Livi Lindsey and Maya DuChesne had three-pointers, and Andie Kristinat scored on a jumper during an 8-0 run to give NU a 47-31 lead with 6:44 showing on the third-quarter clock.
 
Northwest failed to score in the final 4:24 of the third quarter, and the Pioneers closed to within 51-42 heading into the final frame.
 
Both teams struggled offensively to start the fourth quarter, with Kim Weden breaking through on a layup with 7:47 to go for a 53-42 Eagle lead.
 
LCC pulled to within six with 51 seconds left, but NU's defense stifled the Pioneers from there.
 
Thirteen Eagles played in the game with four reaching double figures in the scoring column. Kristinat led NU with 17 points, followed by Kim Weden with 13, Lindsey with 12, and DuChesne with 10. DuChesne also had four assists. 
 
"That was a great team effort," said NU Head Coach Ken Crawford. "Lewis & Clark played physical and made us earn the win today, and that's all you can ask. We've got a lot of room for improvement, but it's going to be an exciting season."
 
NU edged LCC in rebounds, 41-40, with Kristinat, Lindsey, DuChesne, and Weden getting five each. 
 
Lindsey had five steals to put her over 100 to 104, making her just the seventh player in program history to record triple-digit steals for a career. The school record is 117.
 
Northwest hosts the Northwest Classic next weekend with games Friday at 7:30 p.m. against Montana State-Northern and Saturday at 7 p.m. against Providence. Evergreen State also visits for the weekend.