Carthage College defeated Northland College 73-60 Friday evening in the first round of the National Collegiate Athletic Association Division III tournament at Kachel Gym in Williams Center in Whitewater, Wisconsin.  Carthage, 23-4, will face UW-Whitewater in round two this Saturday at 7:00 in Whitewater.  The regional winner will advance to sectional play Friday-Saturday, March 5-6.  Link to UW-Whitewater Championship Central site.

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Northland held an early lead, 8-3, but a 10-0 run by Carthage erased that margin.  The game was tied at 13-13 with 12:41 left in the half, but Carthage led from that point on.  Carthage, the leading field goal shooting team in Division III, shot 59% from the field in the first half, including 7-10 from beyond the arc, in building the lead up to 47-26 just before the half ended with the Lady Red in control 47-28.  

The Lumber Jills cut the margin to 57-43 on a three pointer by senior guard Lindsey Hamm at 14:33, but Carthage responded with a 6-0 spurt to lead 63-43 at 12:55.  Despite the large lead Northland wouldn't go away, pulling back within nine, 69-60 on a pair of free throws by junior forward Laura Fisher with 2:48 left.  Carthage scored the only points the rest of the way.

Carthage cooled off somewhat in the second half, but still managed to shoot 50% from the field.  The Lady Red did not make a three in the second half, missing all six of their attempts, but it didn't matter as Carthage made 14 more field goals than Northland (and took 18 more).  Northland had an advantage at the free throw line, making 16-18 while Carthage attempted just four, making two.  Carthage forced Northland to double up on turnovers, with Carthage committing eight and Northland 17.  

Carthage was led by sophomore forward Diana Jacklin's 20 points, coming on 10-14 shooting from the floor.  Jacklin also was the game's top rebounder with 14.  Senior forward Rosie Dorn added 12 points, and senior guard Heather Gilmore scored 10 and tied for the team high with four assists.  Senior guard Katie Klemke tied Gilmore with four assists and also led Carthage with three steals.

Hamm topped Northland with 14 points, making 4-6 three pointers.  Senior forward Chelsea Lundgren contributed 10 points.  Fisher grabbed eight boards for Northland.

Northland, making its first appearance in the NCAA III tournament, ends the season with an 18-9 record.