Highlight reels are full of long range three-pointers and players working through a jam of defenders to pick up a key basket. The Northwestern Lehigh highlight reel would be slightly different. It would contain an entire section of big defensive plays and that’s just how the Tigers like it.

Defensively, Northwestern Lehigh is on a mission to hold opponents to 30 points or less per game. Any team that successfully carries out that strategy will win a lot of games and Northwestern has proved that this season.

The Tigers’ opponents have gone over the 30-point mark in just six of the Lady Tigers’ 15 games this season with Northwestern winning all nine games where it has kept teams under 30 points. The rule played out again Tuesday night when Northwestern pulled away from Salisbury for a 52-24 win over the Lady Falcons, holding Salisbury to just two fourth quarter points.

The Lady Tigers (14-1) opened an early 10-2 lead and didn’t look back from there. By the end of the first half, thanks in part to a 10-0 run, Northwestern Lehigh held a 29-14 advantage at halftime. Playing a big part in the run was one of the smallest players on the court, Northwestern senior Kate Betz. Coming off the bench, Betz helped put the Falcons into foul trouble by picking up three fouls in the matter of a couple minutes and nailed all six of her free throws to add insult to injury.

Betz is a perfect fit for Northwestern’s scheme since her forte is playing defense. Her eight points on the night were a season-high for the Marywood recruit, who will study to become a physician assistant.

“I’ve always been an aggressive player, so I try to get in there and get my hands on the ball,” said Betz. “I’m more of a defensive player than an offensive player, so I’m more of a behind-the-scenes player. Defense is my favorite part of the game and I love that role.”

Another senior, Ali Lister, quietly put up 14 points against Salisbury and hit all six of her free throws. As a team, Northwestern continued to do the fundamentals well, including going 19-for-23 from the foul line, while allowing Salisbury (6-9) to go to the line just six times in the game. Paige Sevrain finished with 13 points, while Betz and Tess Ledeboer both scored eight points for Northwestern. Melena Koutch led Salisbury with 10 points.

Sevrain is leading the team in scoring with just under 14 points per game this season. She credits her teammates with being able to squeeze passes between the multiple defenders that Sevrain usually draws.

“I think that as a team right now, we’re all playing really well,” Sevrain said. “I’m used to getting a lot of attention from the other team’s defenders and I can still get points because my teammates are good with getting the ball to me and giving me opportunities. Defensively, we’ve really gotten better throughout the season and that’s been a big key for us.”

Northwestern head coach Chris Deutsch credits the defense with a lot of the success this season and he’s not the only coach that has recognized how the defense has developed as the season has progressed. Salisbury coach Dan Reichenbach, whose team lost to Northwestern 43-35 earlier in the year, came away impressed.

“We were down by just four late in that game but tonight, their defense didn’t give us an inch,” said Reichenbach. “We had to fight for everything we got, and it seemed like every player out there was really good defensively.”

As for Deutsch, his career record as a coach now stands at 298-152. In a perfect world, win number 300 will come in the Colonial League championship game Friday night. If the lady Tigers beat Bangor in the semifinals, they would face either Notre Dame (Green Pond) or Palmerton at Moravian Academy for the championship on Friday. A rematch with Notre Dame would also give Northwestern Lehigh to get a little revenge against the Crusaders, who handed Northwestern its only loss of the season on February 4.