Northwestern’s defense has a mission to hold opponents to 30 points or less per game.

If a team successfully carries out that strategy, it ought to win a lot of games, as the Tigers have proved this season.

Opponents have gone over the 30 mark in just six of Northwestern’s 15 games this season, and not surprisingly, the Tigers have won all nine times when they’ve kept teams under 30 points.

The rule played out again Tuesday night when Northwestern pulled away from Salisbury for a 52-24 victory in the Colonial League quarterfinals.

The Tigers (14-1) opened up 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 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 a matter of a few 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 and hit all six of her free throws. As a team, Northwestern continued to do the fundamentals well, going 19-for-23 from the line, while allowing Salisbury (6-9) just nine free throws.

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. She credits her teammates with being able to squeeze passes between the multiple defenders that she 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 coach Chris Deutsch credits his defense with a lot of the success this season, and he’s not the only coach who has recognized how it’s 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. We had to fight for everything we got, and it seemed like every player out there was really good defensively,” said Reichenbach.

WELCOME ... Northwestern is undefeated at home this season, and as the top seed in the Colonial League tournament, was guaranteed home games in the quarterfinals and semifinals. With their win over Salisbury, they now move to the semifinals where they will host Bangor (10-3) tonight. The Tigers downed the Slaters 47-41 in late January. Bangor is the five-seed and defeated fourth-seeded Wilson Tuesday night.

CLOSING IN ... The win over Salisbury moved Northwestern’s Deutsch to 298 wins in his coaching career. If things work out perfectly, his 300th win would come in the Colonial League championship game set for Friday night at Moravian Academy. Deutsch is in his 19th season at the helm of the Tigers.

SALISBURY

Whittman 1-1-2-3, Kubinsky 0-0-0-0, Smarch 0-0-0-0, Koutch 5-0-0-10, Young 1-0-0-2, Aungst 0-0-2-0, Kamp 1-1-5-3, Bonge 3-0-0-6, Ke. Seiler 0-0-0-0, Watson 0-0-0-0, Ka. Seiler 0-0-0-0. TOTALS: 11-2-9-24.

NORTHWESTERN

Betz 1-6-6-8, D. Lister 0-0-0-0, N. Miller 0-0-0-0, A. Lister 4-6-6-14, Miller 0-0-0-0, Jones 0-0-0-0, Ledeboer 2-4-4-8, Fitch 0-0-0-0, Funk 1-0-0-2, Nyce 2-1-1-5, Kirkopoulos 1-0-0-2, Sevrain 5-3-7-13. TOTALS: 16-20-24-52.

Salisbury 6 8 8 2 - 24

Northwestern 12 17 14 9 - 52

Three-pointers: Salisbury - None; Northwestern - None.