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Contact: Mark Albanese, Assistant Sports Information Director, 630-637-5302
Box Score

Nov. 24, 2009 -- An 8-0 run late in the first half was all that the North Central College women's basketball team would need to dispense local rival Benedictine University, 71-61, in a non-conference game at Gregory Arena. Three Cardinals ended the night in double figures highlighted by Jackie Errico's first double-double of the season.

North Central got off to a sluggish start that saw the visiting Eagles post 10 of the game's first 12 points. Undeterred, the Cardinals recorded the next seven points and would eventually tie the game at 21 apiece with 8:36 left in the first half, before mounting a 13-3 run that included a stretch of eight straight points. North Central entered the locker room at half up 37-32 with Errico already in double figures after scoring 16 points in the opening frame.

The Cardinals maintained a double-digit advantage for most of the second half, leading by as many as 15 points before settling on the final 10-point margin.

Errico finished the night with a career-high 24 points along with 13 rebounds while Christine Karl chipped in 21 points after shooting nine-for-17 from the floor. Latrice Newson finished one board shy of a double-double, scoring 13 points while leading the team with four assists and five steals.

Karyn Conerty paced Benedictine with 13 points with Tracey Walsh and Monika Krozel each scoring 12.

The Cardinals put on an impressive performance from the free throw line, sinking 19 of their 22 attempts (86.4 percent) while limiting the Eagles to just 14 attempts from the charity stripe.

North Central has now defeated Benedictine the last four times the game has been played inside Gregory Arena, improving to 2-1 overall on the season while Benedictine falls to 2-2. The Cardinals conclude their four-game homestand on Saturday, November 28, welcoming non-conference foe Saint Mary's College (Ind.) to Gregory Arena with tip-off slated for 5 p.m.