FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Louis Groce, Graduate Assistant to the Sports Information Director, 630-637-5568
Box Score
(Jan. 18, 2014) – Leading by just one point, 83-82, with 5:59 remaining in the game, the North Central College women's basketball team used some sharp shooting and stingy defense to close the game on a 28-10 run and blow past the visiting Elmhurst College Bluejays 111-92 at Gregory Arena on Saturday night.
After taking a 49-43 lead into halftime, the Cardinals (9-7, 2-3) stretched their lead to 11 points on a layup by
Bobbi Johns with 18:32 showing in the second half. However, Elmhurst (10-6, 2-3) stormed back and took a brief lead, 81-79, on a bucket by Nikky Moan with 6:51 remaining.
North Central dug in defensively after Moan's basket and didn't surrender a field goal for the next three and a half minutes. On the offensive end,
Marion Boeck and
Maryssa Cladis both canned three-pointers and the Cardinals added a couple free throws to make the score 93-84 with 3:43 to play.
After Karen Senette cut the lead to 93-86 with a layup, the Cardinals responded with another 8-0 run in the next minute on a three-point play by Johns, a trey by
Kimberly Wilson and two free throws by Cladis to put the game out of reach, 101-86 with 2:23 left.
With Elmhurst resorting to fouling to extend the game, North Central calmly knocked down 10 consecutive freebies to end the game. In the second half, the home team shot 7-of-14 from three point range, 19-24 from the charity stripe and scored 26 points off of 18 Bluejay turnovers.
Johns led seven Cardinals in double figures with 16 points, five steals, and six assists, while Wilson tied a career-high with five made from three-point range for 15 points.
Kelsey Cooling and
Larynn Shumaker both chipped in 14 and the Cardinals reached the century mark for the seventh time this season.
Mel Schwedtmann led Elmhurst with 22 points, 17 of which came in the second half. Fiona McMahon posted a double-double with 16 points and 15 boards.
North Central's next outing is Wednesday night when the Cardinals host Illinois Wesleyan University at 7:00 p.m.
