North Central College Cardinals

Contact: Drew Sauer, Assistant Sports Information Director, 630-637-5324

Box Score

Nov. 21, 2015 – Despite holding a seven-point fourth quarter lead, the North Central College women's basketball team was unable to upend 13^th-ranked Maryville College in the 2015 Tip-Off Tournament championship, as the Cardinals were outscored 13-7 over the final four minutes to fall 87-85.
 
Trailing nearly the entire contest, the Cardinals fought off multiple Maryville attempts to put the contest out of reach and trailed by just four heading into the fourth quarter. 
 
The Cardinal offense came alive in the fourth, opening the final frame on a 13-2 run to finally overcome the Scot lead to take its second and largest lead of the contest, a 74-67 lead with 6:26 to play in the contest.  The North Central run was highlighted by a pair of three-pointers from Anita Sterling, while Mayson Whipple capped the run with a long ball of her own.
 
That lead would not last long however, as a three-pointer from tournament Most Valuable Player Mindy Brackins cut the lead 74-70 on the Scots next possession.  Maryville carried that momentum the rest of the contest, scoring 17 of the final 28 points of the game over the final five and a half minutes.  North Central finished just 2-of-10 from the field with a pair of turnovers over that span.
 
Sterling paced the Cardinal offense for the second straight game, finishing with 17 points of 4-of-9 shooting from three-point range to earn All-Tournament team honors.  Paula Zerante also earned All-Tournament team honors, finishing with 14 points, while leading the team with seven rebounds, seven assists and four steals. 
 
Brackins finished with a game-high 30 points, shooting 11-of-18 from the field, including 6-of-10 from long range to earn tournament MVP.  Mackenzie Puckett also finished in double-figures for the Scots to earn All-Tournament team accolades, adding 17 points to go along with a team-high seven assists and three blocked shots.
 
North Central heads West to the Colorado College Thanksgiving Classic, Nov. 27-28 as the Cardinals take on Augsburg College on Friday at 1 p.m., followed by the host Tigers on Saturday at 3 p.m.  Links to live in-game statistics and video are available HERE.