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

Box Score

HONOLULU, Hawaii (Dec. 20, 2016) – Earning its second win in as many days, the North Central College women's basketball team came back from a 11-point fourth-quarter deficit to defeat Occidental College, 82-78, finishing 2-0 at the Hoops in Hawaii Holiday Classic.
 
Just like last night's game, North Central came out hot in the first quarter, holding a 32-20 lead after the opening 10 minutes, as the Cardinals connected on five three-pointers in the quarter including two off the hand of Miranda Grizaffi.
 
The North Central offense then went dormant over the next two and a half quarters as the Cardinals found themselves railing by 11 points with just 5:40 to play in the contest. 
 
A pair of free throws followed by a three-pointer two possessions later from Siarra O'Neil jumpstarted the Cardinal offense, trimming the Occidental lead 72-66 with just over five minutes on the clock.
 
After a Tiger jumper, back-to-back threes from Anita Sterling and Grizaffi suddenly cut the Occidental lead to just two with three minutes remaining.
 
Still trailing by four, 76-72 with two and a half minutes remaining, Mayson Whipple took over the Cardinal offense, slashing the Tiger lead to just one with a long ball before a pair of free throws and a three-pointer from Shannon Ryan, assisted by Whipple, turned the tables and gave the Cardinals a 80-78 advantage with just a minute remaining.
 
Whipple then capped the win with another pair of free throws down the stretch, finishing a perfect 10-for-10 from the line, ranking second on the program's single-game list.  Whipple led the team with 15 points and five assists, while Sterling also finished in double figures with 11 points and five rebounds off the bench.
 
North Central takes part in the Roosevelt University Classic beginning on Wednesday, Dec. 28, taking on the host Lakers at 7 p.m. inside the Goodman Center.