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

LISLE, Ill. (Nov. 20, 2018) – Hitting the road for the first time this season, the North Central College women's basketball team suffered a tough 69-67 defeat at the hands of Benedictine University on Tuesday in a game that came down to the wire inside the Rice Center.

North Central (1-1) jumped out to a quick 7-2 lead, as a layup from Maya Walls opened the scoring, while Allison Pearson knocked down a three-pointer on the following possession before Lyndsay Brennan made it three straight possession with a jumper, giving the Cardinals the early five-point advantage.

After taking a two-point lead into the second quarter, the Cardinals opened up a 31-21 advantage thanks to a 14-4 run over a four-minute span.  The North Central run was highlighted by 11 combined points from Natali Dimitrova and Hannah Vitkus as each nailed a three during the rally.

Benedictine (3-1) chipped away at the Cardinal lead over the final six minutes of the first half, drawing to within three entering halftime with North Central hanging on to a 40-37 advantage.

Coming out of the intermission, a 5-2 run by the Eagles overtook the Cardinal lead 43-42.  The two teams proceeded to exchange blows before Benedictine opened up a 58-53 lead just before the end of the third quarter.

A jumper from Tyonne Howard and a three-pointer off the hand of Vitkus tied the game at 58, before a pair of Dimitrova free throws regained the lead 60-58 in favor of North Central.

That proved to be the final lead for the Cardinals however, as the Eagles rattled off five-straight points to take a 63-60 advantage.

North Central drew to within one late on a Alanna Newsome three-pointer, but Benedictine once again countered with what proved to be the final strike as Claire Gibler nailed a three-pointer of her own with just 50 seconds remaining in the contest.

Benedictine closed out the contest in the final seconds 69-67, led by 15 points from Gibler, while Alex Fanning added a 14-point, 10-rebound double-double.

Four Cardinals finished in double figures, led by 14 points from Newsome off the bench, while Dimitrova and Howard each added 12.  Vitkus also added 10 points, while Maya Walls grabbed a team-high 10 boards.

North Central continues a stretch of three-straight roads games this weekend, traveling to the Wilmington College Fred Raizk Memorial Tournament, taking on the host Quakers on Saturday, Nov. 24 at 6 p.m. (ET).  Links to live in-game coverage are available HERE.