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

Box Score

Feb. 1, 2020 – Fighting off a last second comeback attempt, the North Central College women's basketball handed North Park University just their second College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW) loss of the season, grinding out a 63-59 battle inside Gregory Arena.

The Vikings (16-4, 9-2 CCIW) entered the game winning six-straight and sat atop the CCIW standings, but it was North Central (9-10, 5-5 CCIW) who opened the game strong, going on a 14-4 run to take a double digit lead at the 2:45 mark of the first quarter, as six-straight points from Rebekah Foley sparked the early run.

The Vikings battled back over the course of the second quarter however, erasing the lead while outscoring the Cardinals, 18-9 to take a slim 27-25 lead into halftime.

Coming out of the intermission, North Central rallied off seven quick points in what proved to be the game's pivotal run as North Park never re-gained the lead from that point forward.  Allison Pearson and Maya Walls each knocked down a shot, while Haydn Braun connected from three-point range to overtake the lead 32-27.

North Central held the lead the remainder of the contest but never by more than nine, as North Park battled back from a 61-53 deficit with 28 seconds to play in the contest, dwindling the score down to just three in the closing seconds but Natali Dimitrova was able to seal the win hitting one of two free throws on the final possession.

The Cardinals held a substantial advantage at the free throw line, shooting 20-of-35 while North Park attempted just 19 free throws, making 11.

Three Cardinals finished in double figures, led by 17 points from Dimitrova, while Walls added 11 points and a team-leading eight rebounds.  Foley finished with 10 points, six rebounds and three of North Central's eight blocked shots on the evening.

Jayla Johnson led all players finishing with a 25-point, 10-rebound double-double, both game highs, while Zakiya Newsome added 10 points for the Vikings.

North Central hits the road on Wednesday, Feb. 5, looking to complete the season sweep of Carthage College with tip-off inside Tarble Arena scheduled for 7 p.m.  Links to live in-game coverage are available HERE.

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