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

Box Score

Jan. 30, 2021 – It was a tale of two halves on Saturday in what has become a theme so far this season for the North Central College women's basketball team, leading by double figures then faltering down the stretch in a 57-51 loss to Augustana College.

Leading for over three-fourths of the contest for the second straight game against the Vikings, North Central led the entire first half and by as many as 12 in the third quarter as a free throw from Elle Sutter gave North Central a 42-30 lead with 1:44 to play in the third.

Despite holding Augustana to just two field goals and only eight points in the third quarter, the Cardinals were only able to muster 13 points themselves in the quarter, allowing the Vikings to hang around.

Things completely fell apart in the fourth quarter for North Central (0-4), starting the quarter 0-for-18 from the field and were 0-for-12 from three-point range despite shooting 50% (7-14) from beyond the arch in the first half.

The Cardinals were held to just seven points in the fourth quarter, with its first field goal of the quarter coming with just nine seconds to play in the contest as Augustana (2-1) closed the game on a 20-7 run.

Jessica Kowalczyk was the lone Cardinal in double figures, scoring 10 points off the bench while Mitrese Smith was the highest-scoring starter with seven point.

Lauren Hall paced the Vikings offense with a double-double for the second-straight game, finishing with 10 points and 16 rebounds.  Gabriela Loiz led all players with 14 points, while Hannah Simmer and Kylie Jozwik each added nine off the bench.

Still seeking its first win of the season, North Central returns to play on Thursday, Feb. 4, traveling to Illinois Wesleyan University with tip-off inside the Shirk Center scheduled for 7 p.m.  Links to live in-game coverage are available HERE.