Contact: Nicholas Osterloo, Assistant Sports Information Director, 630-637-5324
NAPERVILLE, Ill. (Dec. 4, 2021) - In a game where the Cardinals never trailed, the North Central College women's basketball team took down Carthage College 50-40 in their College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin (CCIW) opener on Saturday evening inside of Gregory Arena.
A free throw from Elle Sutter capped off the Cardinals 8-0 run to begin the game. The next time down the floor, Allison Pearson knocked down a three-pointer, putting North Central into double-digits. A layup from Mitrese Smith put the Cardinals on top 16-6 with 2:31 to play in the opening quarter.
IxChel Leeuwenburgh gave North Central a 13-point edge with her first bucket of the contest early in the second quarter. After Megan McClure scored a basket in the paint, the Cardinal defense only allowed one field goal from the Firebirds in the final six minutes of the first half. North Central took a 31-16 advantage into the break.
Sutter opened the third quarter with a jumper before Carthage responded with the next five points, closing the gap to 12. A bucket from Pearson and two from Smith pushed the Cardinal lead to 18 with 3:50 to go in the quarter. Stephanie Kowalczyk hit her first three of the game to take a 42-25 lead into the final 10-minutes of play.
The Firebirds scored the first six points of the fourth quarter before Kowalczyk knocked down her second three-pointer to give the Cardinals an 11-point lead. Carthage got within eight points, but a few clutch free throws secured the 50-40 win for North Central.
Smith tallied 15 points in her 32 minutes of action to add to her five rebounds. Pearson totaled 13 points, four rebounds, and two assists. Leeuwenburgh and Sutter each grabbed 11 rebounds. Defensively, North Central held the Firebirds to a 22% mark from the field and just 18% from beyond the arc.
The Cardinals host the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point on Wednesday evening. Tip-off is set for 6 PM in Gregory Arena. You can find live video and stat links HERE.
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