Contact: Nicholas Osterloo, Assistant Sports Information Director, 630-637-5324
NAPERVILLE, Ill. (Nov. 26, 2022) - A 12-for-16 mark from beyond the arc propelled the North Central College women's basketball team past Concordia University Wisconsin 81-73. The 75% shooting percentage from three-point range is tied for second-best for a single game in program history.
Natalie Stavropoulos opened the game with a layup and two free throws to give the Cardinals a 4-0 advantage a minute into the game. An 8-2 run gave the Falcons a 9-8 lead as teams traded baskets for the rest of the quarter with CUW holding a slight 19-18 lead after the first quarter.
Another successful trip to the line for Stavropoulos gave North Central a lead early in the second quarter. Again, the Falcons responded by scoring the next seven points before a three-pointer from Sydney Erwin cut the deficit to one, 32-33 at the media timeout. Grace Keiffer knocked down a deep ball to knot the game at 38 before CUW closed the half with a 45-41 lead.
A jumper from Abby Davidson followed an Allison Pearson three to give the Cardinals a three-point lead with 5:53 left in the third quarter. The Falcons answered and tied the contest at 50. The teams went back and forth until a free throw from Kieffer and a three-pointer as time expired from Erwin pushed the North Central lead to four, 60-56 after three-quarters of play.
Lexie Hernandez began the fourth quarter with a three-pointer on the first Cardinals' possession to increase the lead to seven. CUW cut the lead to one before another three from Kieffer and a layup from Stavropoulos put North Central in the driver's seat, 70-64. Free throws from Kieffer, Stavropoulos, and Pearson clinched the Cardinals' second straight victory, as they defeated the Falcones, 81-73.
Stavropoulos finished 13-15 from the charity stripe, tied for the fourth most free throws in a single game in school history on the way to a career-high 23 points and four assists. Kieffer went 3-3 from three-point range, finishing with 13 points while Hernandez tallied 12 points. Megan McClure finished one point shy of a double-double, nine points, and 10 rebounds.
North Central opens conference play on Wednesday night as they travel to Waukesha to take on Carroll University at 7:00 p.m.
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