Contact: Nicholas Osterloo, Assistant Sports Information Director, 630-637-5324
NAPERVILLE, Ill. (Dec. 19, 2022) - Tying a school record for three-pointers made,
Allison Pearson knocked down seven threes on her way to a career-high 32 points to propel the North Central College women's basketball team past Concordia University Chicago, 83-74 on Monday afternoon in Gregory Arena.
A layup from Mitrese Smith knotted the game at 8-8 early in the contest before Megan McClure scored on a fastbreak layup to give the Cardinals a two-point advantage with 5:38 left in the first quarter. The Cougars retook the lead but a layup from Pearson as time expired put North Central ahead, 16-15 after the opening quarter.
Back-to-back layups from Smith pushed the Cardinals' lead to five, but Concordia Chicago responded with a five-point swing of their own. The teams traded baskets until North Central closed the half on a 6-0 run to hold a 41-29 lead after 20 minutes of play.
The Cougars opened the second half strong and tied the game at 45 late in the third quarter. With Concordia Chicago on top by seven, Grace Kieffer buried a three to cut into the deficit. Pearson caught on fire with 5:29 left to play and sparked an 11-0 run by herself to put North Central ahead by five. The Cardinals held the lead the rest of the way as Natalie Stavropoulos, Pearson, and Megan Duffy all hit clutch free throws to secure the victory for North Central.
Pearson finished the game with 32 points on 7 of 13 from beyond the arc with McClure also posting a career-high 22 points and 15 rebounds. Stavropoulos dished out 10 assists adding to her six points. As a team, the Cardinals shot 44% from the field, their second-best shooting effort this season. For the Cougars, Katherine Benes, who entered the game leading the nation in scoring, led Concordia Chicago with 22 points.
North Central heads to Florida on December 27th to take on Mount Aloysius College (Penn.) for the first time in school history. That game is set to begin at 3 p.m. (ET) in Daytona Beach.
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