Contact: Nicholas Osterloo, Assistant Sports Information Director, 630-637-5324
ROCK ISLAND, Ill. (Feb. 15, 2023) - Playing their final game of the season, the North Central College women's basketball team lost to Augustana College 83-57 on Wednesday evening at the Carver Center. Seniors
Allison Pearson and
Natalie Stavropoulos led the team in scoring while all four seniors started the game.
Pearson totaled 19 points on the night by hitting five three-pointers in 30 minutes of action. Stavropolous followed with 11 points and three assists. The Cardinals shot 37% from both the field and from beyond the three-point arc. Gabriela Loiz led all scorers with 27 points in the contest.
After the Vikings opened up the game with a 12-0 lead, Megan Duffy put the Cardinals on the board. She later hit a three-pointer with 5:37 to play in the opening quarter. Pearson and Grace Kieffer also drained threes but Augustana held a 27-15 lead after 10 minutes of action. Mitrese Smith scored her first points of the game with 2:56 left in the half, followed by a Stavropoulos jumper and two free throws. At the break, the Vikings led 53-24.
Early in the third quarter, Pearson knocked down back-to-back threes, forcing an Augustana timeout. A Duffy jumper started a 13-4 run for the Cardinals who entered the fourth quarter with a 68-45 deficit. Lexie Hernandez buried a three before another Pearson deep ball brought North Central within 18. The Vikings controlled the rest of the contest to earn an 83-57 victory.
Pearson concludes her career with the best free throw percentage in program history at 85.8%. She also scored the 11th most points in school history with 1,079. Pearson hit 170 threes in her career, good for second all-time. Lastly, she sits sixth for most career assists with 263. Stavropoulos ended her career with 111 made free throws this season, the ninth most for a single season.
The Cardinals wrap up the 2022-23 season with a 6-18 overall record and a 3-13 record in conference play.
Download the free North Central Cardinals app, available for iOS and Android devices, to receive up-to-the-minute news, scores and updates on your favorite North Central teams. Click HERE for more information.
