Contact: Nicholas Osterloo, Assistant Sports Information Director, 630-637-5324
COLORADO SPRINGS, Colo. (Nov. 15, 2024) - Taking on Nebraska Wesleyan University for the first time since 1999, the North Central College women's basketball team outscored the Prairie Wolves 55-32 in the second half to take an 86-58 on Friday night inside Reid Arena.
Jocelyn Trotter put the Cardinals on the board with a triple before Megan McClure knocked down a jumper less than three minutes into the game. NWU scored six of the next eight points as Cate Uhren's three pointer brought North Central back within two, 14-12. With 15 seconds left in the opening quarter, Grace Kieffer forced a Prairie Wolves turnover and scored to knot the contest at 14-14 after 10 minutes of action.
NWU took a six-point lead early in the second quarter before a basket from Trotter halted the Prairie Wolves' run. Biz Daly scored 10 straight points in under three minutes of play to put North Central on top, 31-25. At the break, the Cardinals held a five-point advantage, 31-26.
Josylin Simmons-Doxie buried a jumper to begin the scoring for North Central in the third quarter. McClure sparked a 14-4 for the Cardinals who took control of the contest with a 49-36 lead. A deep ball from Simmons-Doxie and a layup from Kieffer extended North Central's advantage to 16 with just over two minutes to play in the period. Kieffer and Ameli Sanchez each split a pair of free throws to put the Cardinals ahead 60-42 heading into the final 10 minutes.
Daly converted an old-fashioned three point play off of an assist from McClure before Simmons-Doxie knocked down a three to give North Central a 21-point lead, 68-47. Daly kept her presence felt in the post with three straight offensive rebounds before she scored a putback attempt herself. At the media timeout, North Central held a 25-point advantage. Uhren buried another deep ball before Marlena Miloucheva scored her first points of the game with 3:14 left in the game. Katie Schaible hit back-to-back threes as the Cardinals finished off the Prairie Wolves with an 86-58 victory.
Daly posted a career-high 26 points while recording the first double-double of her career. She racked up 12 rebounds, eight coming on the offensive end. McClure shot 50% from the field with 18 points while Simmons-Doxie scored in double figures as well. Kieffer recorded game-highs with six assists and six steals. North Central scored 34 points off 26 Prairie Wolves turnovers while converting 17 second-chance points.
The Cardinals wrap up the Colorado College Tip-Off Classic Saturday with a matchup against the host Tigers. The game is set to tip off at 4 p.m. (MT) inside Reid Arena.
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