Contact: Nicholas Osterloo, Assistant Sports Information Director, 630-637-5324
Jan. 15, 2025 - Looking to beat Wheaton College for the second straight time, the North Central College women's basketball team fell short as turnovers proved costly in a 66-52 game Wednesday night inside Gregory Arena.
The teams traded points early as a three-pointer from Megan McClure put the Cardinals ahead by two, 12-10. After the Thunder retook the lead, Josylin Simmons-Doxie scored a layup in the paint to give North Central a 16-15 edge after 10 minutes of action.
Wheaton opened the second quarter on a 10-0 run as the Cardinal offense was held scoreless for over five minutes of gameplay. A deep ball from Megan Duffy halted the Thunder run before two free throws from Biz Daly kept the Cardinals within reach, 25-21. Wheaton held a 32-23 lead at the break after scoring seven of the quarter's nine points.
A layup from Daly brought North Central within single digits following a Thunder run to open the third quarter. Reilly Boyer returned to the floor for the first time after an injury, making a pair of free throws to cut the deficit to six, 42-36. A steal and layup from Trotter capped an 8-0 Cardinal run as Wheaton held a 45-40 advantage with 10 minutes to play.
North Central and Wheaton exchanged three-pointers early in the fourth quarter before another fastbreak layup from Trotter brought North Central within six, 55-49. The Thunder went on a 7-0 run to put the game out of reach as Wheaton took a 66-52 victory.
McClure and Ameli Sanchez led the Cardinals with nine points each while Simmons-Doxie and Trotter each added eight. As a team, North Central shot 32% from the field and 14% from behind the arc. The Cardinals turned the ball over a season-high 20 times on the night. Wheaton was led by Kate Oliver (24 points) and Annika Richardson (23 points), who shot 41% from the field.
North Central travels to Chicago on Saturday to face North Park University (3-13, 0-7 CCIW). Tip-off inside Carlson Gymnasium is set for 2 p.m. The Cardinals have won the last three contests and lead the all-time series, 46-39.
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