Contact: Rachel Balinao, Athletics Communication Graduate Assistant, rabalinao@noctrl.edu

NAPERVILLE, Ill. (Nov. 22, 2025) - After falling to Edgewood University during the 2024 season, the North Central College women's basketball team responded in a big way, avenging that loss with a dominant 88-49 win inside Gregory Arena on Saturday afternoon. 

North Central struck first, as Ameli Sanchez opened the scoring off an assist from Biz Daly. The Cardinals then went on a 8-0 run in the opening five minutes behind contributions from Daly and Jocelyn Trotter. North Central shot 6 of 14 from the field in the first quarter, closing with a Trotter layup in the final seconds to lead 18-13. Trotter also made her presence known on the opposite end, finishing the quarter with four steals. 

The Cardinals kept control in the second quarter, with Sanchez knocking down two free-throws to extend the lead. Kennedy Hartwig entered and made an immediate impact, drilling her first three-pointer of the day to push the lead to 32-19. Grace Kieffer added two free-throws after securing a defensive rebound, helping North Central take a 36-26 lead into halftime. 

The momentum continued with the Cardinals after halftime with Daly going 3 for 4 from the line in the third quarter, while Hartwig connected on two more triples, including one set-up by Uhren for her fourth assist of the day. Alaya Redditt added minutes in the paint, converting a layup off a feed from Kieffer to make it 56-34.

Kieffer set the tone to start the fourth with a deep three, then immediately turned a steal into another Cardinal three from Dolly Smith. With fresh legs from a lineup change, Kaitlin Park came in and knocked down a three on her first touch off a pass from Hartwig to make it 79-47. Kaylie Conklin added four points at the line, knocking down two free-throws after checking in and adding two more shortly after. 

Defensively, Lucy Wittenmyer secured two boards, while Allie Lambe sealed the deal by drilling her first collegiate three-pointer from the top of the arc. The Eagles could not keep up with North Central's relentless offense, and the Cardinals closed out with a 88-49 win.

Daly led the scoring for the day with 26 points, tying her career-high at North Central while shooting 9-15 with eight rebounds, two blocks, and three assists. Hartwig followed with 14 points going 3 for 5 shooting from deep. Sanchez contributed eight points, three assists, and a steal. Trotter had a standout performance with a double-double, collecting 12 points, 12 rebounds, eight steals, and three assists.

The Cardinals never trailed and capitalized on Edgewood's mistakes, scoring 20 points off turnovers. North Central shot 47.7% from the field and 36.8% from three-point range, while the bench contributed 32 points. The Cardinals won the rebounding battle, 43-39, and finished 58.3% at the free-throw line. 

North Central heads down the road next week on Nov. 25 to match up against Benedictine University at the Rice Center in Lisle, Ill. The game is set for 5 p.m., and the Cardinals look to extend their win streak against the Eagles to four.