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

LISLE, Ill. (Nov. 25, 2025) - For the 2025 battle of Chicago and Maple Ave, the North Central College women's basketball team fell to Benedictine University Tuesday night, 71-63, dropping the Cardinals to 3-2 on the season. 

To open the night, Biz Daly put the Cardinals on the board with a second chance layup, followed by Jocelyn Trotter pulling down North Central's first defensive rebound on the other end of the court. Benedictine answered with a deep three to make it 4-3 early on. Daly continued battling down low, scoring the Cardinals first eight points before Kennedy Hartwig buried a three to quiet the home crowd. The Eagles closed the quarter with a last-second three-pointer, pulling within one of the Cardinals, 16-15. 

North Central came out quick in the second, as Grace Kieffer attacked the lane for a driving layup off an assist from Ameli Sanchez to make it 18-17. Sanchez later knocked down a floater for her first bucket of the night, pushing the lead to 22-19. On the defensive end, Trotter secured her sixth board, and Sanchez turned it into points on the other end with another driving layup. 

Taylor Marquart was an immediate spark off the bench, adding a bucket to extend the lead to 27-23. Then Hartwig drew a foul from beyond the arc and converted all three free throws, giving North Central its largest lead of seven points. Soon after, Hartwig added another triple off a feed from Cate Uhren. Benedictine had the final word of the half with a jumper, but the Cardinals entered the break ahead 36-31. 

The Eagles came out of halftime with momentum until Trotter halted it with a big block on a driving layup. Benedictine scored again before the Cardinals could respond, cutting the lead to 38-33. Following a North Central turnover, the Eagles tied the game for the first time at 38-38. The Cardinals went cold while Benedictine pulled ahead, 42-38, but Trotter broke the drought with a turnaround jumper to make it 44-40. The team traded baskets the rest of the period, with Benedictine maintaining a five-point lead. Marquart's floating jumper closed the quarter, sending North Central into the fourth trailing 51-47.

In the final quarter, Benedictine pulled ahead to a lead of 11 points making it 58-47. Trotter split a pair of free throws, and Uhren added two more to bring the Cardinals within 10 at 60-50, but the Eagles continued to convert and extended to the largest lead of 14. Hartwig scored on a driving layup in the final two minutes to cut it to 66-58, but despite late free throws, North Central couldn't close the gap as Benedictine secured the 71-63 win. 

Three of the Cardinals finished the night with 11 points including Daly, Trotter, and Hartwig. Trotter led the team with 12 rebounds and three steals, while Daly added eight boards. Marquart contributed nine points and a steal, and Kieffer recorded five assists and three steals. 

The game featured five lead changes, with North Central leading for nearly half the contest (49.8%). The Cardinals shot 22 for 61 from the field and 4 for 16 from three, while Benedictine capitalized on second-chance opportunities, scoring 14 points to North Central's seven. The Eagles outperformed the Cardinals both inside (42.9%) and from beyond the arc (32%). 

North Central continues its road stretch on Saturday, Nov. 29, at Concordia University Wisconsin located in Mequon, Wis. Tipoff is set for 2 p.m. at the R. John Buuck Field House, where the Cardinals look to secure a road win this week.