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

NAPERVILLE, Ill. (Dec. 17, 2025) - For a record-tying performance, the North Central College women's basketball team defeated Illinois College 90-73 on Wednesday night, scoring 90 points for the first time since 2020. Ameli Sanchez wrote herself into the record books tying the single-game program record with seven three-pointers while scoring a career high of 28 points. 

The Cardinals came out strong, scoring their first points on a Dolly Smith three-pointer assisted by Biz Daly. The two traded baskets before Sanchez knocked down her first three of the night to make it 10-5. In a tight first quarter, Jocelyn Trotter connected on a three-pointer to push the lead to 17-12. Daly and Trotter recorded a jumper and a layup in the paint to extend the advantage to nine. To send North Central into the second quarter with a 13 point lead, Cate Uhren drained a deep three off a fastbreak, giving a 31-18 lead. The quarter marked the first time this season the Cardinals scored 31 points in the first. 

In the second, Trotter came out scoring a jumper in the paint to make it 33-18. Kallie Oestreicher was a threat behind the line for the Cardinals making a big three-pointer in transition, 35-24. After missed layups on both ends, Trotter ended the two minute scoring halt with a pair of free throws. Sanchez hit her third three of the half with under five minutes remaining to take an eleven point lead, 40-29. Illinois College trimmed the deficit to five, but Sanchez answered with her fourth three-pointer to give North Central a 46-38 advantage. Alaya Redditt closed the first-half scoring with a layup in the paint off an assist from Daly. 

The Lady Blues opened the scoring in the third with and Oestreicher layup in the paint, 48-43. Daly responded with a jumper, and Sanchez followed with a fast-break layup off a feed from Smith to restore a double-digit lead. Kieffer added a layup from a Sanchez assist to keep the Cardinals ahead by 12 midway through the quarter. Illinois College closed the gap to nine at the free-throw line before ending the quarter with a tip-in layup, as North Central took a 66-54 lead into the fourth.

Taylor Marquart got things going in the fourth with a layup off a cross-court pass from Kennedy Hartwig, 68-54. Daly and Kieffer added layups in the paint to push the lead to 18. Daly later scored on a fast-break to give North Central its largest lead of the night at 24. Hartwig knocked down a pair of free-throws, and Uhren added one from the line before Sanchez connected on her record-tying seventh three-pointer with 1:19 remaining. Kaitlin Park scored the final points for the Cardinals on a jumper assisted by Sanchez.

Sanchez finished with 28 points on 7-for-10 shooting from beyond the arc, along with two assists, five steals and one rebound. Daly followed with 24 points, nine rebounds, four assists, and two steals,  while going a perfect 10-for-10 from the free-throw line. Trotter added 11 points, six rebounds, and three assists. 

The Cardinals shot 43.5% from the field and 40% from three-point range. The teams finished tied with 42 rebounds apiece. North Central scored 15 second-chance points and 10 fast-break points. There was one lead change in the opening minute before North Central pulled away for good. 

The Cardinals improved to 7-3 on the season and now stand at 2-0 on Wednesday night games. North Central women's basketball returns on the road Dec. 19 to face Rockford University at 6 p.m. for the first match-up since 2001.