Contact: Tyler Bremner, Sports Information Graduate Assistant

ROCK ISLAND (Feb. 1, 2024) – Starting out neck and neck, the North Central College women's basketball team found themselves outpaced in the second half 80-70 by Augustana College on Saturday afternoon at the Carver Center.

After the Vikings missed the first three scoring opportunities, Biz Daly put in the first Cardinal layup of the match to go up 2-0 in under a minute. A quick hook shot from Augustana tied the game but a basket from Jocelyn Trotter and a three-pointer from Josylin Simmons-Doxie combined to put the Cardinals back on top.

Daly and Grace Kieffer combined for five points to keep the Vikings behind but their offense found a rhythm to scratch back to a tie game at 12-12 with 2:38 to go. Ameli Sanchez stifled their hopes with a five-point run with Simmons-Doxie driving the last layup in the final four seconds for a Cardinal 19-14 lead.

Opening the second quarter, the Vikings chipped away to push ahead 22-20 after Grace Kieffer's free throw. With 6:53 left Augustana continued to push ahead with four points within the next 60 seconds, but Kennedy Hartwig kept the Cardinals within two. The Vikings continued a back-and-forth affair keeping the Cardinals out of reach and extending their lead to 36-31 into halftime.

Coming out of halftime, a three-point play from Megan McClure put the Cardinals within four for the last time in the match at 38-34. The persistence of the Viking offense led to a 17-5 scoring run for their largest lead of the quarter finally being halted by Reilly Boyer's three-pointer. Hartwig sent one final three-pointer for the Cardinals before the end of the quarter for a 59-45 score.

The Viking's scoring trend continued to a 17-point lead at 75-58 until the final three minutes when Kieffer, Sanchez, and Trotter combined to topple the lead down to seven. With only 1:25 remaining and hopes riding high, a layup and a string of free throws kept Trotter's jumper from having an impact as Augustana sealed the match at 80-70.

Trotter tallied her seventh double-double of the season with 10 points and 11 rebounds while tallying two assists and steals. Sanchez led the team with 14 points with Simmons-Doxie sending 13 points in and two assists.

Cali Papez led the Vikings with a double-double with 17 points and 11 rebounds. The Vikings lifted a 58% shot accuracy over the match while the Cardinals faltered from 53% in the first quarter to 36% overall.

North Central continues on the road at Carthage College hoping to avenge an overtime loss at home (63-60). The match is set to start at 2 p.m. at Tarble Arena on Wednesday.

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