Contact: Nicholas Osterloo, Assistant Sports Information Director, 630-637-5324
WHEATON (Feb. 22, 2025) - A fourth quarter that saw a 10-point lead vanish, the North Central College women's basketball team fell to Wheaton College 70-65 in the season final inside King Arena on Saturday night.
Bix Daly scored the game's first points before a steal and fastbreak layup from Josylin Simmons-Doxie put the Cardinals ahead, 8-4 early in the opening quarter. The teams traded points as a jumper from Ameli Sanchez extended the North Central lead to seven 13-6. Grace Kieffer scored in the paint in the final minute of the first period as the Cardinals held an 18-13 advantage after 10 minutes of play.
The Thunder opened the second quarter with five quick points to even the contest at 18-18. A steal from Jocelyn Trotter turned into a fastbreak layup for Daly. Four straight points from Kieffer pushed the visitors' lead to five, 27-22 with 3:22 left in the first half. Trotter buried a three-pointer before Wheaton closed the half with four quick points, but North Central took a 32-29 lead into the locker room at halftime.
The Cardinals scored six straight points early in the third quarter as a Trotter jumper put North Central ahead by eight, 40-32. Wheaton clawed back into the game as a three-pointer from Annika Richardson put the Thunder up by one, 44-43. The teams traded points again before the Cardinals closed out the quarter with a 7-0 run, highlighted by three-pointers from Trotter and Sanchez.
Layups from Kieffer and Daly gave North Central a 10-point lead before the Thunder used a 9-1 run to come within a basket, 61-59. An old-fashioned three-point play from Kate Oliver gave Wheaton a lead that the Cardinals did not get back as the Thunder picked up a 70-65 victory.
Trotter led the Cardinals with 12 points, followed closely by Simmons-Doxie with 11 and Daly with 10. Megan McClure closed out her career with eight points and eight rebounds. As a team, North Central shot 39% from the floor and 38% from beyond the arc. Oliver led Wheaton with a game-high 22 points.
North Central concludes the 2025 season with a 10-15 overall record while posting a 6-10 mark in College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin play.
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