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

WAUKESHA, Wis. (Jan. 28, 2026) - Going toe-to-toe with the leaders of the College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin, the North Central College women's basketball team fell to No. 16 Carroll University, 63-74 on Wednesday night.

On the board first, Carroll opened with a jumper and a three-pointer to take an early 0-5 lead. Ameli Sanchez put North Central on the board with a jumper, and Biz Daly followed with a steal and a bucket to cut the deficit to 4-7. Carroll's Julia Lokker converted an and-1 layup to push the Pioneers' lead back to eight.

Kennedy Hartwig knocked down North Central's first three-pointer off a feed from Cate Uhren to make it 7-12. Carroll earned another trip to the line on an and-1 opportunity but converted only the layup. Hartwig added a jumper later in the quarter, but the Pioneers maintained the momentum and extended their lead to 10-21 at the end of the first. 

The Cardinals battled early in the second quarter as Sanchez forced a steal and found Uhren for a jumper. Sanchez followed with a jumper of her own to pull North Central within seven. Jocelyn Trotter rose over her defender for a jumper before Carroll's leading scorer, Natalie Gricius, went to the line for the Pioneers' third and-1 attempt of the game. 

Trotter scored on back-to-back possessions following an inbound to keep the deficit at seven and then drained a three-pointer off a pass from Grace Kieffer to cut the lead to six. Carroll responded with a three-pointer to regain control. Kieffer then scored on a cut to the basket finishing the layup off a pass from Natalie Doyle, but Carroll closed the half on a 0-10 run to take a 26-36 lead into the break.

Dolly Smith provided a spark for North Central with her second steal of the game, followed by an offensive rebound and put-back. Sanchez added a three-pointer to keep the Cardinals within nine.

Trotter went 2-for-2 at the free throw line and followed with a layup to cap a 7-0 run, making the score 35-44. Lokker answered on the other end with a layup, but Uhren scored on consecutive possessions, including a three, to pull North Central within four. Hartwig converted an and-1 late in the third, sending the Cardinals into the final period trailing by seven. 

Alaya Redditt provided a surge of energy to start the fourth with a hook shot off Sanchez assist and followed with a jumper in the next possession. Uhren hit a pull-up three-pointer from the top of the key to cut the deficit back to five. Carroll went on to respond with a run fueled by jumpers and free throws from Gricius to extend the lead back to double digits. 

Trotter ended the scoring drought with a banked-in jumper, and Doyle added a put-back off an offensive rebound. Uhren connected from beyond the arc again, and Trotter followed with a steal and fast-break layup to make it 60-69. Carroll answered with a three-pointer, but Trotter responded with a three of her own off Hartwig assist. Even with the strong push, the Cardinals were unable to overcome Carroll's offensive consistency, falling 63-74. 

Trotter led North Central with 19 points, nine rebounds, and two steals. Uhren added 13 points while shooting 3-for-4 from beyond the arc, and Sanchez finished with 10 points, two rebounds, and a steal. 

Overall, North Central shot 41.0% from the field compared to Carroll's 43.9%. The Cardinals held the edge from three-point range, shooting 7-for-18 to the Pioneers' 6-for-21, but Carroll forced 16 turnovers while committing 10. 

North Central concludes its road stretch Saturday, Jan. 31, at No. 19 Illinois Wesleyan University. Tip-off is scheduled for 2 p.m. at the Shirk Center as the Cardinals continue CCIW play.