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

ROCK ISLAND, Ill. (Jan. 7, 2026) - On Wednesday night, the North Central College women's basketball team fell to Augustana College in a tightly contested matchup, 69-68, after a last-second three-pointer. 

Augustana started the scoring with a layup before Biz Daly answered with a bucket to tie the game early at 2. Dolly Smith followed with a floating jumper, and Ameli Sanchez added a jumper to give North Central a quick 6-3 lead. Out of a timeout, Augustana broke the press and converted a quick fast-break layup.

The Vikings tied the game at 8-8 with a layup in the paint. Jocelyn Trotter put the Cardinals ahead by one after going 1-for-2 at the free throw line, 9-8. Augustana closed the first quarter with a hook shot to take a one-point lead, 9-10. 

Augustana opened the second quarter with another layup to extend its lead to three, 9-12. North Central struggled to score early in the quarter, but Daly came up with a steal off an Augustana turnover. Later, Sanchez picked up a steal on the dribble and found Daly on the offensive end, where Daly went 2-for-2 from the line to make it 14-12. 

Sanchez tied the game at 14 with a turnaround jumper, then Augustana responded with a three-pointer. Trotter finished a layup off a pass from Grace Kieffer to cut the deficit to three, 16-19. Natalie Doyle entered the game and immediately knocked down a three-pointer off a feed from Kennedy Hartwig, pulling the Cardinals within two, 19-21. 

Moments later, Hartwig was fouled beyond the arc while hitting a three-pointer and completed the four-point play to tie the game at 25. At the buzzer before halftime, Augustana connected on a half-court shot from the logo to take a three-point lead into the break, 30-33. 

To get the third quarter underway, Smith hit a euro-step layup through two Augustana defenders, and Ameli Sanchez followed by knocking down a three-pointer off a Biz Daly assist to give North Central a 35-33 lead. Kieffer added a three-pointer to spark the Cardinal bench and force an Augustana timeout as North Central extended its lead to 40-33.

With under five to go in the third quarter, Augustana tied the game at 43 with a layup. The Vikings then regained the lead on a backdoor cut for a layup, 43-45. Trotter tied the game again at 45 with under two minutes to play in the quarter. Augustana closed the period with a jumper and a turnaround basket to take a four-point lead, 45-49. 

Doyle opened the fourth quarter by hitting a three-pointer off a pass from Sanchez to pull the Cardinals within one. Augustana answered with an and-1 opportunity but missed the free throw to remain ahead 48-53. Doyle connected another three-pointer off a feed from Smith to make it a two-point game, 51-53. Hartwig then knocked down a three-pointer, again assisted by Smith, to cut the deficit to one, 54-55.

Augustana responded with a turnaround jumper to go back up three, 54-57. North Central then regained the lead when Trotter sealed her defender in the paint for a layup 57-58. On the ensuing possession, Daly recorded back-to-back blocks on the defensive end. The Vikings answered with a jumper from the free throw line before Hartwig drilled another three-pointer to give the Cardinals a 61-59 advantage. 

With three minutes remaining, Trotter came away with a steal under the basket and converted a layup. Hartwig was then fouled beyond the arc for the second time in the game and went a perfect 3-for-3 at the line to push the lead to five, 66-61. Augustana responded with a layup by Cali Papez to cut the margin to three. Smith answered with a driving layup to restore a five-point lead. 

With under a minute remaining, Augustana made a pair of free throws to pull within two, 68-66. After an Augustana timeout with 13 seconds left, Jazmeriah Jones hit a three-pointer from the logo to give the Vikings a one-point lead. North Central had one final possession but was unable to convert, falling 69-68. 

Hartwig led the Cardinals with 15 points, shooting 3-for-7 beyond the arc and a perfect 6-for-6 at the free throw line. Doyle added a career-high 14 points on 4-for-6 shooting from the three-point range and recorded two steals. Trotter, Daly, and Sanchez each score nine points. 

The lead changed 10 times and the game was tied eight times. North Central shot 39.7% from the field compared to Augustana's 43.8%. The Vikings shot 36.4% from the three-point range, while the Cardinals finished at 33.3%. North Central was outrebounded 45-30 but committed one fewer turnover than Augustana.

North Central hosts Wheaton College on Saturday, Jan. 10, in a CCIW match up. Tip off is scheduled at 2 p.m. inside Gregory Arena. The Cardinals will honor the 2014-2015 women's basketball team during halftime for their accomplishments in that remarkable season.