NAPERVILLE, Ill. (Feb. 11, 2026) - On Wednesday night, the North Central College women's basketball team fell to Millikin University 62-64 inside Gregory Arena despite three Cardinals posting season-highs in points. 

Right out of the jump, Millikin opened the scoring with a jumper in the paint before Ameli Sanchez put North Central on board, going 1-for-2 from the free throw line. Jocelyn Trotter added a tip-in layup as the Cardinals trailed 3-6. After the teams traded baskets, Grace Kieffer gave North Central its first lead with a three-pointer to make it 10-8. Alaya Redditt followed with a tip-in layup, and Kaitlin Park knocked down a three to push the lead to six. Millikin's leading scorer, Nikkel Johnson, answered with a tip-in, but Kieffer drained another three to extend the advantage to 19-12. Dolly Smith closed the first quarter with a layup, sending the Cardinals into the second with a 21-14 lead. 

North Central was held scoreless until the seven-minute mark of the second quarter, when Trotter recorded a steal and covnerted a fast-break jumper to give the Cardinals their largest lead at 23-14. Millikin responded with four layups from three players to trim the deficit to 23-22. The Big Blue briefly took a one-point lead before Trotter answered with a jumper in the paint. Cate Uhren capped the first half scoring with a three-pointer from the top of the key off a feed from Kieffer, giving North Central a 28-24 lead at the break.

Smith assisted Trotter on a layup to open the third quarter, extending the lead to 30-24. Johnson converted an and-1 to cut the deficit to three. Redditt went 3-of-4 from the free throw line on back-to-back trips and added a layup off an offensive rebound by Kieffer to keep the Cardinals in front. North Central stretched its lead to nine, 40-31, behind an and-1 from Trotter and another Kieffer to Redditt connection. Johnson kept Millikin within striking distance, and the Big Blue used a 7-0 run late in the quarter to pull within 43-42. Johnson scored again to give Millikin a 43-44 lead entering the fourth.

Trotter opened the final quarter with a three-pointer to regain the lead for North Central. Millikin responded with an and-1, along with a tip-in layup to move back in front. A 4-0 spurt by the Big Blue pushed the lead to six at 47-53. Kieffer converted a layup off a steal by Smith to make it 49-53, but Millikin extended its lead to nine with a layup and three-pointer. Redditt and Uhren each scored to cut the deficit to five, and North Central trimmed it to 59-64 on free throws by Kieffer and Trotter in the final two minutes. 

Kieffer hit a three-pointer to bring the Cardinals within two in the closing seconds. After both teams missed free throws, North Central had one final opportunity but could not get a shot off before time expired, falling 62-64. 

For the Cardinals, Trotter led with a season-high 23 points, eight rebounds, two blocks, and four steals. Kieffer posted a season-high 14 points, five rebounds, and two steals, while Redditt recorded a season-high 12 points and seven rebounds. 

Millikin shot 50.9% from the field compared to North Central's 30.8%. The Cardinals shot 25.9% beyond the arc, while the Big Blue shot 12.5%. Both teams committed 13 turnovers, and North Central held a 45-34 rebounding advantage.The game featured six lead changes and two ties.

North Central returns to Gregory Arena on Saturday, Feb.14, for its final regular-season home, a CCIW match-up against Elmhurst University at 5 p.m. The Cardinals will honor their two seniors prior to the game.