Contact:Rachel Balinao, Athletics Communication Graduate Assistant, rabalinao@noctrl.edu
NAPERVILLE, Ill. (Feb. 24, 2026) - Inside Gregory Arena for the College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin quarterfinal, the North Central College women's basketball team came up short against Wheaton College 75-67.
The game started head-to-head,with both teams trading baskets as the Cardinals found early looks from Dolly Smith and Ameli Sanchez. North Central took a five-point lead, 9-4, after a three-pointer from Grace Kieffer. The Thunder responded to regain a one-point advantage, 10-9, on a layup. Wheaton carried a 14-12 lead into the second quarter after a jumper late in the period.
Coming out of the break, Kennedy Hartwig drained a three-pointer off an assist from Jocelyn Trotter to give the Cardinals a 15-14 edge. Hartwig connected on another three-pointer soon after to make it 18-16. Wheaton answered, battling back to reclaim a 19-18 lead.
Hartwig was fouled beyond the arc and converted all three free throws. The Thunder began to pull away, building a six-point lead with under three minutes remaining in the half, 31-25. Cate Uhren helped North Central close the gap before halftime, scoring on a layup and then hitting a three-pointer on the next possession to cut the deficit to 35-32 at the break.
Wheaton opened the third quarter on a 11-0 run, holding the Cardinals scoreless for four minutes to extend the lead to 44-33. Trotter ended the drought with back-to-back jumpers, one assisted by Uhren, trimming the deficit to 44-37. The Thunder pushed the lead back to 12 with under four minutes left in the quarter. Kaitlin Park made a pair of free throws to cut it to 10, but Wheaton responded with consecutive layups to take a 55-41 advantage. Uhren Closed the quarter with a three-pointer and a layup, sending North Central into the final period trailing by 12.
In the fourth, Wheaton started the quarter with back-to-back baskets to take its largest lead of the game, 62-46. Trotter answered with a jumper off an assist from Uhren, and Uhren added another three-pointer to cut the deficit to 11. Biz Daly scored on a layup, again assisted by Uhren, to bring the Cardinals within nine, 62-53. Wheaton extended its lead once more despite three-pointers from Sanchez and Hartwig. Hartwig helped trim the deficit to six late, but the Thunder secured the 75-67 quarterfinal victory to head to Waukesha on Friday, Feb. 27.
Uhren recorded a career-high 17 points, shooting 3 for 7 from beyond the arc, while adding six assists and four rebounds. Hartwig finished with 15 points and went a perfect 6 for 6 from the free-throw line. Sanchez added 10 points, three rebounds and a steal.
Wheaton shot 47.7% from the field compared to North Central's 35.7%. The Cardinals held the edge from 3-point range, shooting 36.4% to the Thunder's 14.3%. The game featured eight lead changes and five ties.
Prior to the game, the CCIW honored
Jocelyn Trotter with All-CCIW First Team recognition for the first time in her career following her performance during the 2025-26 season.
North Central concluded the season 14-12 overall and 8-8 in conference play, a four-game improvement from the 2024-25 campaign.
