Game Notes: North Central College @ Elmhurst College (2/1/12)

Final Score
Elmhurst 63, NCC 60

Summary
Probably the most fun game I've been at all season (and my first road trip for basketball in a couple years), the Cardinals (6-14, 0-9) took early advantage of a Blue Jay (16-4, 7-2) team that was without Meghan Merklein due to injury. NCC went on an 11-1 run that put them up 21-14 with 8:26 to go before halftime. Elmhurst stormed back to within 32-28 at the half, then came out on fire. The Cardinals answered back, and led 51-49 with 8:23 left in the game. But the Blue Jays started to get inside and get some easy baskets, and the Cardinals couldn't execute down the stretch to steal a road win.


Key Stats

• NCC: 23-64 FG (35.9%) , 4-16 3PT (25%), 10-16 FT (62.5%). The Cardinals had their opportunities at the line and couldn't always convert, part of a not-so-great shooting night overall. The worst part was down low; a run through the play-by-play shows they went 12-26 on layups. It seems to happen a lot, but this is the first time I've documented it. Some of them were unfortunate rolls, others were bad attempts or bad looks. Whatever the case, give the Cardinals even half of those missed layups and it swings the game to an 11 point victory. Alas.
• Helen Muleya (NCC): 4-7 FG, 1-4 FT, 9 pts, 8 reb, 2 stl. Even though the starting point guard had a game without an assist, she played very well tonight. Made a couple bad decisions here and there, but forced some key turnovers with her great defense, and did a good job with her shot selection and execution overall tonight.
• Tess Godhardt (EC): 5-8 FG, 3-4 FT, 13 pts, 6 reb, 1 ast, 2 stl. 11 of her 13 points came in the 2nd half, most of them down low. 3 of her rebounds came on the offensive glass, again, all in the 2nd half. She brought her A-game tonight and helped propel Elmhurst to victory.

Cardinal Turnover Watch
I didn't make any bets with anyone tonight on the number of turnovers, but the Cardinals did a better job taking care of the ball, only turning it over 17 times. Jenny Swanson, Emily Collins, and Helen Muleya all turned it over 3 times apiece (to Muleya's credit, hers all came in the 1st half). A better job, especially when they forced 15 Blue Jay turnovers (10 off steals). I normally talk about the Clogged Toilet Offense, but they moved the ball well for the most part today, other than some errant passes throughout the game.

Final Thoughts
I never want to blame the referees for what happens in a basketball game, but the officiating was spotty at best tonight. They let things go in the first half, only to tighten it up after the break, getting the Cardinals in early foul trouble, but it also seemed like the Blue Jays were getting away with near murder down low.

That being said, the Cardinals didn't execute down the stretch. On their final possession, down 5 with 18 ticks left, the Cardinals ran down the floor and just dribbled around the perimeter. I remembered another game they lost doing that on their final possession. They at least got a shot off at the end to cut the final margin from 5 to 3, but they need to be aware of the clock at all times.

Overall though, I think this was probably the best game that North Central has played in conference (at least from those I've seen). It's a tough loss to swallow, but there are some positives to take into Saturday's rematch with Augie at Merner. I will be back from being a casual fan to my work behind the mic, for their game as well as a highly anticipated rematch between the men's teams.