NCC 92, Millikin 68
Game Summary
This was a slow starting game for the Cardinals (10-8, 3-4) as the only lead they took in the first half was at 3-2. The Big Blue (5-12, 0-7) were able to trade baskets with the Cardinals early on until the Cardinals got to within 4 again at 18-14. Millikin then went on a run that stretched from 7-0 to 11-2 and a 13 point lead. The Cardinals were able to pull back to within 8 at 35-27. Coach Roof said she didn't say anything in particular to really fire up the team, but they came out much better in the second half to eventually tie the game at 47 and take a 50-49 lead with about 12 minutes left. North Central would not trail again, instead slowly building an insurmountable lead.
Key Stats
- Emily Murphy (NCC): 7-8 FG, 14 pts, 2 reb (1 ofr), 1 stl. One adjustment I've loved seeing as the year has gone on is the Cardinals developing an inside game. Larynn Shumaker struggled from the floor tonight (4-11), so seeing Murphy pick up the slack was big, even if she didn't do much on the glass. It takes pressure off the 3 point shooters.
- Lauren Hernandez (NCC): 4-9 FG (4-7 3PT), 12 pts, 1 reb (ofr), 1 ast, 1 stl. In the second half, Lauren's line was one of the major catalysts for the comeback, and her accuracy from deep was a major reason why. She was left wide open on a few occasions and made Millikin pay.
- Sophie Newson (NCC): 2-6 FG (1-4 3PT), 2-2 FT, 7 pts, 2 reb, 2 ast, 1 blk, 1 stl. Looking just at this line, you wouldn't think Sophie was one of the keys, but her impact came in a stat that North Central really should be keeping. I love watching her play defense, as she plays incredibly well and is usually good for a charge or 2 per game. Tonight she took 5. It was incredible. I was always taught at Aurora Christian that taking a charge is easily the greatest defensive play you can make and it's a trait I hope she passes along to her teammates after this season.
- Line Changes: 49. I would have counted an extra one, but Tye Thompson (the official scorer) didn't count one last line change towards the end. Either way, Coach Roof has really upped the pace of substitutions as the year has gone along. This isn't necessarily a bad thing, though it can lead to getting rid of a hot line.
- NCC 3PT: 9-37 (24.3%). Not a great outing here, but given that they started 2-14 from deep at one point in the first half, to finish at that mark is pretty good. The most important thing here though was that the made three's came at opportune times late in the game to put it away.
- Millikin Turnovers: 47. This is a new season high for the Cardinals, and 29 of these came after halftime. The Big Blue just seemed to get more and more careless as the game went on, and most importantly the Cardinals took advantage of the late chances.
This was an ugly game in the first half, and was pretty depressing at the time. The team responded between halves though and came out firing late. The press can be brutal against teams if they don't know how to break it well, and the Cardinals did what they needed to do. I talked to Coach Roof after the game and mentioned to her how I want to help shift momentum at home any way I can as part of public address, and she said she wanted to nominate me as "Announcer of the Year", a title I would be happy to take. But really, none of it is possible without the players on the floor who give it their all and try to not only give me fuel to pump them and the crowd up, but also to use that fuel to push themselves up a notch. I'm just happy to help and try to give them something of a home court advantage.
To be 3-4 at the halfway mark of conference play is all right, given the toughness of this conference, though this team could easily be (and the argument could be made that they should be) 5-2 in CCIW play. As it is though, it's been a much better year than last year. This team still has potential. I'll go over both the women's and men's programs and how they rank in the CCIW tomorrow.
No comments:
Post a Comment