Game Notes: North Park University at North Central College (2/16/13)

Final Score
NPU 91, NCC 89

Game Summary
In what was, objectively, a great game, the Cardinals (12-12, 5-8) got the first points on the board before the Vikings (14-10, 5-8) came back to take the lead and would be up by as many as 7 in the half. The Cardinals kept it close, only trailing by 2 going into the break after a Callie Rezin layup. The second half was a complete back-and-forth contest where neither team led by more than a couple possessions. In a game with 9 ties and 13 lead changes it seemed destined to come down to the last possession... which it did (see below).

Key Stats

• Kamauria Acree (NPU): 9-15 FG (1-1 3PT), 1-1 FT, 20 pts, 6 reb (3 ofr), 6 ast, 2 stl. North Central had just tied the game with 9 seconds left and North Park had possession before calling timeout with 5.8 seconds left. Then, in a sequence that will probably haunt my nightmares for a while, Acree ended up with the ball, drove down the left side and got an uncontested layup with a tenth of a second left to win the game. A phenomenal second half where she got to the basket at will certainly set it up, as did overaggressive defense by the Cardinals, though she took advantage and earned that basket.
• Sarah Peterson (NPU): 12-20 FG (2-3 3pt), 5-5 FT, 31 pts, 11 reb (2 ofr), 8 ast, 5 blk, 5 stl. Peterson played really well, but I didn't realize she finished with a quintuple-nickel until looking at the box score. Her three's were wide open and came at critical times, and she was lethal down low. A great game for her.
• NCC Free Throws: 10-20 (50%). In this tight a game, free throws are huge, so to only hit half of them is not a good sign. Put the Cardinals at their season average of just over 65 percent, that's an extra 3 points, which would have been enough to win. Alas.

North Central System Watch

• Line Changes: At least 40. I lost count again given the ending, but it was the pace we were on. Coach Roof really had to shuffle the lines tonight with only 13 players playing due to injuries.
• NCC 3pt: 15-35 (42.9%). I'm pretty sure that's the best line all year. This was a good shooting night from deep for this team, and most nights this would win you the ball game were it not for missing a lot of layups and free throws.
• NPU Turnovers: 28. A good number once again for this team, with 11 coming off Cardinal steals and it led to 23 Cardinal points. NCC did turn it over 22 times themselves though, which didn't help.

Final Thoughts
From an objective standpoint, this was a fantastic game. From a North Central standpoint, I felt like I got punched in the stomach. This was a painful way to end the home slate. I felt bad for all the seniors tonight, especially Jenny Swanson seeing her reaction after the game. Of all the games in any sport I've ever attended, this was probably the worst loss I've ever suffered as a fan.

On the whole though, it's been an honor to get such a good seat to see this team this year. I've been skeptical of a lot of things with this squad and the over reliance on the press and the three this year, but this has truly been a fun team to announce for, especially when the shots are falling. They went 6-6 at home this year, 5-5 with me behind the mic (I was sick for one game and out of town for another), and this team isn't going away with as much youth still remains.

Tonight was Senior Night and I did want to take a moment to honor the 3 seniors going out tonight. Emily Murphy was an excellent presence down low and has been a good leader for this team while bringing consistency every night (she finished with 6 points and 3 boards). Jenny Swanson is one of the best shooters I've ever seen, and it was an honor to get to rebound for her warming up even if her numbers this year don't reflect that (they did tonight, with 9 points on 3 treys and 3 boards). And Sophie Newson is one of those players that does all the little things and is thee master of the charge (she drew at least a couple and should have had more, also finishing with a team high 14 points and 7 boards). Drawing charges is a dying art and something I hope other players pick up on next year.

To Coach Roof, her assistants and players, and to NCC's SID Clark Teuscher and AD Jim Miller, thanks for letting me make a fool of myself for another season doing something I love, and I hope to be back again next year!