NCC 103, NPU 70
Game Summary
It was a slow start for the Cardinals (21-4, 10-4), who couldn't get much going offensively as the Vikings (13-12, 5-9) jumped out to an early 10-4 lead. North Central worked its way back into the game with three point shooting and some free throws, eventually retaking and trading the advantage before leading by as many as 13 before settling into a 43-34 halftime edge. The threes continued to fall in the second half as the Cardinals built their lead with no North Park answer in sight, eventually seeing the Cardinals lead by as big as the final margin. They got the Big Macs with about a minute and a half to play, marking the 12th time this season they reached the 100-point plateau, which I'm pretty sure is an NCAA record.
Key Stats
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| Poster given to the seniors yesterday |
- Tess Godhardt (NCC): 11-15 FG, 8-11 FT; 30 pts, 7 reb (5 off), 4 stl. The leading scorer in the CCIW cemented her place there with a phenomenal outing, especially in the second half. She went into intermission with only nine points on 2-6 shooting, largely because she was getting mugged down low with few whistles. She took over in the second half though and helped the Cardinals pull away.
- Maryssa Cladis (NCC): 3-11 FG (all 3PT), 3-4 FT; 12 pts, 3 reb, 3 ast, 3 stl. Her Senior Night performance was a good one as well, even if her three point shooting wasn't outstanding. Scoring in double figures and adding three triples to her total that ranks second all time in North Central history is no small feat. She had a good overall floor game too.
- Bobbi Johns (NCC): 0-3 FG (all 3PT), 2-4 FT; 2 pts, 3 reb (2 off), 7 ast, 2 stl. I'll keep up with the senior theme for this post. Bobbi passed up multiple layup opportunities, but she's done a great job this season allowing her driving to open up shots for teammates, and her seven dimes makes it the ninth season of at least 100 assists, and she's the fifth Cardinal ever to reach that mark.
- NPU Turnovers: 30. I thought this might be higher; the officials called traveling a ton last night. At one point early in the game, the two teams had combined for 16 turnovers, then the Cardinals started a long stretch without one. Among these 30 turnovers was a five-second inbounding call, not one that happens too often.
- NCC 3PT: 13-53 (24.5%). Not the best shooting outing, but certainly nothing to sneeze at. Anita Sterling had another good outing, hitting three of four from beyond the arc, while Maryssa tied for the team lead with three triples.
- NCC Charges Drawn: 2. They didn't get any in the first half, but picked up a couple late. Jamie Cuny drew the first one (that I actually didn't have a good vantage point for), and then Therese Pettersson drew the other one while she had four fouls. I'll have to run the numbers through again, but I'd bet T won the home side of the charges race, which I continue to maintain needs to be kept as an official statistic.
- Elmhurst 82 (16-9, 9-5), @ Illinois Wesleyan 75 (10-15, 4-10)
- @ Wheaton 71 (22-3, 12-2), Augustana 35 (9-16, 3-11)
- @ Millikin 76 (14-11, 5-9), Carthage 59 (15-10, 8-6)
This is how you want to go out as a senior. They had a phenomenal game, and with the win, clinched the number two seed in the CCIW Tournament. This was also kind of a bittersweet night, as it's the last game I announce for this year's squad. I had a great moment post game with both Coach Roof and Bobbi Johns with big hugs from both since during any future games I do this year, I have to be neutral per the NCAA.The CCIW Tournament is this coming weekend, and I'll have a tournament preview coming up early this week with a look at all the participants. I'm just glad the ride isn't over yet. Elmhurst awaits Friday night with their win and Carthage's loss to Millikin, and we have to beware either Carthage or Wheaton on Saturday should they advance. Either way, hopefully an NCAA Tournament bid is also in the cards for this squad. They've earned it.
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