Game Notes: (WBK) Benedictine University @ North Central College(12/17/15)

Final Score
NCC 104, Benedictine 88

Game Summary
The Cardinals (4-4) got off to a slow start offensively, but were locked in defensively as the Eagles (8-2) struggled to hang onto the ball. A 14-0 Cardinal run built a 10 point lead, and it hovered around that for most of the frame with North Central taking a 23-12 lead after one quarter. The Cardinals got into foul trouble in the second quarter, mucking up the pace of the game and allowing the Eagles to get back into it. They closed the gap to three a couple times, but the Cardinals hit well-times threes, including one right before the buzzer to go into the locker room up 44-38. The Cardinals would build their lead to 59-49 at one point, but an 11-0 Eagle run gave Benedictine the lead. North Central answered back to retake the lead, and held onto a 72-66 lead after three. The Eagles surged to start the fourth, hitting a three to make it 76-73 Cardinals, but North Central went on an 11-2 run to put the game away.

Key Stats

• Mayson Whipple (NCC): 7-15 FG (1-5 3PT); 15 pts, 2 reb (1 off), 3 ast, 2 stl. It was hard to narrow this list of key stats down with seven Cardinals scoring in double figures, but Mayson was one of the leading scorers on the team with 15 points. She struggled from deep, but was able to get to the basket plenty of times. On a night like this where the threes weren't really falling, they needed offense from other sources, and Mayson helped provide it. She was also second on the team in assists last night, which is a good sign.
• Corrine Rowe (NCC): 6-12 FG (1-4 3PT), 2-4 FT; 15 pts, 2 ast, 3 stl. In just her second game this season due to injury, she looked pretty good. Her handles are better than they were last year and she seems to be a little more disciplined with a year of experience. She was also able to get to the basket for some key buckets to help create offense, and was good in the press at stealing the ball.
• Paula Zerante (NCC): 5-9 FG (1-2 3PT), 4-4 FT; 15 pts, 4 reb, 2 stl. A lot of balance among these three guards, but Paula may have had the best night. She had a pair of and-ones at some key moments in the game to help keep the tide in the Cardinals' favor and had one of the best shooting nights out of everyone.

North Central System Watch

• Benedictine Turnovers: 41. This is a ton, even by North Central standards. The Eagles couldn't handle the pressure early, coughing it up 14 times in the first ten minutes. They calmed down a ton in the second quarter, only committing seven, but still had 20 more turnovers in the second half. Of those, 23 came on Cardinal steals, paced by four from Kim Wilson. Corrine Rowe and Jamie Cuny each had three thefts.
• NCC 3PT: 12-53 (22.6%). I think the Cardinals may have had as many air balls as they did made threes last night. It was pretty rough to watch. That said, when they needed a key three to fall, they made it happen. This brings them down to 26.7 percent for the season, but with the sheer volume of shots, it almost doesn't matter. I'm sure they'll get their legs back under them again.
• NCC Charges Drawn: 3. Guess who? Anita Sterling drew one in the first quarter, then another in the second quarter, both of which were kind of close but legit despite the protestations of Benedictine's coach. Her third charge was a no-doubter, and one that I have no idea why Benedictine's coach protested it.

Final Thoughts
I did some scouting Thursday morning to see what the Cardinals were up against, and it kind of surprised me that Benedictine was 8-1 coming into the game. They've taken advantage of, honestly, a soft schedule with their first loss coming at home to Elmhurst before rattling off that eight game winning streak against the bottom of the NACC and some non-conference tilts against teams that are not off to good starts. This is clearly a pretty good team, don't get me wrong, but their record was clearly artificially inflated. Also, shooting 11 of 29 at the free throw line didn't help their cause.

It doesn't really show up in the stats, but there's one other player who impressed me last night: Kelly Wallner. The sophomore was playing in her first game of the season, and she did all right. She went 0-3 from the field, all threes, but she had four rebounds, a steal, and played phenomenal defense down low, altering probably at least half a dozen shots last night. They need that defense just as much as they need the offense, and it helps to have some reliable help in the back.

The Cardinals go on their longest road trip of the season now, with a trip to Dubuque on Saturday, followed by a tournament at Otterbein in Ohio after Christmas to prep for CCIW play. The Cardinals will open their adventure into the Gauntlet at home against North Park on January 2nd.