Game Notes: (WBK) Augustana College @ North Central College (1/13/16)

Final Score
NCC 98, Augustana 75

Game Summary
It was a game of runs in the opening quarter, as the Vikings (6-9, 1-3) used a 9-0 run to open up a lead, but the Cardinals (8-7, 2-2) answered with an 8-0 run to recapture the lead. Augie would lead by as many as six, but the Cardinals scored the final seven points of the quarter to lead 24-21. The Cardinals opened fire from long range in the second quarter to open up the advantage to 56-35 by halftime. Augie surged a bit to start the second half, the Cardinals fought it off, but the Vikings ultimately trimmed the deficit to 13 before the Cardinals came back to lead 75-58 after three. The Vikings hung around that range for most of the fourth quarter and even cut the lead back to 13, but the Cardinals got a three pointer and an old fashioned three point play to serve as the dagger.

Key Stats

• Jamie Cuny (NCC): 5-8 FG (3-4 3PT), 6-8 FT; 19 pts, 10 reb (1 off), 1 stl, 5 blk. This was probably Jamie's best game of the year to date. She hit a three on the opening possession to get things started off right, and just built off of it from there. Her 19 points ties her season high, and she did a phenomenal job on the glass, leading all rebounders by a comfortable margin. And the five blocks are just the cherry on top.
• Mayson Whipple (NCC): 3-8 FG (0-3 3PT), 10-11 FT; 16 pts, 6 reb, 8 ast, 2 stl. I think at this point, Mayson has established herself as the point guard of the future for this squad. She can beat just about anyone off the dribble, and despite having only a so-so day from the field, she was able to distribute the ball well and got to the line late to seal the win. I think she scored nine straight points for the Cardinals late in the fourth quarter at one point.
• Corrie Reiley (AUG): 6-13 FG (3-7 3PT), 4-4 FT; 19 pts, 4 reb, 1 ast. The freshman guard came off the bench and was a thorn in North Central's side in the second half as she got hot from outside for a bit to help the Vikings narrow the gap. Her 19 I'm assuming is a career high, as it's well above her 6.6 average for the season.

North Central System Watch

• Augie Turnovers: 19. The pressure defense hasn't been quite as prevalent at home of late, but the press did its job and the Cardinals did call off the dogs by the end of the game. These 19 turnovers include nine steals, paced by two apiece from Mayson Whipple and Michaela Reedy. The Cardinals also forced a ten second call in the opening quarter after tipping the ball out of bounds, which caught me off guard because I forgot that rule changed this year. 
• NCC 3PT: 16-38 (42.1%). All we were missing in the first half was the flames from NBA Jam around the whole team. The Cardinals took 22 first half threes and made 11. That's 50 percent, which I don't think has ever happened in the System Era. They regressed to the mean by the second half, but even then they were over 30 percent in the second half. This isn't quite last year's Carthage game, but it's pretty close.
• NCC Charges Drawn: 3. Anita Sterling did what she does best again, picking up one in each of the first three quarters. I've lost track of where she is for the season, at least at home, but she's the team leader by a landslide.

CCIW Scoreboard Watch

• Carthage 80 (6-9, 2-2), @ Elmhurst 69 (8-7, 2-2)
• @ Wheaton 57 (11-3, 3-1), North Park 52 (12-3, 3-1)
• @ Illinois Wesleyan 77 (8-7, 3-1), Millikin 54 (7-8, 0-4)

Final Thoughts
This was a great all around win. Things got a little dicey in the second half as Augie was fighting back, but the Cardinals made key baskets at critical times to end the runs and hang on to win. I'm a little concerned with the tendency for missed layups at times, and while the three point shooting made up for it, that may not work against the elite teams of the conference.

Regardless, through four games the Cardinals are right in the thick of the CCIW race, which is right where we expected them to be. They now have a tough two game road trip ahead to a resurgent Illinois Wesleyan team (though they've won two in a row at the Shirk Center) and Carthage (Tarble Arena had been a house of horrors for this team in recent history). They'll return home on January 23rd to close out the first round robin of CCIW play against Elmhurst.