Game Notes: (WBK) Carthage College @ North Central College (2/10/16)

Final Score
NCC 109, Carthage 87

Game Summary
After surrendering a basket on their first defensive possession, the Cardinals (12-11, 6-6) scored seven straight points to establish early control. The Lady Reds (9-14, 5-7) kept things close though thanks to a foul heavy quarter, but the Cardinals led 32-26 after one. The whistles subsided a lot in the second, and despite Carthage getting the first four points of the frame, the Cardinals pushed back ahead, leading by as many as 11 before taking a 51-44 lead into the break. The Lady Reds tried to keep pace, but a 12-0 Cardinal run extended the lead to 20, and the Cardinals kept that distance for the remainder of the contest.

Key Stats

• Mayson Whipple (NCC): 7-13 FG (3-5 3PT); 17 pts, 4 reb, 8 ast, 2 stl. I continue to be amazed at how Mayson has developed into the perfect point guard for The System. She's the conference leader in assists and added more above her average last night while leading the team in scoring. She's going to be a key part of this team the rest of the way and onward.
• Jamie Cuny (NCC): 4-7 FG (4-6 3PT); 12 pts, 8 reb, 1 stl, 5 blk. Ho hum, another solid night for the anchor of the defense. Jamie was also lethal from long range again and picked up right where she left off on Saturday in shot blocking. This gives her 79 for the season with two games to play.
• Morgan Vukovich (CAR): 10-20 FG, 4-4 FT; 24 pts, 7 reb (4 off), 3 ast. As usual the forwards are the ones who do the most offensive damage for Cardinal opponents, with Vukovich showing some nice touch on her midrange jumpers as well as her layups. She had the best night for the Lady Reds, though others like Bailey Gilbert (21 points on 7-14 shooting) were also very good.

North Central System Watch

• Carthage Turnovers: 30. The Lady Reds had an awful time against the Cardinal press, throwing multiple passes away while also getting called for ten second violations twice. The Cardinals also managed 16 steals, led by Caroline Heimerdinger's three.
• NCC 3PT: 18-49 (36.7%). I have no idea how the Cardinals aren't over 30 percent for the season, because they have consistently been over 30 percent in pretty much every conference home game. This one wasn't a huge tale of getting red hot for a short stretch, as the team shot 32.1 percent in the first half and 42.9 percent in the second half. They were on pretty much all game.
• NCC Charges Drawn: 2. Anita Sterling locks up the home title for the year with one in the first quarter and another in the final frame. Her first one was a gift, honestly. Carthage coach Tim Bernero was arguing that she "slid under" and/or wasn't set, but she was; problem was she fell before contact was initiated. It's part of the art though, and Anita is one of the best at it.

CCIW Scoreboard Watch

• @ Illinois Wesleyan 79 (14-9, 9-3), Augustana 57 (10-13, 5-7)
• @ Elmhurst 75 (13-10, 7-5), North Park 65 (16-7, 7-5)
• @ Wheaton 73 (17-5, 9-3), Millikin 34 (7-16, 0-12)

Final Thoughts
First and foremost, my thoughts and prayers go out to Carthage guard Morgan Harris. She got hurt in the second quarter, and early reports made it sound like it was pretty bad and probably her knee. I want to wish her a speedy recovery.

With Harris in the game, Carthage was able to keep it close even though she was struggling from the field. She had enough of an impact elsewhere that the team was doing well, and without her in the second half they didn't have the depth to keep up.

With the win, the Cardinals close their home schedule with an 8-4 record, which is very good. It means I'm doing my job well, and the team is feeding off the energy to perform well. The Cardinals also have a game up on the Lady Reds with two to play, and have effectively, thanks to some help, turned this into a three team race for the final two CCIW Tournament spots.

The Cardinals control their fate the rest of the way, as they have road dates with Elmhurst and North Park the next two Saturday's, and those are the two teams ahead of NCC in the conference. A win over Elmhurst on Saturday gives the Cardonals the head to head tiebreaker over the Blue Jays and would all but seal a third tournament berth in four years for Michelle Roof and company.

It's been an honor once again to be the voice of Cardinal basketball, and now my speaking role is complete for the year. I will continue to cover both teams though until their campaigns are complete.