Game Notes: (WBK) Wheaton College @ North Central College (1/30/16)

Final Score
Wheaton 98, NCC 85

Game Summary
This game gave me feelings of déjà vu from last year as the Thunder (15-4, 7-2) jumped out to an early 11-3 advantage. The Cardinals (10-10, 4-5) went on to score the next eight points, however, to tie the game and actually led 16-13 after one. The Cardinals stayed red hot in the second quarter and would lead by as many as 11 points before settling into a 45-39 halftime advantage. The Thunder came out primed to turn things around in the third quarter though, as two quick threes tied the game. The Cardinals stayed with them for a bit, but went cold from outside as the Thunder used a 32-17 advantage in the quarter to take a nine point lead into the final ten minutes. The Cardinals made a couple small runs, getting as close as 87-83 in the closing minutes before the Thunder put the game away.

Key Stats

• Katie McDaniels (WHE): 10-20 FG (0-4 3PT), 8-10 FT; 28 pts, 9 reb (4 off), 10 ast, 3 stl. Normally it's the forwards who cause the most chaos against the system, but much like the North Park loss, a guard went off for a monster performance. McDaniels was great in transition, driving to the basket all but at will, distributing the ball well, and pretty much taking over the game in the second half.
• Kelly Lawson (WHE): 8-13 FG (1-2 3PT), 5-10 FT; 22 pts, 17 reb (6 off), 4 ast. Lawson was the other key in the second half run for the Thunder, as she shot the ball incredibly well and was almost unstoppable on the glass as the game went on, with 11 of her rebounds coming after halftime.
• Hannah Considine (WHE): 7-13 FG, 5-7 FT; 19 pts, 14 reb (8 off), 4 ast, 1 stl. Wheaton's top big had a pretty good day, even as I though partway through the game that the Cardinals defended her pretty well overall. She was able to take advantage of her open looks though, and was another force on the glass. 

North Central System Watch

• Wheaton Turnovers: 18. This is a problem. Wheaton was very disciplined with the ball, as they didn't have any five or ten second calls. They traveled a few times, but this happens in every game. Nine of the turnovers came from Cardinal steals, led by Michaela Reedy with two.
• NCC 3PT: 16-50 (32.0%). On the surface, this was a good night. Problem is, this was a streaky 32 percent. The Cardinals hit 11 of 25 in the first half for q scorching 44 percent. It's what got them the lead, but I feared a second half regression to the mean, and it's exactly what happened as the Cardinals cooled to 5-25 in the last 20 minutes.
• NCC Charges Drawn: 1. Anita Sterling got back on the board late in the game, though I think the outcome was still in reasonable doubt at the time. After struggling all game again with an offense that knows her tendency to draw charges and was pulling up for jumpers or passing off to the open teammate, she was at least able to get something.

CCIW Scoreboard Watch

• @ Elmhurst 70 (12-8, 6-3), Millikin 62 (7-13, 0-9) 
• @ Augustana 62 (9-11, 4-5), North Park 55 (14-6, 5-4)
• Illinois Wesleyan 75 (12-8, 7-2), @ Carthage 72 (7-13, 3-6)

Final Thoughts
I'm not going to lie: I thought we had them. But the Wheaton demons continue, and I have to give a ton of credit to Thunder coach Kent Madsen. He always has this team prepared for these games, and even though it's clear the gap is closed from what it used to be, Wheaton is just so fundamentally sound, they're tough to beat. As much as I want to harp on the foul disparity (25 fouls on the Cardinals to just 14 on Wheaton), I can't pin it on that; not when you go ice cold from beyond the arc in the second half combined with Wheaton getting an assist on 28 of their 36 field goals. That's fantastic ball movement, my friends.

Despite the disappointing loss, other results in conference keep the Cardinals just one game out of the tournament with five to play. The schedule gets harder from here though, as North Central travels to Augustana on Wednesday before coming home to face Illinois Wesleyan on Saturday.