Game Notes: (WBK) North Park University @ North Central College (1/7/17)

Final Score
NCC 88, NPU 87

Game Summary
Early on, it looked like the Cardinals (9-5, 3-2) were going to have their way in this game as they scored the game's first nine points. But the Vikings (8-6, 1-4) shot their way back into the contest from beyond the arc, though early foul trouble got the Cardinals to the line early and often, which was enough to keep North Central up 27-24 after one. The Vikings stole momentum immediately in the second quarter, tying the game on their first possession, then grabbing their first lead the next time down. North Park would lead by as many as seven, but a 10-2 Cardinal run flipped the script and got NCC back in front, as they took a 45-41 lead into the locker room. North Park came out strong in the third quarter, and managed to overcome leads of as big as six to tie the game, but the Cardinals had an answer every time, and would go into the fourth quarter up 68-64 after a late North Park three. Back to back Cardinal threes early in the fourth gave North Central an eight point lead, but a 7-0 Viking run made it a one point game. North Park would tie the game at 80, and then again at 85, but both times the Cardinals answered with a huge three, and after a layup with 52 seconds to go, it was a one point game. The Cardianls weren't able to get a bucket, and the Vikings had 20 seconds to win the game. A missed jumper was tipped out of bounds by the Cardinals with 7.8 left, allowing for one final attempt, but it was blocked, and North Central was able to run out the clock.

Key Stats

• NPU: 13-36 3PT (36.1%). Usually against The System you don't see a ton of threes taken, but North Park has some good shooters on their team. Liz Rehberger, after going off for 42 last year, only scored 14 but went 4-8 from deep, while freshman Emmy Gryna hit five of 13 from beyond the arc. This kept North Park in the game.
• NCC: 24-35 FT (68.6%). I've been taking note of late about North Central's free throw shooting; they've been struggling for much of the year, but this was a key for the Cardinals' victory tonight. North Park committed nine fouls in the opening quarter alone, and the Cardinals were able to take advantage of the opportunities for free points. This is crucial going forward.
• Jamie Cuny (NCC): 2-6 FG (2-5 3PT); 6 pts, 4 reb (1 off), 1 ast, 5 blk. Jamie's been battling recurring injuries to her shoulder for much of the season, which is probably why she didn't start on Saturday. But she didn't look the part of an injured player; she made an impact on defense early on, but it was her clutch play late that sealed the deal. She hit a three to make it 83-80 North Central, then hit what ended up being the game-winner inside of two minutes. And to top it all off, she had the key block of Shaylee Sloan with time running out to seal the victory.

North Central System Watch

• NPU Turnovers: 28. North Park had the predictable troubles with the press, though most of their turnovers came from North Central's 20 steals. Paula Zerante had four, Diamond Calicott picked up three, and five Cardinals each notched two. The Cardinals also forced a backcourt violation that I motioned for for a second or two at the table before the trailing ref made the call... but in hindsight, we may have gotten away with it. Oh well, it makes up for a five minute stoppage for a shot clock reset on a ball that clearly hit the rim.
• NCC 3PT: 10-46 (21.7%). Usually when there's a shooting night like this where seemingly everything was rimming out, you'd expect a North Central loss. But they hit threes when they needed to, and got enough of an effort at the line and in the paint from players like Natali Dimitrova to overcome the rough night and get the win.
• NCC Charges Drawn: 1. Anita Sterling was back at it, drawing one in the early going. Paula Zerante tried to draw one in the final minute but didn't get the call, possibly due to a lack of contact.

CCIW Scoreboard Watch

• @ Carroll 75 (1-11, 1-3), Millikin 73 (7-6, 1-4)
• Elmhurst 59 (10-3, 2-2), @ Carthage 56 (8-5, 3-2)
• @ Illinois Wesleyan 66 (8-5, 3-1), Wheaton 65 (9-3, 3-1)
• BYE: Augustana (10-3, 3-1)

Final Thoughts
I was nervous about this game going into it. North Park insiders noted a struggling Viking team, but that wasn't the team I saw come into Merner on Saturday. North Park played this road game about as well as you can play a road game, and just came up short. Meanwhile for the Cardinals, it was a great home win and their third straight in CCIW play. After that tough 0-2 start with five point losses to the preseason favorites, the Cardinals have taken advantage of the teams they're supposed to, and they're right in the thick of the race.

This was a huge win especially in light of the fact that North Central was less than 100 percent. Siarra O'Neill did not dress for this one, and Mayson Whipple is out for the rest of the year after suffering an injury in the Roosevelt Classic a week and a half ago. Fortunately, players like Paula Zerante and Caroline Heimerdinger stepped up and filled her shoes. Zerante took over Mayson's point guard spot on the Hero Line, and played very well considering she was in foul trouble pretty much the whole night.

North Central has another tough test on Wednesday as they welcome in Augustana. The Vikings are undergoing a resurgence under head coach Mark Beinborn, who has instituted an up-tempo offense that has the Vikings second in the CCIW in scoring. We're going to be in for a barn burner, and possibly the second game this season where the combined scoring record gets broken, but it's also a crucial game between CCIW Tournament contenders.