Game Notes: (WBK) Elmhurst College @ North Central College (2/11/17)

Final Score
Elmhurst 85, NCC 65

Game Summary
This had the makings of a great game early on as the Cardinals (11-11, 5-8) were hitting from beyond the arc and led by as many as seven, but the Blue Jays (18-5, 10-4) were able to keep pace. The Cardinals had a few leads including one at 22-19 with about three minutes to go in the first quarter before the wheels fell off. Elmhurst scored the next 15 points bridging the first and second quarters and the Cardinals went almost six minutes between field goals, allowing the Blue Jays to build a 46-31 halftime lead. The second half started slow, though the Cardinals got the opening basket, but the Blue Jays went on a 13-2 run to blow the game open. It was 63-42 Elmhurst after three, and the Blue Jays would lead by as many as 28 before settling into that final margin, while the Cardinals were able to get curtain calls for all four seniors on Senior Night. With the victory, Elmhurst clinched a berth in the CCIW Tournament, while the Cardinals are eliminated.

Key Stats

• Mikaela Eppard (ELM): 10-13 FG, 2-5 FT; 22 pts, 15 reb (2 off), 3 ast, 1 blk, 2 stl. Considering Eppard went off for 39 in the meeting at Elmhurst, a 22-15 line seems very quiet by comparison. But Eppard showed why she is the front runner for the CCIW's Most Outstanding Player this season, getting plenty of easy opportunities under the basket and did a great job on the boards. She's a fitting heir to Fiona McMahon, who won a Most Outstanding Player Award of her own a couple years ago for the Blue Jays.
• Kaela Jones (ELM): 6-11 FG (1-2 3PT), 1-1 FT; 14 pts, 9 reb (1 off), 6 ast. I was pretty impressed with how Jones played on Saturday as well. Elmhurst did a great job moving the ball around to find the open woman against NCC's trapping defense, and often Jones either was the open player or found her. Her six assists paced the team, and the Blue Jays as a squad got assists on 31 of their 37 field goals. That's insane.
• Paula Zerante (NCC): 4-8 FG (3-4 3PT), 3-4 FT; 14 pts, 1 reb, 1 stl. Of the four seniors in action, Paula probably had the best night, being the only Cardinal to score in double figures. It's a pretty good way to perform on Senior Night for one of the most energetic Cardinals I've seen.

North Central System Watch

• Elmhurst Turnovers: 29. Overall, not a terrible number. North Central logged 17 steals, paced by four from Michaela Reedy and three from Siarra O'Neil.
• NCC 3PT: 9-39 (23.1%). The Cardinals started okay, hitting a few first quarter threes to get a good start before cooling off a bit. The team was still at 31.3 percent by halftime with a 5-16 clip. The second half was not ideal though, as the Cardinals only went 4-23 for a 17.4 percent clip. You can't shoot that poorly against a team that good and expect to win.
• NCC Charges Drawn: 2. Anita Sterling picked up one more on Senior Night, and Jessica Dahle also drew one in the third quarter. I don't know that she will necessarily take on Anita's mantle or if anyone will end up at the Sophie Newson/Anita Sterling School of Drawing Charges, but I hope so because this is a fun stat to keep and one that needs to be kept as an official stat.

CCIW Scoreboard Watch

• Augustana 72 (16-7, 9-5), @ Carroll 51 (1-20, 1-12)
• Illinois Wesleyan 80 (16-6, 11-2), @ Carthage 49 (12-10, 6-7)
• Illinois Wesleyan clinches a CCIW Tournament berth.
• @ Wheaton 90 (18-4, 11-2), North Park 58 (11-12, 4-10)
• Wheaton clinches a CCIW Tournament berth.
• BYE: Millikin (9-13, 3-10)

Final Thoughts
All in all, the night was kind of a bummer. Senior Night is an emotional night, and Elmhurst has become a big rival on the women's side, so to get swept, especially on Senior Night, and have the loss eliminate you from the tournament for the first time in three years, it's a tough one. I think I've accepted though that this team wasn't quite as good as I expected coming in, though the team was also battered by injuries and has had some struggles in other key areas. This is a young team overall though, and one that has room to improve. They'll be back in the mix.

Since it was Senior Night, I wanted to make sure I recorded the moment for posterity. You can view the Senior Night festivities, national anthem, and starting lineups below.

#d3h Senior Night for @NCCWBB! https://t.co/oy1W95rs6j

— Lucas Mitzel (@northsider89) February 11, 2017

The Cardinals have three contests left, including one at home on Wednesday against Carroll that I won't be able to attend due to another commitment. I've already left instructions with Michelle Roof and a player or two to not break any records without me. After that, the Cardinals close the season on the road at Illinois Wesleyan and at Augustana. If the Cardinals can play a spoiler role in either of those games, it would be a nice note to end the year on, especially given the tough losses the Cardinals took at home against both teams.