Game Notes: Louisiana College vs North Central College (11/17/17)

Final Score
Louisiana 77, NCC 71

Game Summary
Playing in Wheaton College's Beth Baker Classic to open the season, the Cardinals (0-1) started out pretty well, playing good defense and getting some early baskets, leading by as many as six in the opening frame. But the Wildcats (2-0) fought back and managed to narrow the gap to a single point after one quarter. The bottom fell out in the second quarter, as the Wildcats got a three from RyDeja McQuarn to take the lead a minute in, and while the Cardinals would tie it right back up, the Wildcats took command with a 12-4 run over the next four minutes and opened up a 42-26 halftime lead. Whatever coach Michelle Roof said in the locker room worked, as the Cardinals came back with a barrage of threes, using a 16-8 run to help narrow the gap to as close as 50-45 before the Wildcats recovered. They led 60-52 after three and would push the lead to 11 in the fourth, but the Cardinals had one more rally in them, using a 9-1 run over the next two minutes to cut the gap to 73-70. But North Central committed a pair of turnovers in the final minute and Louisiana was able to escape with the win.

Key Stats

• Brooke Jones (LC): 7-10 FG (0-1 3PT), 3-4 FT; 17 pts, 16 reb (6 off), 3 ast, 1 blk, 2 stl. In a game where North Central got outrebounded 52-42, you look for one player who jumps out at you, and Jones was it. She was able to hit not only layups, but some midrange jumpers as well which helped the Wildcats take command in this one.
• NCC: 15-25 FT (60%). I missed this both during the game itself and in my first look at the box score, but ye gods. There's one player in particular (I'll get to her) who needs to work on this, but you can't shoot 60 percent from the line with more opportunities than your opponent and expect to win.
• Natali Dimitrova (NCC): 5-10 FG (4-8 3PT), 2-7 FT; 16 pts, 4 reb, 2 ast, 1 stl. I thought all in all, Natali played really well. She was the hot shooter for the Cardinals yesterday and helped them both stake the early lead and make the late comeback. I would like to see a little more rebounding, obviously, and definitely an improvement at the line.

North Central "System" Watch

I use the term in quotations, because what North Central ran yesterday was not "The System" as we've become used to. The offense was still fairly similar, and the Cardinals still pressed a little bit, but not as much, and didn't do the hockey-style line changes yesterday. It meant a more normal minutes distribution and less fatigue, though the tempo of the game was still fairly fast. Anyway, I'm still going to look at the two major stats I've been looking at, while taking charges out of it because Anita Sterling is gone.

• Louisiana College Turnovers: 20. This isn't a bad total, given the change of pace. I wouldn't say the Wildcats played sloppy, especially since North Central committed 19 turnovers on their side. The Cardinals picked up 11 steals in this one, paced by three apiece from Haydn Braun and Lyndsay Brennan.
• NCC 3PT: 12-33 (36.4%). I feel like the Cardinals passed up some opportunities, especially early on. But in the first half, by and large the threes weren't falling, as they shot 4-17. They heated up in the second half because of course they did, but unfortunately it wasn't enough. On the whole though, I'll take that clip any day.

Final Thoughts

Yesterday was the first North Central women's game I attended as a fan since 2012. It's been a long time. But they were local and I wanted to go support them, and I also wanted to give Matthew an introduction to North Central basketball. I hadn't been to King Arena since 2010, and it's still as nice a facility (maybe even a little nicer) as it was when I was last there.

Ultimately, that second quarter is what killed the Cardinals. They gave up too many easy layups (48 points in the paint) and too many second chance points (18). I am happy with how they didn't just lay down and came out strong after halftime. They shot with confidence against a team that, one could argue, is more talented than them. Coach Roof even said that this team has been pretty good every year, though they had a down year last year before a late run. It ruins the 4-0 start I'd pegged the Cardinals for, but I think they have some good things they can take from this one. Their two freshmen who figure to play the most key of roles (Braun and Bekah Foley) both shot poorly in this one (combined 2-14, 0-6 from deep), and that won't happen every game.

North Central is back in action this afternoon against a not very good Lake Forest College team. Wheaton dispatched them 74-57 yesterday after I left, and this should be a good opportunity for North Central to get in the win column. After this they open their home schedule on Tuesday against Colorado College.