IWU 94, NCC 47
Game Summary
This one started out reasonably enough as the Titans (7-2, 3-0) scored nine of the game's first 11 points. The Cardinals (1-6, 1-2) showed resolve though, scoring seven unanswered to tie the game. Wesleyan regained control and despite a late three that cut North Central's deficit to three, the Titans answered with one of their own at the end of the frame to make it 19-13. After those fairly optimistic first ten minutes, plus a Lyndsay Brennan jumper to cut it to four, the Titans went on a 12-2 run and put on a continued offensive clinic from there, taking a 46-22 lead into the locker room. It was more of the same in the third as after Natali Dimitrova opened the second half with a layup, the Titans scored 20 unanswered points to turn the game into a laugher. In garbage time, North Central at least proved competitive, only getting outscored 23-18 in the final ten minutes.
Key Stats
- IWU: 40-72 FG (55.6%). Combine this with the fact that 56 of the Titans' 94 points came in the paint, you do the math. The Titans got way too many open looks at the basket, and converted on basically all of them. They also had an efficient day from deep (6-16, 37.5%).
- Ashley Schneider (IWU): 7-8 FG (1-1 3PT), 1-3 FT; 16 pts, 5 reb (1 off), 2 stl. You could basically take your pick of any of the Titan regulars and they would be a fit in the key stats section. Schneider earned the nod after having the most efficient day out of anyone, and she did all this damage in just 25 minutes of action.
- IWU: Outrebounded NCC 54-30. With no Cardinal really having a good day by any stretch of the imagination, this was another number I was curious to see about, and wasn't terribly surprised by, other than maybe that the disparity was this great. Part of it was a poor shooting night by NCC, but the Titans also grabbed 14 offensive rebounds. The amazing thing is how spread out the rebounding duties went. Four different players tied for the team lead with five boards apiece, four other players grabbed four, three grabbed three apiece, and the team low was two, tied for by two guards who play towards the bottom of Mia Smith's rotation. North Central's Brennan led all rebounders with seven, for what it's worth.
- IWU Turnovers: 14. Just your usual, disciplined outing for a fundamentally sound Titan team. The Cardinals were able to rack up eight steals, led by a pair from Bekah Foley. For comparison's sake, the Titans picked up 14 steals on their end as a part of forcing 20 Cardinal turnovers.
- NCC 3PT: 4-24 (16.7%). Occasionally you'll have bad shooting days, even like this, but I can't remember the last time the Cardinals shot this poorly from deep. They didn't take a ton of shots, but they also made very few of them. It's hard to win on a day like this, though this wasn't the sole reason they lost.
- NCC FT: 5-11 (45.5%). Again, not a major factor in the defeat, but the alarming trend continues. This is a team that will lose close games because of things like this (and they have already this season). For the year, the team is at 51.0%.
- @ Elmhurst 71 (4-4, 2-1), Wheaton XX (4-3, 1-2)
- @ Carthage 74 (5-3, 1-2), Augustana 67 (5-2, 1-1)
- Carroll 69 (2-6, 1-1), @ Millikin 65 (3-4, 0-3)
- @ Chicago 78, North Park 36 (5-2, 2-0)
Final Thoughts
During the five years North Central ran The System, they sported a 5-6 overall record against the Titans, with the difference being their 2016 CCIW Tournament meeting. The Cardinals only won a pair in Gregory Arena, but boasted three victories down in Bloomington in their last four trips. This game, however, harkened back to the 2012 and 2013 matchups with the Titans, when Illinois Wesleyan won a national title and carried over a bunch of players from that team the following year. The talent level isn't quite that disparate, but I think the energy level definitely was. Sadly, this isn't the first time these Cardinals have come out flat at home. But after the thrilling win on Wednesday, I expected some level of momentum to carry over. I wish I had an answer for why it didn't.
North Central closes out the first part of their CCIW schedule at 1-2. It matches last year's mark at this stage, and honestly is about where I would have pegged them, even going into the campaign. If you look at the standings on the main page (if you're reading this on mobile, scroll to the bottom and cBut I fear the team that I'd pegged for a minimum six wins in the conference (and officially predicted nine for) may be fighting to even hit that threshold of six. They've got a few weeks to continue to get the kinks out, but it won't be easy.
The Cardinals are right back at it tonight, taking on a UW-Stevens Point team that doesn't have as strong a record as I feared they would, but I'm sure will still pose a very tough test for a Cardinal team that desperately needs to find a spark.
North Central closes out the first part of their CCIW schedule at 1-2. It matches last year's mark at this stage, and honestly is about where I would have pegged them, even going into the campaign. If you look at the standings on the main page (if you're reading this on mobile, scroll to the bottom and cBut I fear the team that I'd pegged for a minimum six wins in the conference (and officially predicted nine for) may be fighting to even hit that threshold of six. They've got a few weeks to continue to get the kinks out, but it won't be easy.
The Cardinals are right back at it tonight, taking on a UW-Stevens Point team that doesn't have as strong a record as I feared they would, but I'm sure will still pose a very tough test for a Cardinal team that desperately needs to find a spark.
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