Game Notes: (WBK) Concordia University- Wisconsin @ North Central College (11/30/24)

Final Score
NCC 85, CUW 66

Game Summary
This one didn't start the greatest, as while the Cardinals (4-2) were able to get some early points, the Falcons (0-4) were able to answer quickly back, and built a 25-18 lead after one quarter. They pushed that lead to double digits at 34-24 midway through the second quarter, then the Cardinals made their run, outscoring the Falcons 10-1 to get back into the game, and briefly taking a lead before going into the break tied at 38. A three for NCC opened the second half scoring, and the Cardinals never trailed again as they fairly quickly pushed the lead to double digits.

Key Players

• Jocelyn Trotter (NCC): 7-13 FG (1-1 3PT), 1-1 FT; 16 pts, 14 reb (5 off), 4 ast, 1 blk, 2 stl. Make it two straight double-doubles and three for the year as the sophomore is almost averaging one through six games this season (she's one rebound shy). While Trotter led the team in scoring, it wasn't in a dominant, take-over-the-game way. She hit the go-ahead three early in the second half that gave the Cardinals the lead for good, and got many of her other baskets either off putbacks or takeaways. And the rebounding was great to see.
• Josylin Simmons-Doxie (NCC): 6-10 FG (1-1 3PT); 13 pts, 5 reb, 8 ast, 3 stl. JSD was a complementary piece off the bench for most of last year, but the senior has stepped into a starting role this year and is excelling so far. This was a good floor game where she attacked the basket, took advantage of an open look from deep, found open teammates, and wreaked havoc on the defensive end. She's a key part of NCC's pressure defense off made baskets, and it shows.
• Gracie McNabb (CUW): 7-11 FG (5-8 3PT); 19 pts, 3 reb, 2 ast. Probably the Falcons' best player, McNabb had a couple key buckets in the first half. She hit a three right before the first quarter buzzer that pushed the Falcon lead to seven, and she followed that up to tie the game at 38 right before halftime. I overheard Cardinal coach Maggie McCloskey-Bax mention to her team not to let her get hot, and while McNabb did get hot, it just wasn't enough this day.

Key Stats

• NCC: 20-23 FT (87.0%). In years past, free throw shooting has been a thing that's doomed the Cardinals, but in the two games I've seen in person so far this year that hasn't been the case. The Falcons played an aggressive defense on Saturday and were whistled for 24 fouls as a result of it. The Cardinals made them pay, and that's part of why the game went the way it did.
• CUW: 21 turnovers. This was the other piece. A whopping 16 Cardinal steals factored into this total as the aforementioned pressure defense wreaked havoc, especially in the second half. These 21 turnovers led to 24 Cardinal points. For comparison, 14 Cardinal turnovers led to 18 Falcon points.

CCIW Scoreboard Watch

• Elmhurst 69 (6-0), @ Manchester 67
• Webster 80, @ Augustana 68 (2-4)
• @ Ripon 71, Carroll 62 (4-3)
• @ Carthage 70 (5-1), MSOE 52
• IWU 65 (5-0), DePauw 59

Final Thoughts

I was a little leery in the first half, given that this Concordia team was winless to start the year, with big losses to Whitewater and Wheaton on their resume, so to be tied at halftime wasn't great. But the Cardinals woke up in the second half and put the game away fairly convincingly. They're off to a 4-2 start with the Aurora game starting to fade from my memory a little bit. I don't know exactly what the ceiling of this Cardinal team is yet, but I know at minimum this group will be competitive in the CCIW. They won't get to open conference play right away though, as the Cardinals get the bye on Wednesday, and will spend it hosting Chicago for a non-conference tilt in a game I won't be able to make. But hopefully a strong showing there will give this team more confidence going into their opener on Saturday.