Game Notes: (MBK) Benedictine University @ North Central College (11/26/24)

Final Score
NCC 86, Benedictine 78 (OT)

Game Summary
In another tight contest that the annual Battle for Chicago-Maple Avenue continues to provide, the Cardinals (4-1) jumped out to the early lead. While the Eagles (1-5) were able to keep it close for a while, they couldn't get over the hump, partially thanks to a technical foul, but managed to stay within four at 40-36 going into halftime. The Eagles scored the first four points of the second half to tie the game, but a 10-0 Cardinal run sparked the home crowd. North Central would push the lead as high as 15 with about 13 minutes to play, but the Eagles slowly chipped away, and eventually took their first lead of the game at 71-69 with just over a minute to go. But a Terrance Moncrief layup tied it at 71 with 49 seconds to go. Benedictine missed a go-ahead three, and with a chance to win, NCC briefly coughed up the ball before heaving an ill-advised prayer to result in an extra session. The Cardinals proceeded to score 10 of the first 11 in the extra session and iced the game at the line to bring the Bill Warden-Tony La Scala Trophy home.

Key Players

• Terrance Moncrief (NCC): 8-15 FG (0-2 3PT), 2-2 FT; 18 pts, 6 reb (2 off), 4 ast, 1 stl. The senior has been a big part of NCC's 4-1 start to the campaign. After hitting a layup at the buzzer to beat Whitman in Washington a couple weeks ago, Moncrief has continued to play well, and his relentlessness in attacking the basket has helped open up opportunities for his teammates.
• Drew Gaston (NCC): 2-6 FG (0-1 3PT), 9-10 FT; 13 pts, 8 reb, 1 blk. Gaston played 20 minutes off the bench last night, but was a key part in lifting the Cardinals to the win. His eight rebounds were second-most on the team behind only Ethan Helwig's nine, but it was his work late at the charity stripe that iced the contest. Gaston through five games is 30-31 from the line.
• Noah Mason (BEN): 8-11 FG (2-3 3PT), 4-9 FT; 22 pts, 6 reb (3 off), 2 ast. Just a freshman, Mason looked really good in this contest. He arguably should have been assessed the technical foul for a dead ball shove (the tech was assessed to Ryan Tucker, who may have also done some shoving), but otherwise played very well both inside and out, though he would eventually foul out of the contest. The one number that should jump out at you though? Don't worry, we're getting there.

Key Stats

• NCC: Outrebounded BEN 49-34. I debated about the rough showing from three in this game (7-26, including missing their final 12 in the second half), but for a team that was getting outrebounded by about five per game through the first four contests to win that battle by 15 was a good sign. This bore out in second chance points too, with the Cardinals outscoring the Eagles 18-5 in that category.
• BEN: 20-32 FT (62.5%). This was the big one. Down 15, Benedictine did what you should be doing in that situation: attack the basket, draw fouls, and try to score with the clock stopped. It got a bunch of North Central players into foul trouble, with two Cardinals fouling out. There's just one problem: during their second half comeback, the Eagles repeatedly split their pairs of free throws and managed to hit just 12 of 21 in the second half. In a game where you went to overtime missing that many... you do the math.

CCIW Scoreboard Watch

• @ UW-Platteville 77, Augustana 50 (3-1)
• MSOE 88, @ Carroll 80 (2-4)
• @ Carthage 76, Ripon 66 (3-2)
• @ Elmhurst 82 (3-2), St. Mary's (MN) 68
• @ Millikin 49 (2-3), Aurora 45
• @ North Park 72 (2-3), Anderson 64
• Hope 73, @ Wheaton 46 (3-4)

Final Thoughts

Photo by Chris Kohley

The Battle of Chicago-Maple Avenue always seems to produce some weird results, and this is arguably one of them. Just a few days after this North Central team went up to Platteville to take on the Pioneers, the #2 team in the country, lead by double digits, before ultimately falling in overtime up there, the Cardinals needed an extra session again against a team that had one win in the bank so far this season. Unlike this past Saturday though, the Cardinals were able to pull it out.

I'm not sure how good this Cardinal team truly is. A couple of their wins should probably have been by more, but it's early enough in the season that I'm not too worried about things yet. This team has beaten who they should have so far, and has a few more tuneups prior to their CCIW opener in a week.

Game Notes: (WBK) Benedictine University @ North Central College (11/26/24)

Final Score
NCC 76, Benedictine 63

Game Summary
Finally getting to play in front of a home crowd for the first time this season, the Cardinals (3-2) pulled out to a comfortable eight point lead late in the first quarter and kept that margin at the end of the frame. The lead would grow to double digits in the second quarter before the Eagles (2-2) made a run and cut it to three right before the break, but a quick answer on a layup pushed it to a 33-28 Cardinal lead at the intermission. North Central opened the second half on a 13-4 run to pull away, and the Eagles would not threaten the rest of the way.

Key Players

• Biz Daly (NCC): 10-14 FG, 6-6 FT; 26 pts, 4 reb (2 off), 3 ast, 1 blk, 3 stl. A year ago, Biz Daly was a rotation piece for a Cardinal team that finished fourth in the CCIW; she averaged about 3 points in 10 minutes per game. Through the first five games of her sophomore campaign, she's averaging 19 a contest and has already surpassed her freshman year scoring total. The leap from Year 1 to Year 2 has been amazing, and she's even turned into a midrange threat a la Megan McClure. The future is bright.
• Jocelyn Trotter (NCC): 10-16 FG (1-1 3PT), 1-1 FT; 22 pts, 11 reb (5 off), 4 ast, 1 blk, 1 stl. The reigning CCIW First Year Student Athlete of the Year, one season after notching seven double-doubles just put up her second of the young campaign. Her game continues to improve, as she showed a lot of confidence both on layups and pull up jumpers. Her rebounding was exceptional, and with her as a cornerstone on this team, once they find their footing they'll be a tough out.
• Makenzie Carroll (BEN): 6-11 FG (0-1 3PT), 1-2 FT; 13 pts, 5 reb (3 off), 2 ast, 2 stl. Carroll was one of the better Eagles on the floor, tying for second on the team in rebounds and leading their offensive attack. Her two steals were also a team high.

Key Stats

• NCC: Outrebounded BEN 42-33. One game after getting crushed on the boards by Aurora, while there were some stretches that were a little bit of an issue, the Cardinals cleaned it up. Benedictine did have 15 offensive rebounds to NCC's 13, but the Cardinals outscored the Eagles 21-12 in second chance opportunities.
• BEN: 8:13 A:TO ratio. Generally you want to see better. Eight assists on 25 field goals isn't particularly good, especially combined with the 13 turnovers. They didn't have a lot of procedural turnovers; 8 of the 13 were off NCC steals. The Cardinals, by contrast, had a 23:11 ratio.

CCIW Scoreboard Watch

• @ Augustana 89 (2-3), Monmouth 68
• @ Chicago 81, Carroll 70 (4-2)
• Carthage 79 (4-1), @ Lake Forest 54
• Illinois Wesleyan 84 (4-0), @ UW- Whitewater 78
• @ Knox 84, Millikin 74 (1-4)
• Wheaton 58 (4-3), @ Concordia (WI) 36

Final Thoughts

It's good to get back to writing these again. Workload for a while didn't allow for enough time to dedicate to these, but I'm finally back in a good enough place where I can.

It was good to see this Cardinal team play for the first time this season, though it's hard to gauge exactly how this year will go. After winning their first two contests by significant margins, a tough loss at Colorado College followed by getting beat up by Aurora last week gave me a little concern. Even last night, this was one the Cardinals probably should have won by a little bit more. But at the end of the day, a win is a win. I'm excited to see the growth from this group, and as they gel (and maybe, just maybe get some reinforcements) this team should prove to be a tough out for most of the rest of the CCIW.

Game Notes: (MBK) Benedictine University @ North Central College (11/26/19)

Final Score
Benedictine 56, NCC 49

Game Summary
This one started okay as the Cardinals (2-2) scored the game's first five points. But the Eagles (5-1) went into heat check mode, with three consecutive threes to grab control. The Cardinals would score the next four to tie the game again, but an 8-0 Eagle run forced a North Central timeout and it was back into chase mode. That eight point lead was the high water mark for the half and the Cardinals managed to fight back to within two at 24-22 at the break. Coming into the second half though it was the Eagles who took the initiative, scoring the half's first five points. The Cardinals managed to make it a one possession game a couple times, but every time Benedictine answered. North Central pulled within one again at 41-40, but a three point play followed by a three a couple minutes later pushed the Eagle lead back to seven, and the Cardinals never got within four the rest of the night.

Key Players

• Mike Boatright (BEN): 6-15 FG (4-10 3PT); 16 pts, 6 reb, 4 ast, 2 blk, 1 stl. Not a bad box score. The relative of Aurora basketball legend Ryan Boatright was the one who went into Heat Check Mode at the outset, hitting those three three's to get the Eagles back after that early 5-0 deficit. He struggled the rest of the night, but those threes helped set the tone, and I'm a little surprised to see how much more he filled the stat sheet.
• Nick Kosich (BEN): 5-8 FG (2-4 3PT), 2-3 FT; 14 pts, 2 reb, 2 ast. I almost went with Eric Grygo here (16 points and 6 boards on 6-11 shooting), but Kosich played a bigger role late I feel like. Serious early foul trouble (he had three in the first half) limited his effectiveness early as he went into the break with just two points, but he had two major daggers late in the second half. With the score at 41-40, he scored all six of those points in the key run, including that three as part of a six point swing (Mike Pollack had a corner three blocked on the preceding possession).
• Connor Raridon (NCC): 7-12 FG (2-6 3PT), 6-6 FT; 22 pts, 5 reb, 3 ast, 1 blk, 1 stl. I feel like this was a "quiet" 22 for Connor. He spotted up from deep a few times and had arguably the best night from deep of anyone (except Mike Pollack, who went 3-7 from deep), and spent much of the rest of the night in his office down low. While the Eagles did a pretty good job limiting him, I was still surprised to look at the box and see how many point he did put up; getting to the line half a dozen times helps.

Key Stats

• NCC: 6-33 3PT (18.2%). One night after destroying Rose-Hulman from beyond the arc, the Cardinals went ice cold from out there. Benedictine did a better job defending them I feel like, but there were a number of open looks missed. It took the Cardinals almost 16 and a half minutes to hit their first after missing something like their first 13. They won't shoot this poorly every night, but you can't survive against good teams when you shoot like that.
• BEN: Outscored NCC in the paint 28-14. This is where Eric Grygo came into play to some degree. There was a degree of a size advantage here, but not a major one. They just managed to get to the basket and cash in where the Cardinals couldn't.

Final Thoughts

There are two sequences that will haunt me from last night. Down 49-42 with the ball, North Central had a great chance as Blaise Meredith beat his man and had a wide open layup... but missed it. The other came in the final minute with the Cardinals down four. Matt Cappelletti blocked an Eric Grygo layup, but the Cardinal offense bogged down as no one seemed to want to take the shot. Somehow Connor Raridon got free right under the basket and got a great pass from the opposite corner... only to lose the handle and turn it over. Convert one of those chances and the Cardinals might win; convert both and I feel like they do.

Instead, the Eagles took back the Bill Warden-Tony LaScala Trophy as they won the Battle of Chicago-Maple Avenue for the first time since 2015-16 when they made the national title game. I went into this game thinking the Cardinals would win by roughly what the final margin turned out to be, but even with some deference to the Eagles going in, I definitely underestimated them. They're legit, and should be in the conversation for the NCAA Tournament when we get to February and March. For the Cardinals though, it's a quality loss... but the quality losses have to turn into quality wins at some point.

The Cardinals close their season opening homestand at 2-2, which is not great. Now they spend a ton of time on the road, as their next eight will be played away from Gregory Arena. That starts this weekend as the Cardinals head to Kalamazoo to play Olivet and the hosts, then open CCIW play the following week up in Kenosha against a Carthage team that has quickly turned into a conference and national dark horse.

Game Notes: Benedictine University @ North Central College (11/29/17)

Final Score
Benedictine 75, NCC 61

Game Summary
This one looked like it was going to be ugly early as the Eagles (3-1) jumped out to a 6-0 lead and led by ten just four minutes into the game. But the Cardinals (0-4) would rally back, closing the quarter on a 12-4 run to make it 19-17. North Central would take the lead right away on a Siarra O'Neill three, but the Eagles got the lead right back and imposed their will, opening up a nine point advantage, but a 7-0 Cardinal run closed the gap before the Eagles took a 38-34 lead into the break. The Cardinals came out of the intermission strong and tied the game at 42, but the Eagles went on an 11-2 run to regain control of the contest and held a 59-50 lead after three. Mayson Whipple hit a three to open the fourth, but that was as close as the Cardinals would get, with the Eagles leading by as many as 16 in the final frame to snap North Central's five game winning streak over them.

Key Stats

• Madisyn Fischer (BEN): 6-13 FG (4-7 3PT); 16 pts, 5 reb (2 off), 6 ast, 1 stl. The Eagles shot pretty well for the game, but I think Fischer had the best night of all of them. She was able to get a couple clean looks at the basket while doing a great job finding open teammates. She effectively ended the game in the fourth quarter last night when up seven, she launched a corner three and somehow banked it in. I think even she was in disbelief about it.
• Mayson Whipple (NCC): 7-15 FG (1-5 3PT); 15 pts, 4 reb (1 off), 2 ast. Mayson was a big reason why the Cardinals overcame their slow start. Early in the game, the Eagles couldn't guard her and she was able to get to the rim almost at will. For some reason I feel like North Central went away from that a little bit, but the Eagles also adjusted and better defended the dribble-drive. Still, Mayson has looked pretty good to start the year.
• Andrea Dickerson (NCC): 4-7 FG (3-6 3PT); 11 pts, 6 reb (1 off), 2 blks, 1 stl. Andrea started her collegiate career at Murray State, and I think was at NCC last year but was hurt all year. Getting some action now, she's looked good. She's an excellent shooter, one who I thought did a little more damage than just a trio of triples, but also played some pretty good defense. The best play I saw from her last night was midway through the third quarter with NCC down nine. After a turnover, she got back and played some solid help defense on Venita Parsons on the right wing, then somehow got over to the left wing where Parsons had passed to an open Fischer and blocked her attempted three.

North Central "System" Watch

• Benedictine Turnovers: 17. This number, on one hand, isn't good enough. I know North Central isn't going full "System" anymore, but when you put full court pressure on a fair amount of the time, you should get more than 17 takeaways. Six of them came on steals by six different Cardinals.
• NCC 3PT: 9-33 (27.3%). The Cardinals caught a little fire in the second quarter but went ice cold (0-6) in the final nine-plus minutes. This has always been a team that is live and die by the three, and with attempts down this year, this percentage needs to go up a little bit.
• NCC Charges Drawn: 1. Hannah Vitkus drew one in the first half, which prompted me to bring this feature back. Anita Sterling being gone means that we aren't going to see many of these anymore, but it's something I still intend to keep track of.
• NCC FT: 2-7 (28.6%). Ye gods. There weren't a ton of fouls in this game, so North Central's trips to the line were limited, but even when they got there they didn't take advantage. Not helping the team line is Natali Dimitrova, who went 1-3 at the line last night to take her season average to 31.3 percent. For the season, the Cardinals are now at an even 50 percent from the line. In fairness, Benedictine wasn't great at the line either (7-13), but this continues to be an alarming trend four games in.

Final Thoughts

I told my assistant SID this late in the game, but I'm getting flashbacks to the 2011-12 campaign. That was the last pre-System year, and that team wasn't very good. The difference is that I like the pieces on this year's team, but I definitely think they're still adjusting to a more traditional style of play. Relearning how to play basketball on the fly is going to lead to some growing pains. There was definite effort all game, as I don't think they really had a lapse like they had in the first three games, but this is a pretty good Eagle team.

Last night's game was the quickest NCC women's game I've worked in a long time. For the last few years I've gotten used to these games taking two hours to complete. This one was done in just over an hour and a half. I just wish we could have gotten a better result on the three year anniversary of this fun game.

#THREEEEEEEEE years ago this afternoon, UW-Eau Claire’s women’s basketball team blew a 19 point lead to @NCCWBB. It’s the greatest comeback I’ve ever seen. Hoping on this anniversary we pull out a win against Benedictine! #WeAreNC pic.twitter.com/MxDXQE7cby

— Lucas Mitzel (@northsider89) November 29, 2017

NCC have a couple days to go over the film and get ready for CCIW play. I mentioned in my preview that I could have seen the Cardinals going into the North Park game at 4-0. Instead, it's the exact opposite and the Vikings haven't been too bad to start the year. Hopefully the kinks continue to get worked out and they're ready for The Gauntlet.

Game Notes: Benedictine University @ North Central College (11/21/17)

Final Score
NCC 82, Benedictine 79

Game Summary
This one didn't look great early as the Eagles (0-3) were red hot coming out of the gate, overcoming a couple early one possession deficits with long range precision, jumping out to a 12-4 lead. The Cardinals (1-1) called a couple timeouts to stop the bleeding, but the threes just kept falling for the Eagles, who led 38-23 with 3:11 to play in the half. Then the Cardinals decided they'd had enough and closed the half on a 15-2 run to go into the break only down two. They carried that momentum into the second half, tying the game immediately and then turning the game into a battle. The lead would change hands seven times over the next few minutes before the Cardinals seemed to take command, going up ten with 6:43 to play, and after back to back threes with under five minutes to play led 74-60. The Eagles had a run in them though and chipped away at the lead with threes and free throws. Up two with 20 seconds left, the Cardinals made a critical turnover, and the Eagles tied the game at the line with 16.7 seconds to go. The Cardinals played for the last shot, and Mike Pollack buried a contested three with 1.1 seconds to go to give the Cardinals the win in the Battle of Chicago/Maple Avenue.

Key Stats

• Mike Pollack (NCC): 8-11 FG (6-9 3PT), 3-4 FT; 25 pts, 1 reb, 1 ast, 1 stl. I completely glossed over Pollack in the season preview, but I'm okay with being proven unaware of how good he truly was. Pollack hit three triples in the first half, including two during that key 15-2 run, but he saved his best for the second half. He hit the aforementioned back to back threes that gave the Cardinals their 14 point advantage, then on the final play caught an Alex Sorenson pass on the left wing, took two dribbles to his right, and launched a contested three that I wasn't crazy about at first, but went nuts when he hit it.
• Erwin Henry (NCC): 6-11 FG (2-3 3PT), 6-7 FT; 20 pts, 4 reb (1 off), 8 ast. On a night where Alex Sorenson (2 pts, 2 reb in 13 minutes) was limited by foul trouble, the Cardinals needed another one of their seniors to step up, and Erwin absolutely did. He attacked the basket in the second half to help build that 14 point lead for the Cardinals, and hit some key free throws late to maintain the lead. The fact that he quietly had eight assists as well was even better.
• Brayden Olson (BEN): 10-15 FG (5-9 3PT), 7-9 FT; 32 pts, 2 reb (1 off), 4 ast, 2 stl. Olson went bonkers from beyond the arc in the first half, hitting all five of his threes to help open up that huge Benedictine lead. He turned his focus inside in the second half, attacking the basket and hitting some key free throws to help Benedictine erase that 14 point Cardinal lead. On a team that has seen most of its key personnel from the team that made the national title game two seasons ago, Olson is the key offensive weapon, and really showed it last night.

Final Thoughts

It's not a Battle of Chicago/Maple Avenue without the game being dramatic, and this one certainly lived up to the billing of the last two matchups (NCC won last year on a huge defensive stand on the final possession, and two years ago Benedictine got the end of game heroics. But this was a big win for the Cardinals coming off a double overtime loss over the weekend, and one that lifted my spirits after whatever you want to call the ending of the women's game that preceded it. And somehow, I'm able to talk today after worrying I'd destroyed my vocal cords calling Pollack's game winner.

The Cardinals head to Hawaii for a tournament this weekend, playing Whitworth and Lewis and Clark on Friday and Saturday, respectively. They then get a week off to prepare for the CCIW opener at North Park on December 2nd.

Game Notes: (MBK) Benedictine University @ North Central College(12/22/15)

Final Score

Benedictine 75, NCC 73

Game Summary
It was a great start to the Battle of Chicago/Maple Avenue as the Cardinals (6-4) got the ball inside early and took firm control of the game, scoring 16 of the contest's first 20 points. The Eagles (10-0) slowly worked their way back into the game, but couldn't stop the Cardinal offense, as North Central took a 36-26 lead into halftime. The Eagles came out strong to start the second half though, opening on a 7-0 run to cut the lead to three. The Cardinals would push it back up as high as seven, but it would not last, with a corner three giving Benedictine a short-lived lead. The Cardinals got it back but couldn't hold it. The Eagles led by five with about two minutes left, but the Cardinals tied it with 32 seconds left. However, the Eagles got the game winning basket with two seconds left, and the Cardinals were unable to answer.

Key Stats

• Tahron Harvey (BEN): 10-16 FG (0-1 3PT), 7-9 FT; 27 pts, 7 reb (3 off), 6 ast, 1 stl. Harvey scored 18 of his 27 points in the second half, but saved his best for last. He got the ball with about ten seconds to go in the game, drove down the right side of the floor and got a great look at the game-winning layup. He was phenomenal throughout the night, converting a ton of layups and hitting some mid range jumpers.
• Lucas Johnson (BEN): 2-6 FG (2-3 3PT), 2-3 FT; 8 pts, 6 reb, 2 ast, 1 stl, 3 blk. It was actually really good to see Luke in action last night; I coached him when I was a senior in high school and he was in eighth grade at Aurora Christian. Johnson wasn't much of a factor on the offensive side, though his pair of threes came at crucial moments late in the game. He was a force on the defensive end, using his length to create some contested shots by the Cardinals (plus those three blocks) and was solid on the glass. An all around good performance.
• Alex Sorenson (NCC): 9-23 FG (0-2 3PT), 2-3 FT; 20 pts, 8 reb (3 off), 1 blk. Sorenson dominated the paint in the early going, helping build that 16-6 North Central lead while playing excellent defense at the other end. The Eagles must have made their adjustments at halftime, because he didn't get going as well in the second half. He avoided foul trouble, which was great, but he was strangely out of the game late in the half before returning with a couple minutes left. I'm not sure if he was tired or what, but I found it weird that they went away from him towards the end other than his game-tying layup with 31 ticks left.

Final Thoughts

First note: the officiating throughout the game wasn't great, but it was abysmal at the end. Benedictine called timeout with 23.1 seconds left to draw up their final play, then NCC called timeout right after. They had one left, and Coach Raridon told the refs that he wanted to use his last one after a made basket. Kevin Homn, who was on the floor at the time, also screamed for a timeout after the make. Both requests were ignored. This is a terrible failure by the officials, even though in all likelihood, with two seconds left, you aren't getting off a great shot. In principle though, this was bad.

That said, even though it cost the Cardinals a chance to tie or possibly win, I can't blame that solely for the loss. The Cardinals had a ten point cushion at halftime after leading by as many as 13 in the first half. You figured a Benedictine run was coming, and it came immediately. The Cardinals were a little late to respond and had decent leads as the half went on, but failed to execute to keep that lead.

At the end of the day though, I have to tip my cap to the Eagles. They're undefeated and ranked seventh in the country, and unlike their women's team, their record isn't inflated. They are a very, very good team and at this point you can all but pencil them in for the NCAA Tournament. It was a frustrating end to the evening, but they earned the win.

The Cardinals are off now through Christmas and close out the non-conference schedule next week at Robert Morris before diving head first into CCIW play in the new year.

Game Notes: (WBK) Benedictine University @ North Central College(12/17/15)

Final Score
NCC 104, Benedictine 88

Game Summary
The Cardinals (4-4) got off to a slow start offensively, but were locked in defensively as the Eagles (8-2) struggled to hang onto the ball. A 14-0 Cardinal run built a 10 point lead, and it hovered around that for most of the frame with North Central taking a 23-12 lead after one quarter. The Cardinals got into foul trouble in the second quarter, mucking up the pace of the game and allowing the Eagles to get back into it. They closed the gap to three a couple times, but the Cardinals hit well-times threes, including one right before the buzzer to go into the locker room up 44-38. The Cardinals would build their lead to 59-49 at one point, but an 11-0 Eagle run gave Benedictine the lead. North Central answered back to retake the lead, and held onto a 72-66 lead after three. The Eagles surged to start the fourth, hitting a three to make it 76-73 Cardinals, but North Central went on an 11-2 run to put the game away.

Key Stats

• Mayson Whipple (NCC): 7-15 FG (1-5 3PT); 15 pts, 2 reb (1 off), 3 ast, 2 stl. It was hard to narrow this list of key stats down with seven Cardinals scoring in double figures, but Mayson was one of the leading scorers on the team with 15 points. She struggled from deep, but was able to get to the basket plenty of times. On a night like this where the threes weren't really falling, they needed offense from other sources, and Mayson helped provide it. She was also second on the team in assists last night, which is a good sign.
• Corrine Rowe (NCC): 6-12 FG (1-4 3PT), 2-4 FT; 15 pts, 2 ast, 3 stl. In just her second game this season due to injury, she looked pretty good. Her handles are better than they were last year and she seems to be a little more disciplined with a year of experience. She was also able to get to the basket for some key buckets to help create offense, and was good in the press at stealing the ball.
• Paula Zerante (NCC): 5-9 FG (1-2 3PT), 4-4 FT; 15 pts, 4 reb, 2 stl. A lot of balance among these three guards, but Paula may have had the best night. She had a pair of and-ones at some key moments in the game to help keep the tide in the Cardinals' favor and had one of the best shooting nights out of everyone.

North Central System Watch

• Benedictine Turnovers: 41. This is a ton, even by North Central standards. The Eagles couldn't handle the pressure early, coughing it up 14 times in the first ten minutes. They calmed down a ton in the second quarter, only committing seven, but still had 20 more turnovers in the second half. Of those, 23 came on Cardinal steals, paced by four from Kim Wilson. Corrine Rowe and Jamie Cuny each had three thefts.
• NCC 3PT: 12-53 (22.6%). I think the Cardinals may have had as many air balls as they did made threes last night. It was pretty rough to watch. That said, when they needed a key three to fall, they made it happen. This brings them down to 26.7 percent for the season, but with the sheer volume of shots, it almost doesn't matter. I'm sure they'll get their legs back under them again.
• NCC Charges Drawn: 3. Guess who? Anita Sterling drew one in the first quarter, then another in the second quarter, both of which were kind of close but legit despite the protestations of Benedictine's coach. Her third charge was a no-doubter, and one that I have no idea why Benedictine's coach protested it.

Final Thoughts
I did some scouting Thursday morning to see what the Cardinals were up against, and it kind of surprised me that Benedictine was 8-1 coming into the game. They've taken advantage of, honestly, a soft schedule with their first loss coming at home to Elmhurst before rattling off that eight game winning streak against the bottom of the NACC and some non-conference tilts against teams that are not off to good starts. This is clearly a pretty good team, don't get me wrong, but their record was clearly artificially inflated. Also, shooting 11 of 29 at the free throw line didn't help their cause.

It doesn't really show up in the stats, but there's one other player who impressed me last night: Kelly Wallner. The sophomore was playing in her first game of the season, and she did all right. She went 0-3 from the field, all threes, but she had four rebounds, a steal, and played phenomenal defense down low, altering probably at least half a dozen shots last night. They need that defense just as much as they need the offense, and it helps to have some reliable help in the back.

The Cardinals go on their longest road trip of the season now, with a trip to Dubuque on Saturday, followed by a tournament at Otterbein in Ohio after Christmas to prep for CCIW play. The Cardinals will open their adventure into the Gauntlet at home against North Park on January 2nd.

Game Notes: Benedictine University @ North Central College (11/26/13)

Final Score
NCC 102, Benedictine 98

Game Summary
Assistant SID Drew Sauer stole my line about "a tale of two halves", but it was completely true in this game. The Cardinals (3-1) took a couple small leads early, but the Eagles (1-3) stormed back and went on a 9-0 run to go up 18-10. The Cardinals would battle back to tie and even take a couple more small leads before another Benedictine run of 12 straight points in about 90 seconds. The Eagles would lead by as many as 14 before settling into a 12 point gap at the break. Whatever Michelle Roof said in the Cardinal locker room clearly had an impact, as they made small pushes to climb back into the game, taking a 68-67 lead with 12:26 left. Benedictine didn't go quietly despite the Cardinal outburst, even leading by 6 with 5:46 to play before back to back threes tied the game. Later, tied at 91, the Cardinals pulled away with a couple well-timed triples and decent free throw shooting to pick up their third win of the year.

Key Stats

• Kim Wilson (NCC): 6-14 FG (5-13 3PT)- 17 pts, 1 ast, 2 stl. Kim all but kept the Cardinals in the game in the second half with a good shooting effort. Even without a rebound, she also played pretty good defense. In her second start of the season, she was probably the key figure in this win, though there were plenty of others.
• Marion Boeck (NCC): 2-5 FG (all 3PT), 2-4 FT- 8 pts, 5 reb, 3 ast, 2 stl. Marion missed the first few games due to injury, but looked pretty good in her first game back. She got some key rebounds, with a couple coming in the last two minutes when it was a one-possession game, while also picking up one of her threes after a rebound to double the Cardinals lead. Huge to see from the lone senior on this squad.
• NCC: 7* charges drawn. The asterisk is used because it's unofficial (though honestly, I wish every place was like Aurora Christian where the charge was kept as an official stat). This Cardinal team drew an astounding five (five!) in the first half alone, which frustrated the hell out of Benedictine's coach. The Cardinals picked up a couple more early in the second half, and it obviously affected the Eagles, who ended up having to settle for pull up 5-footers instead of layups.

North Central System Watch

• NCC 3PT: 18-63 (28.6%). I mentioned in the season preview that if North Central could improve its three point shooting even a couple points to 28%, it could mean the difference between a win and a loss. And it really showed in this game. What astounded me was at halftime, the Cardinals had shot 7-38 from deep. It was bad. A lot of it had to do with the Eagles buckling down in a 2-3 zone, keeping a close eye on Larynn Shumaker and daring everyone else to shoot. Other than Kim Wilson, no one else was really hitting. But for whatever reason, they caught fire in the second half. Marion Boeck's two threes came in the second stanza, Maryssa Cladis all three of her triples after halftime, and Anita Sterling hit a couple as well. As a team, the Cardinals shot 11-25 from deep in the second half. If they can shoot that well over the course of a whole game... oh man.
• Benedictine Turnovers: 30. This is a season low so far for NCC to force, but for the Eagles it was a season high (and probably will remain so, given NCC's system). A few of these probably came on those charges, but the Cardinals also managed 15 steals. AnnMarie Bachmann led the way with three thefts, while four other Cardinals notched two (including last year's leader Bobbi Johns).

Final Thoughts

Photo taken by the NCC Sports Information Department.

I can't help but feel like this is a game last year's Cardinals would have lost. I feel like it still could have been, with somewhat shaky free throw shooting late (I blame that stupid rim on the west end of the court). But this team showed poise and never gave up despite a pretty sizable defecit in the first half. Like the Ripon game, the Cardinals should carry memories of this contest as they go forward this season. This game is a reminder that they can get hot at any time and they're capable of beating just about anyone on any given night. A long road trip looms after Thanksgiving, so I won't have any more reports until we near the end of 2013. Hopefully we'll be talking about a team on a long win streak as we approach the new year and another trip through the Gauntlet.