Game Notes: (WBK) University of Dubuque @ North Central College (11/16/19)

Final Score
Dubuque 80, NCC 75

Game Summary
Things got off to a good start on Megan Niklas Day as the Cardinals (1-2) opened the scoring and, other than a brief 2-2 tie, led for the entire opening quarter by as many as nine and finishing the opening stanza with a 19-13 advantage. Just a couple minutes into the second quarter, the advantage was double digits, with a high water mark of a 32-17 advantage with about six and a half minutes to go in the frame. But then the Spartans (2-0) slowly started to claw their way back, getting within seven late in the quarter before the Cardinals pushed the advantage back to double figures, going into the break up 45-34. But then the Cardinals came back out ice cold, seeing a 12 point lead evaporate in a 17-3 run. The Cardinals managed to grab the lead right back and took a 57-53 lead into the final frame, but the Spartans pushed again, opening the frame with an extended 15-2 run and eventually going up by as many as 13. The Cardinal offense came back to life too late; North Central would get back within three, but a pair of Dubuque free throws sealed the deal.

Key Players

• Tabria Thomas (DUB): 6-8 FG (0-1 3PT), 3-6 FT; 15 pts, 6 reb, 3 ast, 4 stl. Thomas had quiet first half; she played 10 minutes with limited effectiveness due to some foul trouble, but broke out in the second with a perfect 20 minutes inside the arc and 11 of her 15 points. Three of her four steals also came after the intermission.
• Kennedy Litvinoff (DUB): 3-4 FG (2-2 3PT), 4-4 FT; 12 pts, 3 reb (1 off), 2 ast, 3 stl. Litvinoff came off the bench and did most of her damage in the second half as well, scoring 10 of 12 points after the break. One of her threes came during that crucial 15-2 run that put the Spartans up seven.
• Alanna Newsome (NCC): 5-16 FG (3-6 3PT), 9-11 FT; 22 pts, 2 reb, 1 ast, 2 stl. Alanna continues to develop nicely in her sophomore year, and did well shooting from beyond the arc. Her inside game though needs a little work, as a 2-10 day from two point range is not good enough. She did well at the free throw line, which is good, and hopefully a sign of good things to come.

Key Stats

• NCC: 7-33 FG (21.2%), 3-11 3PT (27.3%), 13-22 FT (59.1%) in the 2nd half. This is... less than ideal. The third quarter was actually worse, as the Cardinals only hit two field goals all period, and it allowed the Spartans to come back. I think I counted between the late third and early fourth quarters four wide open layups the Cardinals missed. Those eight points, combined with nine missed free throws for the half... you do the math.
• DUB: 48 bench points. I normally won't go over bench points, but when your reserves log 60 percent of your scoring for a non-System team, it raises an eyebrow.. That of course includes Litvinoff mentioned above, but four other players scored between eight and 11 points for the game off the bench.

Final Thoughts

Friday night I saw the women's team in attendance for the men's game against Greenville, and I was a little alarmed to see players in walking boots. One of them, Natali Dimitrova, did not dress on Saturday. Had she been present, I'd like to think that her good post game on both ends of the floor would have made enough of a difference. But even so, this is a game you have to win... and they couldn't do it. This team continues to struggle to put together a full 40 minutes. They continue to show though that they're never really out of a game, given the late rally, but some better play earlier in the game probably would have turned the tide. The Cardinals are back at it tomorrow as they welcome Concordia-Wisconsin to Gregory Arena.

Game Notes: University of Dubuque @ North Central College (12/16/17)

Final Score
NCC 71, Dubuque 61

Game Summary
The Cardinals (2-7) got off to a good start, scoring the game's first eight points to take control, though the Spartans (2-8) answered with a couple quick baskets to get on the board. A little scoring lull followed, though the Cardinals got hot and were able to push the lead to ten before Dubuque cut it to six at 19-13 after one. North Central caught fire in the second quarter, hitting a number of threes to push the advantage as high as 19 before taking a 42-26 lead into the locker room. Whatever was said in the Spartans' room at halftime must have had an impact, because Dubuque opened the third quarter on a 16-1 run to steal the momentum and make this a contest again, but the Cardinals hit threes on three straight possessions to push the lead to eight. The Cardinals would lead by as many as 13 in the frame before settling into a nine point advantage going into the final ten minutes. The Spartans would pull within four with just under four minutes to play, but another three and a short jumper effectively put the game on ice, and the Cardinals hit enough shots the rest of the way to end the home stand on a high note.

Key Stats

• Siarra O'Neill (NCC): 7-16 FG (6-13 3PT), 0-3 FT; 20 pts, 2 reb. The Cardinals needed someone to step up from beyond the arc yesterday, and Siarra did that part perfectly. She hit three in the first half, then added a couple in that key third quarter wakeup call, and added her sixth in the fourth quarter to help put the game away. Unfortunately, she didn't shrug. Either way, she became the thirteenth Cardinal in program history to hit six threes in a game, and is one off the single game record shared by Miranda Grizaffi and Kelsey Cooling.
• Hannah Vitkus (NCC): 0-2 FG (both 3PT), 1-4 FT; 1 pt, 12 reb (4 off), 1 stl. I joked with the assistant SID during the game that Hannah had pulled off a Dennis Rodman line, and that's really what this is. She played a very short stretch in the first quarter but pulled down six rebounds in that time, which prompted me to look up the single game record for NCC (22, set back in the eighties). She had limited action in the second quarter to pad that total, but still had seven boards in just four first half minutes. This was an impressive total, either way.
• Cece Pope (DUB): 3-12 FG (0-2 3PT), 9-15 FT; 15 pts, 12 reb (3 off), 1 blk. The local product (Naperville North) had a great homecoming. While she struggled from the field, she made up for it with repeated trips to the free throw line, which she did a decent job of taking advantage of. You do have to credit the Cardinal defense for making her earn it, which she did, but 3-12 is not an ideal shooting night.

North Central "System" Watch

• Dubuque Turnovers: 18. Anything in the upper teens at this point I'll take as a win since the pressure defense isn't constant this year. The Cardinals were able to force a few good defensive stops in key moments and logged 11 steals, with four players logging two apiece. North Central turned it over 19 times though, for what it's worth.
• NCC 3PT: 14-49 (28.6%). This is about the season average for the team, but after Monday night's debacle, this was a welcome sight. They got a couple to go in early to set the tone, hit several in the second quarter to pull away, then hit three in a row in the third to stop the bleeding of that 16-1 Dubuque run.
• NCC FT: 13-25 (52.0%). This... still needs to be better, but it's about what they've been averaging this season. Many of their trips end up being splitting a pair, which isn't ideal, though a couple players took advantage of their opportunities. The one that bugs me was Siarra O'Neill getting fouled on a three and missing all three shots.

Final Thoughts

I looked at records coming in, and figured that the Cardinals had to have a good chance at getting back in the win column. You have to beat the bad teams, and the Cardinals definitely came out last night ready to play and ready to win, and it resulted in a victory. That second half scared me a little bit, but the Cardinals were able to stem the tide and regain control before it was too late. It's a big win that you hope, again, will spark a little momentum for the Cardinals, but they've got a tough slate ahead. They head into the city tomorrow to take on the University of Chicago in what will be a very tough road game, then they head down to Texas for a tournament between Christmas and New Year's. Hopefully the Cardinals will get a win or two mixed in that trip and carry some momentum into CCIW play.

Game Notes: University of Dubuque @ North Central College (12/19/14)

Final Score
NCC 110, Dubuque 93

Game Summary
After a long road trip, including a couple games in California, the Cardinals (10-0) came back home and struggled early as the Spartans (4-4) opened with a 10-3 run. The Cardinals would work their way back from a deficit as big as 11 to take a brief 38-37 lead answered by a Dubuque 7-0 run. North Central closed the gap, and trailed 51-50 at the half. The Spartans were able to keep pace for a few minutes in the second half, but saw a 66-62 lead vanish in a 20-2 Cardinal run. The Cardinals would lead by no fewer than eight the rest of the way.

Key Stats

• Tess Godhardt (NCC): 6-12 FG, 11-12 FT; 23 pts, 13 reb (9 off), 3 stl. Tess was a major part of the comeback effort in the second half, as she was able to find room inside against a tiring defense. She also dominated at the foul line, which continues to be a great sign for this team.
• Anita Sterling (NCC): 4-9 FG (0-4 3PT), 1-1 FT; 9 pts, 8 reb (4 off), 1 ast, 2 stl, 1 blk. Anita had a great floor game all around (see more below). She was able to find room down low, including a three point play, and played great defense. She's definitely improved from last year.
• Dubuque 3PT: 11-26 (42.3%). This is mainly what kept the Spartans in the game, especially in the first half. They shot 7-10 in the opening stanza (Meggie Schmidt was 3-4 and Jenna Kotas 3-5) before regression to the mean hit, and hit hard. I called it at halftime: 70 percent from three is unsustainable. Their 25 percent clip in the second half proves that.

North Central System Watch

• Dubuque Turnovers: 29. Many of these were errant passes, plus a few travels. NCC came away with 17 steals, led by Maryssa Cladis' four. 
• NCC 3PT: 19-75 (25.3%). The Cardinals didn't start great, missing their first few threes, but they started to fall as the game went along. The 20-2 run included a few threes, but not a ton. Many shots ended up short.
• NCC Charges Drawn: 3. Anita Sterling drew a pair a few minutes in on consecutive possessions, completely changing the tone of Dubuque's attack. Tess Godhardt also picked one up towards the end of the game.

Final Thoughts
I maintain that "Nobody Believes in Us" is a powerful force. With today's win, NCC has won a program high ten games to start the season, and this was a good win. After struggling early, they settled in and Dubuque's threes stopped falling. Simply put, Dubuque got worn out, something that seems to happen in this system.

North Central is off next week, then closes out the non conference schedule at Eureka on the 30th. Illinois Wesleyan awaits the start of CCIW play in two weeks.