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.