Game Notes: (WBK) Elmhurst College @ North Central College (1/27/18)

Final Score
Elmhurst 61, NCC 41

Game Summary
The game started out much better for the Cardinals (4-15, 2-8), who opened the scoring and took the early 2-0 lead. Unfortunately the Blue Jays (11-8, 7-3) scored the next eight to take control and grabbed a 21-8 lead after one quarter. The second saw the Cardinals clamp down a bit on defense and close the gap to eight, but Elmhurst scored the last five points on the frame and took a 31-18 lead into the locker room. The Jays went on an extended 12-0 run to start the second half and effectively end the contest, as Maya Walls put the Cardinals on the board in the second half five and a half minutes into the frame, and the Jays took a 50-27 lead after three. The Cardinals didn't give up though, opening the fourth quarter on a 15-2 run to make it 52-40 with 4:25 left, but Natali Dimitrova's three to cap that run was the last field goal the Cardinals could muster, as Elmhurst pulled away again in the final minutes.

Key Stats

• Mikaela Eppard (ELM): 6-13 FG, 6-7 FT; 18 pts, 11 reb (1 off), 4 ast, 2 stl. A week before, Eppard went off for 24 and 16, so for the Cardinals to limit her damage a little bit was an encouraging sign. Eppard finished under 50 percent shooting, and found herself running the offense a little bit through the high post, but she still got hers before the night was done. Eppard is certain to be a First Team All-CCIW player, but the question remains of how much consideration for Most Outstanding Player she'll get.
• Kaela Jones (ELM): 3-8 FG (2-4 3PT), 3-4 FT; 11 pts, 6 reb (2 off), 6 ast, 1 stl. There were a couple other options for good Elmhurst players on here, but Jones definitely sticks out with her strong all around game, and she scored some key points off the bench in the second half. I was surprised she's not a starter, but she's a key piece for Elmhurst's second unit, which will help keep them in games.
• Mayson Whipple (NCC): 6-13 FG (2-5 3PT), 3-3 FT; 17 pts, 4 reb (1 off), 4 ast, 3 stl. Mayson's had some games where she struggled a little bit, but she had a solid performance in this one. She attacked the basket a little more rather than settling for stepback threes, while also pulling up from the elbow or free throw line a couple times. All in all, a pretty good performance, especially noting the three steals she had.

North Central "System" Watch

• Elmhurst Turnovers: 17. I wish this number were a little higher, obviously, but it's not a bad total. The Cardinals did force a ten second count in the backcourt in the first half, while tacking on nine steals. Mayson Whipple had the aforementioned three, while Bekah Foley added a pair.
• NCC 3PT: 5-27 (18.5%). Really, you could argue that this was the game. North Central had some good looks, and they just didn't fall. They didn't hit their first three until the second quarter, and really only got a boost during that 15-2 run in the fourth. Had they shot a little better, obviously it would have been a closer game, but I would have been interested to see just how much closer.
• NCC FT: 4-8 (50%). The Achilles heel of this team reared its head again, albeit in limited fashion. If you take Mayson Whipple away, the team went 1-5 at the line, which isn't acceptable. It didn't cost the Cardinals the game, but it's a momentum killer to miss out on three point plays or chances at free points. For the season, the Cardinals do remain above the 60 percent mark, and 60.6.

CCIW Scoreboard Watch

• CAR 80 (14-5, 7-3), @ AUG 74 (12-7, 5-5)
• @ IWU 105 (17-2, 10-0), NPU 53 (8-11, 3-7)
• WHE 75 (15-4, 8-2), @ MIL 53 (5-13, 0-9)
• Bye: CRL (5-13, 2-7)

Final Thoughts

Photo by Steve Woltmann (North Central College)

This one went about as expected for the Cardinals, who are all but guaranteed a losing record in the CCIW for the first time since 2013-14. But I was proud of the way the team fought back in the fourth quarter to make it interesting. Had they just been able to hit a few more shots, it could have come down to the wire. Alas, it was not meant to be.

Big picture wise, the Cardinals are now alone in eighth place in the CCIW, half a game back of Carroll and ahead of only winless Millikin. Elmhurst remains tied with a hot Carthage team for third place (and the Lady Reds have the head to head tiebreaker). But really, everyone is looking up at Illinois Wesleyan who is running away with the conference.

The Cardinals have two more in a row at home, and both are winnable games. They get a shot at revenge with Carroll coming to town on Wednesday before North Park comes in on Saturday for Senior Night. Hopefully in a week's time I'll be talking about the 4-8 in CCIW North Central Cardinals.