MILWAUKEE-- Women's basketball jumped out early and held on late to earn a victory in their first game of 2017. The Rams defeated Mount Mary University, 67-61, on the road Tuesday night.

The Rams scored first and never trailed in the game after a free throw from freshman Annabel Morrisroe (Cloquet, Minn./Cloquet) gave NCU a 5-4 at the 6:36 mark of the first quarter. NCU would lead 21-9 after the first ten minutes.

North Central would lead by as many as 19 with a minute left in the second quarter and managed a double-figure advantage for much of the game before the Blue Angels began chiseling away. Late in the third quarter Mt. Mary got within eight before NCU finished the period up 53-42. 

In the fourth quarter, North Central would push the lead back out to 15 before the host would make their final surge. Junior Lizzy Swanson (Askov, Minn./East Centra) got a lay-up with around 75 seconds left that made it 66-53 but a series of fouls and turnovers allowed Mt. Mary to make the score closer than the game played out over the full 40 min

Mount Mary simply had no answer for Annabel Morrisroe who posted a first half double-double on the way to 26 points and 19 rebounds, both career-high totals. Lizzy Swanson was hindered with early foul trouble but added 13 points and 4 rebounds. With her point total on Tuesday, Swanson is now tied for eighth place on the NCU all-time scoring list with 1237 points. 

Thanks to Morrisroe's huge effort, NCU pounded the Blue Angels on the glass, earning a 47-28 rebounding edge.

North Central will get back to action in Upper Midwest Athletic Conference action at Crown College (St. Bonifacius, Minn.) on Friday. The tip-off is set for 5:30 p.m.