MINNEAPOLIS – A true back-and-forth battle was showcased in Clark-Danielson Gymnasium on Saturday evening, where the North Central University (NCU) women's basketball team took on the University of Northwestern, (UNW) St. Paul Eagles. In an electrifying atmosphere, the Rams (4-3
UMAC) came out on top of the Eagles (4-3
UMAC) by a final score of 61-59.
Game Recap
The two schools are extremely familiar with one another, as they met in last year's
UMAC playoffs where UNW managed to take the victory on their home floor and send the Rams home. In their first meeting since that matchup last season, North Central came back with a vengeance and was able to shock the Eagles in an incredibly close contest. From the opening tip-off, it was Rams who had the early advantage with back-to-back
Kadija Conteh layups to put the Rams up 13-8 with 3:56 in the first quarter. After multiple lead changes and competitive play by both teams,
Jocelyn Talso knocked down a couple threes to keep the Rams within a 4 point spread halfway through the second quarter. As the first half winded down,
Emily DiGiorgio got going in the post as she led the Rams in first-half points with 9. This resulted in a slight NCU lead of 44-42 at halftime.
The Eagles and Rams continued to battle it out in the second half. Halfway through the third quarter at the 4:28 mark,
Naomi Hagstrom came alive for NCU as she executed on multiple drives to the basket that gave the Rams a close 46-44 lead. In the final five minutes of the game, North Central held onto a tight lead that never spanned more than four total points. Tremendous defense by the Blue and Gold proved to be detrimental for their success down the stretch, as they held the Eagles to a mere 1-14 FG to close out the game while only allowed four points from the 7:22 mark in the fourth quarter. The defense-first mindset powered the Rams to knocking off a talented UNW team and taking the win in the final minutes of action.
The game overall saw very similar statistics in regards to who held the lead during the contest. UNW managed to be on top for 16:55 of the game, while NCU held it for 15:10. The Eagles' largest lead came at 26-20 in the matchup, while the Rams' largest lead was at 17-10 in the first quarter. In addition to these team stats, the Rams and Eagles traded leads back-and-forth a total of 14 times during the 40 minutes played.
Key Performer(s)
Multiple Rams stuffed the stat sheet in the contest that led to a crucial conference victory.
Looking Ahead
The NCU women's basketball team has now improved to 7-8 overall and 4-3 in the
UMAC. The win for the Rams against a top-four team in the conference will prove as massive for the squad heading as they continue to stay in the
UMAC playoff hunt. Next Wednesday the Rams will continue defending their home court, as they are set to host the Northland College Lumberjills at 7:15pm.
