MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. -- After two weeks of constant schedule changes, the North Central University (NCU) women's basketball team was chomping at the bit to get back on their home court. On Wednesday night the Rams took on the Martin Luther College (MLC) Knights in what would be a dominating performance for the Rams. Fueled by a strong showing of deep shooting and aggressive defense, North Central bested Martin Luther by a final score of 85-59.

Game Recap

The Rams were ready to make a statement in their final game before conference play. Initially, NCU battled back-and-forth with MLC, trading baskets for most of the first quarter. At about the 3:00 minute mark in the second, the Rams gathered enormous momentum heading into the half by extending their lead to 14. This surge started from NCU pushing the ball up the court to create early offense. Joelle Talso (Ramsey, MN, Spring Lake Park High School) was instrumental in initiating and finishing plays for the Rams during this time. Helping Talso out with a few buckets of their own during this stretch were Emily DiGiorgio (Ironwood, MI, Luther L. Wright High School) and Kadija Conteh (London, UK, City of London Academy). To cap-off the half, NCU went on a 18-3 run.

The Rams came out in the second half picking up right where they left off by showcasing a strong defensive pressure, forcing a total of 17 turnovers on the night. Jocelyn Talso (Ramsey, MN, Spring Lake Park High School) fired on all cylinders from the three-point line, as she boasted an incredibly efficient 80% clip from beyond the arc. An all-around team effort on the night saw all five starters for North Central making it into double-figures. All of these factors were enough to see the Rams having no issues with putting the Knights away and walking away with the victory.

Key Performers

• Joelle Talso dropped 20 points on the nights along with seven assists and six rebounds.
• Naomi Hagstrom (Zimmerman, MN, Zimmerman High School) added in 15 points and six rebounds.
• Emily DiGiorgio, was the defensive threat of the night for the Rams, as she recorded 14 points and four blocks.

Looking Ahead

Sitting now at 8-2 on the season, NCU women's basketball will start their conference play this Friday at 7 p.m. against the University of Northwestern (UNW) Eagles on their home floor. NCU bested UNW earlier in the season 64-56 and will be in pursuit of similar results this time around. In accordance with the Minnesota Health Department and institutional COVID-19 restrictions, NCU remind all fans that only essential game personnel with be permitted to be in attendance. Stay tuned to the official NCU Rams Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter for any scheduling updates, and navigate to ncurams.com/watch to enjoy a free live video broadcast of the highly anticipated UMAC matchup.