ST. BONIFACIUS, Minn. – The North Central University (NCU) women's basketball team traveled to Crown College on Saturday afternoon with much anticipation of knowing what was on the line. Heading into the matchup with a chance of making history, the Rams took care of business on the road and fulfilled their lofty goals. North Central women's basketball took down the Storm 74-48 to secure the number one seed in the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) playoffs, while also clinching at least a share of UMAC regular season championship.
 
Game Recap

After an important win on Thursday night, the Rams kept up the momentum coming into today's matchup with the Storm. While the first quarter was low-scoring on both ends, NCU had control over pace of the game. The Rams got into more of a rhythm in the second quarter, outscoring the Polar Bears 18-9. Freshman guard Joelle Talso (Ramsey, MN, Spring Lake Park High School) was back after sitting due an injured ankle and made an immediate impact by contributing an early nine points.

To start the second half, the Rams went on a 9-0 run, starting the lead to what would turn into a high-scoring affair for NCU. The blue and gold dominated in the paint, as 44 of their 74 points came under the rim. Naomi Hagstrom (Zimmerman, MN, Zimmerman High School) and Emily DiGiorgio (Ironwood, MI, Luther L. Wright High School) were instrumental in NCU holding the advantage in this area. The Rams capitalized off turnovers created by getting out onto several fast break opportunities led by Kadija Conteh (London, UK, City of London Academy) who continuously pushed the ball. North Central tallied 26 total points off CC turnovers, marking a season-high for the squad. As a result of the program's dynamic offense and relentless defense NCU remains undefeated in the UMAC with a record of now 7-0 and will enjoy home-court advantage throughout the conference playoffs.
 
Key Performers

• Jocelyn Talso (Ramsey, MN, Spring Lake Park High School) had another great night, finishing with 15 points and three rebounds. She was 6-of-6 from the free throw line as well.
• Close behind her was Naomi Hagstrom, who had 14 points and five boards.
• Point guard Kadija Conteh put up 13 points, five rebounds, and three assists for the Rams.

Looking Ahead
 
While the Rams have now officially clinched at least a share of the regular season UMAC Championship crown, the blue and gold have one more regular season conference matchup on Monday afternoon. In a quick two-day turnaround, NCU will hit the road on Monday night to take on the Bethany Lutheran College Vikings at 7:00 p.m. Stay tuned to ncurams.com and official Rams social media (Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter) for any schedule updates and upcoming game information as NCU heads into the playoffs.