MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. -- In a contest that saw a limited amount of fans in attendance under new institutional COVID-19 policies, the Clark-Danielson Gymnasium was electric on Thursday night as the North Central University (NCU) women's basketball team took on the Crown College (CC) Storm in the first round of the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) playoffs. With a final score of 87-54, the Rams etched their name into the North Central record books by tallying the program's first-ever UMAC playoff win.

Game Recap

Having beaten CC just under a weak ago, the Rams came out looking to repeat their previous performance against the Storm and managed to do just that. The first half started off in a high-paced back-and-forth battle that saw several trade leads early on. North Central guards Kadija Conteh (London, UK, City of London Academy) and Joelle Talso (Ramsey, MN, Spring Lake Park High School) found gaps in the Storm's defense and managed to convert on several drives to the hoop. Heading into the half with a nine point lead, the Rams managed to hold the Storm to shooting just 31% from the floor.

After the break, NCU came right out of the gate by going on a 14-3 run. Managing to outscore the Storm 32-10 in the third quarter, this proved instrumental to the Rams' cruising away with the victory late in the game. Naomi Hagstrom (Zimmerman, MN, Zimmerman High School) provided the spark the Rams with the offensive surge they needed in the second half. The junior forward knocked down six threes on the night, four of which came in the second half. On the defnesive side, NCU tallied a total of 14 steals, allowing multiple opportunities in transition to occur for Hagstrom to shoot beyond the arc and Emily DiGiorgio (Ironwood, MI, Luther L. Wright High School) to go to work in the post. Also, NCU shared the ball well tonight, resulting in 22 total assists. 

She put 24 points on the board and shot 50% from the three point line. In only her third year, tonight Hagstrom gained entry into the 1,000 point club and continues to be an asset to the Ram's scoring abilities.

Key Performers

• Naomi Hagstrom put on an offensive show with six threes on the night. She had a total of 24 points and seven rebounds.
• Emily DiGiorgio snuck her way into another double-double with 16 points and ten rebounds. She also statted four blocks.
• With 13 points, six assists, and five rebounds guard Joelle Talso made her postseason collegiate debut and did not disappoint.
• Sharpshooter Jocelyn Talso (Ramsey, MN, Spring Lake Park High School) had three threes on the night, totaling 11 points along with three steals.

Looking Ahead

The Rams have a quick turnaround as they look ahead to their next opponent. North Central women's basketball has now advanced to the UMAC semifinals for the first time in program history. This Saturday at Clark-Danielson Gymnasium, the Rams will take on the University of Minnesota Morris at 7 p.m. in a prime-time matchup. In similar fashion as tonight, a small group of fans will be admitted into the game to enjoy it live. All other spectators looking to enjoy the highly anticipated UMAC semifinal matchup are encouraged to click here to watch the Rams play live as they look to continue their historic season. Continue to stay tuned to official Rams Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter pages for more upcoming game information and a preview on the playoff matchup.