MANKATO, Minn. -- Slated as their biggest game of the season so far, the North Central University (NCU) women's basketball team traveled to Bethany Lutheran College (BLC) to take on the number seed in the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC). The highly anticipated UMAC matchup went narrowly to the Vikings ending with a 77-66 final score.

Game Recap

Even before the tip off, the atmosphere in the gym was electric. The beginning of the first quarter was very much back and forth. The big task for the Rams was stopping BLC's All UMAC player for the past four years, Hanna Geistfeld. Emily DiGiorgio (Ironwood, MI, Luther L. Wright High School) and Kaitlyn VanderPloeg (Clear Lake, IA, Clear Lake High School) took charge in taking her out of the game with some outside help from NCU's guards. The Rams were down by ten at the end of the first quarter, but found some energy in the second quarter so that the point difference didn't get greater than that.
 
The third quarter went to the Vikings, as NCU struggled to get points on the board. However, the fourth quarter saw a whole new Rams team. Aubrey Robinson (Colorado Springs, CO, Sierra High School) came out of the huddle with a steal turned into a layup followed by a made three point basket, closing the gap point by point. Both Robinson and Kadija Conteh (London, UK, City of London Academy) dug in these last ten minutes, making huge plays on both ends of the court. With about a minute and a half to go, NCU was down 69-64 after a couple of made free throws from DiGiorgio. Despite the heavy pressure put on by the Rams, BLC pulled away just enough in the final minutes to take the win.

The loss is just NCU's second of the season as the women's basketball team chalks up a 14-2 record, 4-2 in the UMAC.

Key Performers

• Aubrey Robinson went off in the second half with 27 total points, making four three pointers.
• Kadija Conteh contributed 17 points to the Ram's offense.
• 100% from the free throw line, Emily DiGiorgio notched another double-double with 13 points and ten rebounds.

Looking Ahead

The Rams go back on the road tomorrow facing UMAC opponent, Martin Luther College at 7 pm. All fans are encouraged to follow official Rams Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter pages for updates on the women's basketball team and much more information.