Box Score Daytona Beach, FL -- The North Central University (NCU) women's basketball team finish the Florida Sunshine Shootout with a loss against Emmanuel College (EC), Massachusetts on Friday afternoon (12/30). NCU played a competitive game, but the Saints dominated the pace with a final score of 95-59. The Blue and Gold finished their holiday invite 1-1 on the week.

NCU started the first quarter with some great pressure on the Saints, limiting their points to only 11 at the buzzer. Kaitlyn VanderPloeg set the defensive tone with a block early on and finished the game with a total of 5. Bryce Brewster also kept the Saints on their toes with a momentum hitting three to keep the battle tight. In the second quarter, EC took control in the paint as they consistently added to their lead. They executed a 6-0 run before the Rams called a timeout. In the final 30 seconds of the half, NCU scored 5 points on two turnovers and a thriller three by Megan Salgado. Downtown U went into the locker room with the final say, still trailing 21-32.

The beginning of the third quarter was a back-and-forth battle as the Rams steadily trailed by 10 until the Massachusetts team caught a rhythm on defense forcing multiple turnovers. Every ball sank for the Ram's opponent as they scored at will with hot shooting. NCU started fresh in the final quarter with the bench making a great impact. Jocelyn Talso had a strong impact reducing the deficit and totaling 6 points. NCU continued to fight all the way to the buzzer, but ultimately the Saints did not cave winning the game 95-59.


Top Performers:

Kaitlyn VanderPloeg (Clear Lake, IA): 4 points, 5 rebounds, and 5 blocks
Joelle Talso (Ramsey, MN): 5 points and 7 assists
Megan Salgado (Woodbury, MN): 8 points and 2 rebounds
Piper Flemming (Saint Paul, MN): 9 points and 2 steals

Looking Ahead:

NCU will return to UMAC competition with their cross-town rivals, the University of Northwestern Eagles next Saturday at 4:45 p.m.

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