MINNEAPOLIS, Minn. -- In their season finale, the North Central University (NCU) women's basketball team took on Bethany Lutheran College (BLC), the number one team in the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC). The Rams lost a nail-bitter to the Vikings, 67-61, to finish the regular season.
 
Game Recap

BLC jump out to an early lead in the first quarter catching NCU off guard. However, the Rams regrouped in the second quarter to outscore the Vikings 20-8. NCU shot just shy of 70% in the second ten minutes. The Ram's offense was more fluid and they executed plays to get the momentum and chipped away at BLC's lead. NCU eventually gain it for themselves going into halftime, 27-25.
 
The Ram's kept the momentum going into the third quarter by Emily DiGiorgio's (Ironwood, MI, Luther L. Wright High School)post points, and Joelle Talso's (Ramsey, MN, Spring Lake Park High School) drives to the hoop. And by the end of the third, NCU was up by eight points. With help from Kadija Conteh (London, UK, City of London Academy), the Rams stayed in front of the Vikings throughout most of the final quarter. But caused by foul trouble for NCU and made baskets for BLC, the Vikings cut the lead with just minutes to go. It was back and forth in the last couple minutes, but BLC prevailed over the Rams in the end with a final score of 67-61.
 
At the end of the regular season, NCU finishes at 21-4 and 10-4 in UMAC. The Rams also honored their seven seniors: Kadija Conteh, Emily DiGiorgio, Hannah Grubbs (Chardon, OH, Newbury High School), Naomi Hagstrom (Zimmerman, MN, Zimmerman High School), Micayla Jones (Chicago, IL, De La Salle Institute), Mary Seegers (Oconomowoc, WI, Homeschool), and Bethany Shield (Lincoln, NE, Lincoln Southwest High School), for their years of hard work and dedication to the women's basketball team.
 
Key Performers
 

• Emily DiGiorgio led all scorers with 19 points.
• Shooting 75% from the free throw line, Kadija Conteh scored 12 points and had three steals.
• Joelle Talso added ten points and grabbed five rebounds.

Looking Ahead

The Rams now head into the conference tournament where they secured a home game this Tuesday at 5:30 pm against Martin Luther College, who NCU just beat a day before in the regular season. All fans are encouraged to tune into official Rams Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter pages for updates on the women's basketball team and much more information.