Minneapolis, MN -- Today, the North Central University (NCU) women's basketball team hosted the Maranatha Baptist University (MBU) Sabercats as they continued their five-game homestand. NCU would look to bounce back after a home loss to UW-River Falls the last time they took the floor. Tonight, the Rams' offense would explode early and never look back as they defeated the Sabercats by a score of 72-38.
The Ram's offense would get to work right away as they scored 12 unanswered points to start the first quarter. The Sabercats would temporarily interrupt NCU's streak with their first bucket coming in the after 6 minutes played. However, that would be all Maranatha would produce in the first as North Central would have a commanding 20-2 lead going into the second quarter. The Rams would be led by Kaitlyn VanderPloeg with 6 points.
Trying to get themselves a fighting chance, MBU would start the scoring off in the second quarter with a drive to the cup. The Sabercats would be able to score 15 points in the second quarter but the Rams held held steady and extended their lead to 21 in total. Lydia Schroeder led the scoring in quarter two with a pair of three-point strikes. Headed into the halftime break, NCU would hold a 38-17 lead over Maranatha.
To start the third quarter, Kayla Hola would make a nice move in the paint to open the scoring. She would finish with a game high 9 points. A little over 1 minute into the second half, Clark Danielson would erupt as senior captain Joelle Talso would check into the game for the first time since her season-ending injury last season. The Sabercats would sink a pair of free throws in an effort to answer the Rams. However, a jumper by Hola and Caitlyn Ryan would allow NCU to take a 46-22 lead over MBU. Two free throws from Abby Howe and a three made by Piper Flemming would allow North Central to take a 51-27 lead over Maranatha as the teams went into the final quarter.
In the fourth and final quarter, Maranatha would score first to make the score 51-29. However, the Rams would answer right back off two mid range jumpers by Howe and two threes from NiNi Davenport. With a minute and a half left in the game, Fernanda Sanchez would get in the paint to get the emphatic and-one. Sanchez's free throw would seal the victory for the Rams as they took down the Sabercats 72-38.
Top Performers:
Looking Ahead:
Next, the women will have a short turnaround as they play tomorrow afternoon against the University of Wisconsin Stevens Point. Tip-off is set for 2:00pm in the Clark-Danielson Gymnasium.
All fans are encouraged to tune into the official Rams Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter pages for updates on women's basketball and all things NCU Athletics.
