Mankato, MN -- Today, the North Central University (NCU) women's basketball team traveled south to Mankato, MN to play their first Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) game of the year as they took on the Bethany Lutheran College (BLC) Vikings. Kaitlyn VanderPloeg's 17-point, 13-rebound double-double and Caitlyn Ryan's 17-point, 8-rebound, and 7-steal performance would help lead the Rams to their first conference win of the season as they beat the Vikings by a score of 66-50.
The Ram's offense would waste no time in this one as they would get on the board first thanks to a layup by Bryce Brewster. Halfway through the first quarter, NCU would gain a commanding 21-8 lead over BLC after a layup by VanderPloeg. The Vikings would come back late to make the score 21-17. However, back-to-back layups from VanderPloeg would preserve the Rams' lead as the first quarter would end with a 25-19 lead for North Central.
In the second quarter, Brewster would start the scoring off for the Rams once again followed by Alaysia Rusch who sank a 3-pointer to give NCU a 30-19 lead. North Central's defense would hold Bethany to only four total points in the second as they would head into halftime with a 36-23 lead over the Vikings.
The Vikings would open a 10-2 run to open the second half of play. Senior Joelle Talso would be the Rams' answer as she made back-to-back layups to increase NCU's lead to 43-32. At the end of the third, Bethany Lutheran would come within striking distance of the Rams as they shortened NCU's lead to six. The teams would head into the final quarter with North Central up 45-39.
Looking to extend NCU's lead, Joelle Talso would sink a three to start the fourth quarter. The Vikings would be able to stay within striking distance, cutting the lead to just 6 with 2 minutes to play. However, North Central would score 10 unanswered points to close out this one, led by Caitlyn Ryan with 6 points at the charity stripe. The Rams would go on to beat Bethany Lutheran College by a score of 66-50 to open up conference play.
Top Performers:
Looking Ahead:
The women will have a short turnaround as they face the Knights of Martin Luther College tomorrow afternoon. Tip-off is set for 3:00pm!
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.
