St. Paul, MN -- The North Central University (NCU) women's basketball competed in the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) championship game for the third year in a row against the one seed the University of Northwestern (UNW). Both teams were the top seeds of the conference in the regular season with the host team UNW winning both contests. Northwestern proved their undefeated conference record once again, as they beat the Rams 57-42.

The first quarter showed a competitive edge as both teams would score in streaks. The Eagles got the offense going first, then Blue and Gold would respond to keep it close. Destiny Hines came in clutch once again with her threes and Bryce Brewster executed her aggressive drives. When the second quarter hit, UNW took control after a 12-2 scoring streak. Second-chance shots for Northwestern made it hard for NCU to gain offensive traction. The Rams only scored 8 points to end the half, with the score sitting at 21-34.

Out of the break, NCU found themselves in the biggest deficit of the game trailing by 18 as UNW kept snagging offensive boards. Momentum picked up after a Szabla timeout and Joelle Talsostarted drilling some key shots. There was a strong fourth-quarter fight as Caitlyn Ryan and Kaitlyn VanderPloeg collected a streak of hope in the remaining minutes of the game. Unfortunately, the gap was too big to close and North Central finish their conference competition with a loss of 42-57.  

NCU women's basketball had a conference record of 9-5. North Central added a lot of new athletes to their starting roster this 2023 season and still remained a dominant force in the UMAC. This was Coach Szabla's first year with the Lady Rams and proved to be exactly what the team needed in a big transition year. With very few seniors graduating and a strong culture, the future looks bright for women's basketball.

Top Performers:

Bryce Brewster (Burnsville, MN): 13 points and 2 steals
Caitlyn Ryan (Papillion, NE): 9 points and 10 rebounds
Kaitlyn VanderPloeg (Clear Lake, IA): 6 points, 4 rebounds, and 2 blocks
Joelle Talso (Ramsey, MN): 5 points and 4 rebounds


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