Box Score Dubuque, IA -- The North Central University (NCU) women's basketball team headed to Iowa to compete in the NCCAA North Regional in hopes to advance to the national tournament held in Missouri next week. The Rams must win all three of their regional games in order to qualify, starting with Maranatha Baptist University (MBU) earlier today. As the top seed, North Central had a confident lead all game, resulting in a win against their #9 ranked opponent. NCU advanced to the semi-finals with an 86-35 win.

From the jump, North Central hit the Sabercats hard with their fast pace offense. Piper Flemming went on a hot streak early with a quick 5 points and 2 boards, earning the Rams an early 11-2 lead. From there, MBU gained a slight rhythm, but DowntownU kept its consistency finishing the quarter 19-8. Quarter two had a similar feel as NCU controlled the battle. Kaitlyn VanderPloeg brought the fire with a 5-point scoring streak in aat the 4:30 mark, while Caitlyn Ryan had some strong finishes in the paint. The Blue and Gold took a 46-18 lead and lots of momentum into the halftime locker room.

Out of the break, North Central wasted no time opening up the second half with a shot from downtown on their first possession. The Sabercats tried to claw their way back with some defensive strides, but the deficit proved to be too great. Efficient inside scoring from NCU reserves Abby Howe and Lydia Schroeder contributed to a 37-16 bench points advantage for the Rams. North Central's depth proved a great advantage in the fourth quarter, as fresh legs limited Maranatha's scoring to only 8 points. After the final buzzer, your North Central Rams walked away with a commanding 86-35 win.


Top Performers:

Kaitlyn VanderPloeg (Clear Lake, IA): 17 points and 6 rebounds
Piper Flemming (Saint Paul, MN): 15 points, 4 rebounds, and 3 assists
Abby Howe (Ham Lake, MN): 10 points and 2 rebounds
Lydia Schroeder (Woodbury, MN): 6 points, 6 rebounds, and 3 assists

Looking Ahead:

Women's Basketball advances to the next round of NCCAA Regionals!  They will compete tomorrow at 1 p.m. against Faith Baptist.

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