Dubuque, IA -- The North Central University (NCU) women's basketball competed for the NCCAA North Regional Championship against their familiar opponent Crown College (CC). North Central has played Crown twice this year, beating them by 10+ points each game. The winner of this game will have the opportunity to play for the NCCAA national title next week. It was a back-and-forth battle, but our Rams pulled off an impressive nail-biter winning 56-53.

With a tight game out of the gates, both teams were back-and-forth as they spent the majority of the first half within a 3-point difference. Endurance was a key component to a shift in momentum as this was the third straight game of a long 3-day tournament. The game was tied until the Polars snagged a 6-0 run on NCU in the middle of quarter two. Crown's offensive rebounds allowed them to continue to put pressure on the Blue and Gold leading to North Central going to the locker room trailing 20-28.

Out of the break, the Polars continued their hot streak with another early run extending their lead to as many as 11. Bryce Brewster and Caitlyn Ryan cranked up their own heat both on offense and defense which silenced CC for 6 straight minutes. This allowed NCU to close the gap back to a 1-point deficit as the third quarter buzzer would sound. Starting quarter four, it was anyone's game as both teams were neck-in-neck for the remainder of the contest. Piper Flemming tipped the scales with a clutch sink from downtown and Kayla Hola would follow with another shot down in the post, putting the Rams up three late. North Central's momentum put all the pressure on Crown to make a play in the final seconds. The Rams matched up defensively and got the stop they needed, and NCU's bench stormed the court, winning 56-53.
 
Top Performers:

Caitlyn Ryan (Papillion, NE): 16 points, 9 rebounds and 2 assists
Bryce Brewster (Burnsville, MN): 12 points and 2 rebounds
Piper Flemming (Saint Paul, MN): 8 points and 4 rebounds
Kayla Hola (Bastrop, TX): 6 points, 9 rebounds and 4 assists


Looking Ahead:

NCU Women's Basketball are NCCAA North Regional Champions! The Rams will compete for a national title down in Joplin, Missouri starting next week on March 9^th.

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