St. Paul, MN -- This afternoon, the women's basketball team from North Central University (NCU) played their second game of the Twin Cities Invitational hosted by Macalester College. Following last night's loss to the Macalester Scots, the Rams faced the Simpson College (SC) Storm from Indianola, Iowa. Today, the Storm played true to their name as they caused havoc on the Rams, forcing 33 turnovers, scoring 39 points off turnovers, and ultimately handed NCU its sixth straight loss with a final score of 84-44.
Things did not go North Central's way to begin the game, as Simpson dropped three straight 3-pointers to open the game.
McKenzie Latzke answered with a pair of three-pointers to score the Rams' first point of the day. The Storm came raging back with a 13-0 run as they held NCU scoreless for 5 minutes. SC grew their lead to 25-8 by the end of the first quarter. The Rams shot just 23% from the field and coughed up 7 turnovers to aim the Storm. Latzke continued to sustain NCU offensively with a steal and three-pointer in transition. Unfortunately, things would get worse for North Central as they went scoreless for 7 minutes of the second quarter. This drought led to a 21-0 run for SC would continue to build momentum as they opened a 38-point lead. Late in the first half,
Lydia Schroeder knocked in a three to end the Storm's run. NCU trailed 51-14 at the half.
After being held to just 2 points in the first half, the Rams looked to get their leading scorer
Kaitlyn VanderPloeg going in the second. Making the adjustment, VanderPloeg scored 6 points to open the third quarter. Latzke and
Savi Rael each hit a three-pointer to help the Rams chip away at the deficit.
Jackie Lindsay cashed in a three as well to score her first points of the afternoon. VanderPloeg finished with 9 points in the third, but Simpson was able to hold on to their substantial lead to 71-32 to start the fourth. VanderPloeg was active early in the fourth, totaling 2 points, 2 blocks, and 3 rebounds before checking out. Late in the fourth,
Katlynn Williams-Clark,
Savanni Harris, and
Alexa Reddig all score their first collegiate buckets. The Rams went on to lose their sixth straight with a final of 84-44 against the Storm.
Top Performers:
Looking Ahead:
The women's basketball team will return home to Minneapolis as they face the Cornell College (CC) Rams. The game is slated for Tuesday, November 26th at 5:00 PM.
All fans are encouraged to tune into the official Rams Instagram, Facebook, and Twitter (X) pages for updates on women's basketball and all things NCU Athletics.
