St. Paul, MN -- This evening, the North Central University (NCU) women's basketball team traveled to St. Paul, Minnesota to compete against the University of Northwestern (UNW) Eagles. Last season when these two teams faced each other, the Eagles defeated the Rams 62-58. Tonight, the Eagles would see a victory once again, with a final score of 73-49. Senior
Kaitlyn VanderPloeg recorded her sixth double-double performance of the season with 17 points and 11 rebounds to lead all Rams.
To begin the first half, North Central came out with a competitive mindset, with key contributions coming from several players.
Brycelyn Brewster led the team in the first quarter with consistent scoring, hitting multiple jumpers and fastbreak layups, putting 8 points on the board.
Kaitlyn VanderPloeg was also prominent in the paint, scoring 11 points in the first half. The team benefited from solid rebounding and defense through the first 15 minutes of the contest. However, the Eagles closed out the half on a 13-4 run to take a 15-point lead going into the half at up 39-24.
Although the Rams returned from half with determination, North Central struggled to keep pace with Northwestern in the second half, facing a large deficit throughout. Despite some strong rebounding efforts, the team struggled to capitalize on second-chance opportunities. North Central also committed turnovers at critical moments, allowing Northwestern to score in transition. In the closing minutes of the half, the team showed brief flashes of life, with contributions from players like
Alexa Reddig and
Magdalena Daukaus, but they were unable to close the gap. The Eagles came out victorious with a final score of 73-49.
Top Performers:
Looking Ahead:
The Rams will host a matchup against the University of Minnesota-Morris (UMM) Cougars next Wednesday, January 15th at 7:15 PM.
All fans are encouraged to tune into the official Rams
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