Minneapolis, MN -- The women's basketball team from North Central University (NCU) returned to Minneapolis this evening to host their first Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) game at home. Tonight's matchup was against the University of Minnesota-Morris (UMM) Cougars, who defeated the Rams 84-63 in their final regular season game last season. In today's contest, the Rams battled back in the fourth quarter to tie the game before falling by a final score of 56-53. Senior Kaitlyn VanderPloeg was instrumental in North Central's  comeback with 27 points, 12 rebounds, 3 steals, and 2 blocks. 

Minnesota Morris jumped out to a hot start as they found themselves leading 10-1 after 4 minutes of action. Finally, McKenzie Latzke shattered the lid on the rim for the three-pointer to get in the scoring column. Kaitlyn VanderPloeg helped rally her team with big defensive plays that led to scoring opportunities on the other end. With seconds left in the first, Brycelyn Brewster found teammate Jackie Lindsay for a three-pointer to cut the lead to three at 20-17.

Continuing her strong play from the first quarter, VanderPloeg opened the second with a steal defensively and post finish on the other end for the Rams. However, turnovers would derail NCU's momentum and allow MN-Morris to grow their lead to 13 points rather quickly. Much like the opening quarter, the Blue and Gold would rally late to cut the deficit to six before the end of the half. VanderPloeg and Latzke lead the way for the Rams with 12 and 8 points, respectively. 

Kaitlyn VanderPloeg scored 5 straight points to keep North Central within striking distance at 40-36. Once again, NCU's offense was slowed by turnovers that allowed Morris to steal possessions. A layup by freshman Magdalena Daukaus off the assist by Brycelyn Brewster would make it 48-40 in favor of the Cougars heading into the fourth. 

North Central scored 6 straight points to begin the final quarter to cut the lead to two. NCU sought to feed the post and was able to work their way to the free throw line where VanderPloeg would tie the game at 51-51 with just under 4 minutes to play. The Cougars came down and nailed a three-pointer that was answered by NCU with a VanderPloeg hook shot. With a minute to play, UMM missed a pair of free throws, but secured a huge offensive rebound that led to a mid-range jumper that put the Cougars up three with 34 seconds left. NCU's three-point attempt to tie it would fall unsuccessful and the Cougars hung on to win 56-53. 

Top Performers:

• Kaitlyn VanderPloeg: 27 points, 12 rebounds, 3 steals, and 2 blocks

Looking Ahead:

The Rams will remain at home to host the Crown College (CC) Polars on Saturday, January 18th at 4:45 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.