Morris, MN -- The women's basketball team from North Central University (NCU) traveled to Morris, Minnesota tonight to compete against the University of Minnesota-Morris (UMM) Cougars in the second part of the Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) doubleheader . When the Rams faced the Cougars earlier this season, UMM got the best of the Rams as they fell by a score of 53-56. This evening, North Central would fall to Morris once again, as the Cougars used a late game surge to pull away for a 63-47 victory.
The Rams were off to a rocky start in the first quarter, being held to just two points in the first seven minutes. However, they were able to get their feet underneath them as they settled in midway through the first frame. Kaitlyn Vanderploeg got the Rams eventually rolling, finding opportunities in the low post. Vanderploeg, recorded multiple layups, including a crucial buckets in the waning seconds cut the deficit to just two, 12-14, as the first quarter came to a close.
Brycelyn Bewster sought to tie up the score at 18, as she made a layup in the paint in the early going of the second quarter. NCU's
Lydia Schroeder also made her mark as she helped answer after Morris quickly regained the lead. Brewster, showcased her versatility with both scoring and defensive plays, while Vanderploeg also had moments where she created opportunities, including a timely assist to Brewster. As the minutes of the first half winded down, the Rams went into halftime only trailing by 4 points, 24-28.
The Rams fought hard as they returned from the half. VanderPloeg contributed with several layups in the paint, while Brewster added to the score with multiple successful free throws. After trading score for score, the Cougars were able to push their lead to 6 by the midway point of the third quarter. Over the course of the next two minutes the Rams answered in a big way manufacturing a 8-2 run to knot the game up at 37-37. The Cougars answered right back with a run of their own to push their lead back to 4, but it was a big three-point jumper by
Savi Rael that helped cut the lead back down to one as the two squads headed to the final quarter they found themselves barely trailing at the end of the third quarter.
Trailing 41-40 to start the final frame, NCU's offense began to slip as the Cougars held them scoreless in the first four minutes. Turnovers plagued North Central, giving Minnesota-Morris multiple fast-break opportunities, which helped them build a notable lead. Despite solid efforts, including a few strong defensive rebounds, the team couldn't quite close the gap and the Cougars pulled away to secure 63-47 victory.
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Looking Ahead:
This Saturday, February 15th, the women will return home to host the Eagles from the University of Northwestern (UNW). The game is set to begin at 4:45.
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