Box Score St. Bonifacius, MN -- This evening, the women's basketball team from North Central University (NCU) traveled to St. Bonifacius, Minnesota to compete against the Crown College (CC) Polars in the nightcap of the road Upper Midwest Athletic Conference (UMAC) doubleheader. In the previous matchup between these two teams earlier this season, the Rams defeated the Polars with a final score of 54-43. Tonight, the Polars sought revenge and defeated the Rams, 63-54. Today's loss ties the series between the North Central and Crown for the 2024-2025 season.

In the first quarter, things started off slow for both squads. Despite being held to just three points within the first eight minutes of the game, the Rams exercised good defensive plays and capitalized off of turnover opportunities from the Polars. Although it was a low scoring first quarter, there were some standout moments from players like Jackie Lindsay, who hit a crucial three-pointer at the 6:35 mark, and Kaitlyn Vanderploeg, who made a key three-pointer near the end of the quarter, as they went into the second trailing 11-10.

As the second quarter was underway, Vanderploeg had a couple of key free throws and a jumper that kept the Rams close with the Polars. Piper Flemming also provided a spark, hitting a three-pointer and adding to the team's offensive attack. Despite their strong defensive play, NCU just could not find some consistent answers offensively and Crown was able to extend their lead to 32-26 as the second frame came to a close. 

Coming into the third quarter, Brycelyn Brewster provided a spark offensively with her ability to consistently get into the paint, contributing key layups. Brewster also added some strong defensive effort as she attempted to help the Rams regain momentum. Flemming hit a timely three-pointer to try and close the gap, and Mckenzie Latzke added another three point jump shot to give the team some new energy midway through the third frame. However, North Central went on a scoring drought in the final five minutes of the quarter, putting the Polars ahead 49-40.

In the final quarter, both teams continued to battle back-and-forth with each squad knocking down a three-pointer to begin the final 10 minutes. Brewster was a standout with a final surge of points, contributing both at the free-throw line and in the paint, while also grabbing crucial rebounds. Latzke hit a big three-pointer to try and keep the team within reach, and Vanderploeg's defensive presence and rebounding helped secure key possessions. The Rams were able to narrow the deficit down to 5 with just over 2 minutes to play, the they could not quite get completely close the gap as the Polars pulled away for a 63-54 victory.

Top Performers:

• Brycelyn Brewster - 15 points, 6 rebounds, and 2 assists
• McKenzie Latzke - 10 points, 2 rebounds, and 2 assists

Looking Ahead:

This Wednesday, February 12th, the women will make their way to Morris, Minnesota to face the University of Minnesota-Morris (UMM) Cougars. The game is set to begin at 7:15 PM. 

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