Box Score

Wheaton, Ill. - When the shots weren't falling on the perimeter, the Wheaton College women's basketball team looked to their post players and got big numbers in a 76-70 victory over North Central College on Saturday.

The Thunder improved to 13-5 overall and 6-2 in the CCIW. The Cardinals fell to 6-13 overall, 2-6 in conference. Wheaton also won the previous game between the two teams 72-59 in Naperville on Jan. 8.

While the Thunder struggled to find its shooting stroke early in the game, the Cardinals got some open three-pointers from Jenny Swanson to stake themselves to a 10-5 lead. Wheaton scored the next eight points, however, as the guards started picking steals and scoring in transition.

Defensively, the Thunder always kept two pairs of eyes on North Central's leading scorer Jackie Errico in the post and doubled on post entry. Wheaton went into halftime with a 31-30 lead thanks to a put back by Kelly Brooks in the final seconds.

The second half saw the Cardinals get more aggressive offensively, working off screens and driving the baseline at every opportunity to take a 41-36 lead.

Wheaton's offense suffered through a lull of indecisiveness midway through the half. But it was senior forwards Brooks and Annie Bowen who picked up the slack for the 4-for-25 shooting from beyond the arc in the game. Bowen frequently slipped behind her defenders in the paint for back-door layups. Every time Brooks caught the ball in the post, the senior was looking to score and converted consistently. The duo combined to shoot 15 of 22 (68 percent) for 34 total points.

Rebounding and more efficient offense keyed the turnaround for Wheaton. The visitors' lead went from up 52-47 to a 66-56 Thunder advantage over the course of six-and-a-half minutes.

The final two minutes became a hack fest, with North Central fouling every time down the floor in an attempt to get more possessions. Errico did her part by scoring 11 points in that time. But Wheaton was steady and accurate at the free throw line and the lead never got below five points.

Wheaton ended up shooting 27 of 63 from the field (43 percent), 4 of 25 from three-point range (16 percent) and 18 of 24 from the free throw line (75 percent). Brooks led the team with 20 points in 21 minutes to go with six rebounds. Bowen scored 15 points with five rebounds and Lindsey Brenneman hit 9 of 10 free throws en route to 16 points. The Thunder also owned a 39-35 rebounding advantage and forced 21 turnovers.

North Central finished the game shooting 25 of 60 from the field (42 percent), 9 of 23 from beyond the arc (39 percent) and 11 of 12 from the charity stripe (92 percent). Errico's double-double of 29 points and 12 rebounds led the Cardinals. Swanson also hit four three-pointers to get 17 points.

Wheaton will go on the road to face Carthage College at 5:00 PM on Wednesday.