Wheaton, Ill. - The Thunder women's basketball team wrapped up its first semester of action on Saturday night with a 78-54 victory over North Central. The victory was Wheaton's 20th-consecutive win over the Cardinals. With the victory, Wheaton moves to 7-3 overall and 3-0 in the CCIW. North Central falls to 2-7 overall and 1-3 in the CCIW. Wheaton will next be in action on December 28 when the Thunder take on Wilmington in the Bluffton Holiday Classic.

Wheaton shot 42.4% (28-66) from the field including a 34.8% (8-23) clip from the three-point line. The Cardinals were held to 35.7% (20-56) from the field and just 27.3% (6-22) from beyond the arc. The Thunder were 14-of-18 from the charity stripe for a 77.8% showing while the Cardinals made just eight-of-14 attempts to finish at 57.1%. Wheaton outrebounded the Cardinals 42-35 including a 14-10 edge in offensive boards.

Tied 4-4 in the first quarter, Wheaton gained separation with an 11-0 run through the middle of the quarter, led by a trio of three-pointers by Kristi Demski to lead by as many as 14 points on Hannah Swider's three-pointer with two minutes left in the quarter. North Central would score the final four points of the quarter to trail 20-10 after ten minutes.
 
The second quarter began much like the first with both teams trading baskets before a Hannah Williams three-pointer broke the stalemate and started a quick 7-0 run that led to Wheaton extending its lead.  A lay-up by Hannah Frazier and a Jennifer Berg free throw in the final seconds of the half staked Wheaton to a 38-19 halftime advantage.
 
A pair of early three-pointers by Hannah Frazier and Hannah Williams helped Wheaton push the lead over 20 points and never look as the Thunder pulled away to lead 57-35 at the end of the third quarter. A quick 12-0 run to start the fourth quarter pushed Wheaton a game-high 32 point lead at 69-35 as the Thunder cruised to the 78-54 victory to improve to 7-3 overal.