Naperville, Ill. -- Three days after returning to conference action in successful fashion at Millikin, the Wheaton women's basketball team was back on the road this afternoon for another CCIW road test, this time at North Central College. The hosting Cardinals used a smothering defensive effort in the first quarter and a strong fourth quarter performance to earn a 67-55 victory in today's suburban matchup. North Central moves to 10-5 overall and 4-2 in league play with Saturday's result, while the Thunder drop to 5-8 and 2-3 in CCIW play.
The Cardinals notched the first points of the game, only to see Wheaton level the score on two occasions from a pair of layups in the paint by
Petra Trumbach. But North Central retook a 7-4 lead just over four minutes into the contest, and the home side would hold the advantage on the scoreboard the rest of the way. The Naperville squad mounted an 11-1 run following the 4-4 tie to end the first quarter with a double-digit lead, with the visitors' only point in that span coming from the free throw line. NCC's full court press and energetic defensive rotation caused Wheaton problems from the start, as the hosts forced seven turnovers and held the Thunder to a 2-14 shooting mark in the opening frame.
The Orange and Blue righted the ship offensively in the second quarter and scored 18 points from a 54% field goal tally. But the closest they came to North Central on the scoreboard was a deficit of seven, as the Cardinals also went for 18 points and effectively managed their lead. Trailing 26-12 midway through the period, the Thunder put together an 11-4 surge highlighted by seven points from today's leading scorer,
Chloe Kostka (
pictured left). But having clawed back to within seven points at a 30-23 line, a three-pointer by North Central on the final possession of the first half swung the momentum back in the hosts' favor heading into the break.
The Thunder enjoyed their best stretch of the game in the third quarter, outscoring the Cardinals, 19-15, and holding the home side to a 4-11 shooting count. Wheaton's shooting percentages dipped compared to its second quarter showing, but the team earned six points from the foul line and turned over possession just two times. The guests outscored NCC, 6-2, to begin the period and drew back within six at 35-29. After North Central ended its slow start with three points, a three-ball and two free throws from
Kate Oliver either side of a Cardinals jumper again brought Wheaton within six points. But NCC knocked down consecutive triples to restore a comfortable advantage at 46-34. The visitors answered this setback with another 7-1 run featuring points from three different players, before the two sides exchanged free throws to set the score at 48-42 in North Central's favor heading into the decisive quarter.
The Cardinals began the fourth period with a layup in the lane which was then matched by
Lily Caddow at the other end. But this six-point deficit was as close as Wheaton would come to drawing back level on the scoreboard. Leading 52-46 with seven minutes remaining in the game, North Central rattled off seven-consecutive points over the next three minutes to build an impenetrable edge. An and-one layup from Oliver got the Thunder back within eight with 50 seconds to play, but the hosts sank their last six free throws of the day and came up with a pair of defensive stops that allowed them to seal just their 14th-ever home win over Wheaton.
North Central finished the game with a 38.8% field goal percentage and held Wheaton to a 32.3% mark. The hosts went 5-14 from beyond the arc on Saturday, while the visitors had to settle for a 3-18 count. The Thunder earned the superior free throw shooting percentage at 83.3%, but the Cardinals registered 24 points from the stripe compared to Wheaton's ten, thanks in large part to 15 foul shot attempts in the fourth quarter. NCC won the rebounding battle, 42-36, but the Thunder grabbed 14 offensive boards to the Cardinals' 11 and edged the total turnover count at 15-13. The guests outscored the home side in the paint by a margin of 30-24 and logged six more points off of turnovers, but North Central carved out slender advantages in bench points and second chance scoring while also tallying 13 fast break points to Wheaton's six.
Trumbach led the Thunder in rebounding and assists this afternoon with respective totals of six and five, while scoring eight points from a 4-7 shooting outing. Kostka led all scorers with 11 points on Saturday, while Oliver tallied ten and contributed five rebounds, three assists, and a team-high three takeaways.
Grace Kizer and
Ann Magee Stradinger each finished with seven points, and
Lydia Brogan matched Trumbach on a team-high six boards and grabbed two steals.
Wheaton will step out of the CCIW rotation for its next game, as it welcomes The University of Olivet to King Arena for a rescheduled contest. The Thunder's non-conference finale against the Comets is set to begin at 6:00 PM on Wednesday.
