Wheaton, IL — The Wheaton women's basketball team hosted the North Central Cardinals in a CCIW matchup on Saturday, looking to bounce back from a tough loss in their previous outing on home court. The Thunder did just that, defeating the Cardinals 64–57 in a wire-to-wire victory this afternoon.
With the win, Wheaton improved to 8–13 overall and 4–8 in conference play, while North Central fell to 13–9 and 7–6 in the CCIW. The Thunder maintained their impressive home winning streak against today's opponents, earning the program's 19
th-consecutive victory against the Cardinals in King Arena, with NCC's last road win over Wheaton coming 17 years ago to the day.
The Thunder opened the game on an 8–0 run behind three-point shooting from
Lauryn Ham and freshman
Lydia Brogan and never relinquished the lead. The hosts maintained control throughout the contest, setting the tone early on the defensive end.
Wheaton held North Central to 33 percent shooting in the first half. Although the Cardinals outscored the Thunder in the second quarter, their 2-for-10 shooting performance in the opening frame prevented them from making up significant ground. North Central briefly cut the deficit to two points with three minutes remaining in the half, but a three-pointer from
Lily Caddow and a layup by
Jenna Hunter pushed Wheaton's lead back to seven. The Thunder entered halftime ahead 33–24.
The home side's defense continued to stifle the Cardinals in the second half, allowing just seven made field goals. North Central relied heavily on free throws to stay within striking distance, attempting 21 in the second half and converting 16 of them.
The visitors pulled within one point with six minutes remaining, but
Kate Oliver sealed the outcome with a strong closing stretch. The senior scored eight points in the final six minutes while adding a steal and a rebound to preserve the Thunder's advantage.
Wheaton held on for the 64–57 victory, securing a crucial conference win that keeps the team in the hunt for a CCIW Tournament berth.
As a team, the Thunder shot 46.2 percent from the field and from three-point range and 71.4 percent from the free-throw line. Wheaton out-rebounded North Central, 36–28, and held advantages in assists (11–10) and steals (12–8). The Cardinals were limited to 32 percent shooting from the field and a 30 percent mark from range but converted 19 of their 26 free-throw attempts.
Oliver led the Thunder with a game-high 14 points, five rebounds, four steals, three assists, and two blocks in a versatile performance. Hunter added 13 points, four rebounds, and two dimes. Brogan led all players with 11 rebounds, marking a new season-high, while Caddow contributed nine points and joined Oliver on game-best tallies of four steals and three assists.
Petra Trumbach grabbed two takeaways and matched Brogan on eight points.
The Thunder will close out their three-game homestand on Wednesday against the Augustana Vikings, with tip-off scheduled for 7:00 p.m. in King Arena.
