LISLE, Ill. - Facing a women's version of "The System" derived by Grinnell's men, the Benedictine University women's basketball team dropped a 96-91 track meet to North Central on Saturday afternoon.
Instituting hockey type line changes every minute, North Central allowed 16 players from the roster to appear in the game with 13 logging more than 10 minutes and attempted 93 shots including 60 three-pointers in the game. The full court press cost Benedictine as the Eagles turned the ball over 33 times, leading to 35 points.
Benedictine held a 40-39 lead at halftime, attempting just a single three-pointer while holding North Central to 26 percent from the field. The Eagles were +11 on the glass and were able to break the press consistently leading to odd player rushes and 34 points in the paint. Benedictine led most of the half, holding a seven-point advantage at 23-16 when Katie Hunzinger deposited a layup with 11:46 to play. After North Central battled back, Nicole Botich hit a layup just before the end of the half to put Benedictine ahead.
The Eagles again were able to take the lead early in the second, holding a seven point lead at 67-60 with 10:01 left in the game when Michelle Gaede drilled a pair of free throws. The lead ballooned to double digits at 74-64 with an Alexis Joseph layup with 7:56 to play. North Central immediately opened an 8-0 run to claw within 74-72 with 7:08 remaining, capitalizing on a pair of turnovers.
Joseph extended the lead to 78-72 with a jumper off a feed from Michelle Gaede with 5:41 to play. Again, North Central rallied, using a 6-0 run to tie the game. The visitors led for the first time in the second half at 82-80 with 4:17 to play and never trailed the rest of the way, building an eight-point advantage. Benedictine could only come as close as three at 87-84 with 2:00 remaining.
For the afternoon, the game featured seven ties and six lead changes. The win marked the first for North Central over Benedictine since 2009.
Hunzinger led all scorers with 25 points and added 11 rebounds. Alexis Joseph came off the bench to record a career best 14 points to go along with 11 rebounds. Sierra Dunner also reached double figures with 11 points. Benedictine held a 63-55 edge on the glass.
Benedictine (0-4) will open conference play on the road Wednesday at Concordia Chicago. Tip-off is slated for 7:00 p.m.