Wheaton, Ill. – The Wheaton Thunder women's basketball team took advantage of its opportunities on Saturday night if a decisive 118-81 victory against North Central (9-9/2-5 CCIW). North Central, which utilizes a high-scoring "system" to generate offense, entered the game as the NCAA Division III leader in scoring with an average of 96.8 points per game.
Wheaton sophomore Ellie Zeller scored a career-high 32 points on 13-of-17 shooting from the field to lead the hosts. Zeller added three assists.
Wheaton scored the first 15 points of the game tonight in a span of three-and-a-half minutes. The Thunder led the Cardinals 28-7 with 12:45 remaining in the first half. Wheaton remained in control, holding a 63-36 lead at halftime. The largest lead of the game was a 43-point bulge for the Thunder as the hosts led 106-63.
The Thunder set three program records tonight as the 118 points scored by Wheaton tied the team's single-game record that was also set against North Central in a 118-87 victory against the Cardinals in 2013. The 47 field goals tallied by Wheaton tonight set a new single-game record, surpassing the 46 made by the Thunder against North Central last season. The 35 assists dished out by Wheaton also established a new program record, topping the 32 recorded in a win against Concordia-Chicago in 1995.
Wheaton shot a season-high 58.8% (47-80) from the field, with 55.6% (5-9) from three-point range and 70.4% (19-27) at the free throw line. North Central tallied a 30% (24-80) field goal percentage, with a 32.7% (16-49) three-point effort and 68% (17-25) at the charity stripe. Wheaton out-rebounded the Cardinals 53-44, with North Central holding a 21-14 edge on the offensive glass. Wheaton took advantage of North Central's 21 turnovers as the Thunder scored 27 points off of those turnovers.
Six players scored in double digits for the Thunder, led by Zeller. Sophomore Hannah Considine scored 19 points and Lauren Graham tallied 14 points on 7-of-11 shooting from the floor. Senior Maris Hovee scored 11 points and grabbed a game-high 17 rebounds. Hovee also dished out seven assists, with three blocked shots and three steals. Katie McDaniels and Moriah Reeves each scored 10 points. McDaniels dished out nine assists and Maria Panaggio added five assists.
Anita Sterling scored 15 points to lead North Central. Kelsey Cooling, Larynn Shumaker and Maryssa Cladis each scored 10 points for the guests.
Wheaton is now 13-4 on the year and improves to 4-3 in CCIW play. Wheaton, ranked 20th in this week's D3hoops.com Top-25 poll, will host Elmhurst on Wednesday night at 7 PM.