Jan. 11, 2020 – Erasing a double-digit deficit in the second half, the North Central College women's basketball team fought out a 62-60 win over Carroll University on Saturday in a College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW) thriller inside Gregory Arena, as the Cardinal bench combined for nearly 73 percent of the scoring on the evening.

Trailing 35-23 with 7:07 to play in the third quarter, consecutive three-pointers on three straight possessions, two from Page Desenberg and another from Rebekah Foley, trimmed the Pioneers' lead down to five.

Still trailing by five later in the third quarter, Stephanie Kowalczyk knocked down a jumper before Jessica Kowalczyk tied the game for the first time since the opening tip with a three-pointer, knotting the score at 39.

With the game tied heading into the fourth quarter, Carroll took a quick three-point lead with just over eight minutes to play, but yet another three-pointer from Foley tied the score 48-48.

After Jessica Kowalczyk gave North Central its first lead of the game with a three-pointer at the 4:32 mark, the Pioneers immediately countered with a long ball from Alyssa Cruz before Katie Evans increased the Carroll lead back to three, 58-55.

Again coming up clutch from long distance, Foley tied the game yet again with her second three-pointer of the quarter, before taking the lead with a layup on the next possession to take the lead for good with 2:40 to play in the contest.

Stephanie Kowalczyk knocked down a pair of clutch free throws in the closing minute, while the defense fended off a last second attempt at the buzzer to seal the win.

The bench combined for 45 of the 62 North Central points on the evening, while Desenberg accounted for 16 of the 17 points by the starting lineup. 

Entering the game without a point on the season, Stephanie Kowalczyk led the bench mob with 14 points on 4-of-5 shooting from the field, to go along with four rebounds, two assists and two steals, while Jessica Kowalczyk added 12 points, three assists and two steals.  Foley also finished with 12 points, shooting 4-of-6 from the field and 3-of-5 from beyond the arc.

Four Pioneers finished in double figures, led by 15 points from Evans and 13 from Sierra Grubor, while Kate Christian and Alyssa Cruz each added 10 points.

North Central (6-9, 2-4 CCIW) returns home on Wednesday, Jan. 15, playing host to Carthage College at 7 p.m.