CHICAGO, Ill. (Feb. 25, 2020) – A season-high offensive output could not have come at a better time for the North Central College women's basketball team, as the sixth-seeded Cardinals jumped out to an early lead and led the rest of the way in a 91-84 defeat of third-seeded North Park University on Tuesday to score its first College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW) Tournament win since 2015.

After North Park (17-9) scored the opening basket of the contest, North Central rattled off nine-straight points highlighted by a three-pointer and layup from Haydn Braun and two more layups from Maya Walls.

The Cardinals led by as many as 11 in the opening half, as Hannah Vitkus completed a three-point play at the 2:49 mark of the second quarter, giving North Central a 34-23 advantage.

Extending its double-digit lead at the 5:39 mark of the third quarter, Rebekah Foley connected from down low before knocking down a pair of free throws to give North Central a 49-37 advantage.

Opening up its largest lead of the contest on another free throw from Foley, North Central took a 65-48 lead to begin the fourth quarter, but North Park refused to go down without a fight, going on a quick 13-3 run to shrink the Cardinal lead 67-61.

Following a North Central timeout, three-straight layups from Foley, Natali Dimitrova and Allison Pearson extended the lead back to double figures 73-61.

The Cardinals had to once again fend off another North Park comeback however, as the Vikings pulled to within five points of the lead in the closing minutes but the Cardinals were able to clinch the game from the free throw line, making a season-high 32-of-43 attempts.  The 32 made free throws are tied for third-most in a single-game in program history.

The 91 points scored are the highest this season, as the Cardinals had not eclipsed the 80-point mark heading into the evening.  The Cardinals also shot a season-best 55.3 percent from the field, just the second time over 50 percent on the season.

Five Cardinals finished in double figures including four of the five starters, led by 20 points from Braun and 18 from Pearson.  Dimitrova finished with 15 points and a team-leading nine rebounds, while Foley added 11 points and a career-high seven assists, and Stephanie Kowalczyk tallied 10 off the bench.

Lauryn Alba Garner led all scorers with 22 points for North Park, while Zakiya Newsome finished with 19 and Angelina Villasin added 15.

North Central (12-14) advances to the semi-finals of the CCIW Tournament on Friday, Feb. 28, taking on top-seeded Wheaton College inside King Arena with tip-off scheduled for 7 p.m.