NAPERVILLE, Ill. (Jan. 3, 2024) - Opening the New Year with authority, the North Central College women's basketball team used a 25-12 third quarter to earn an 84-78 win over No. 11 Millikin University, the program's first ranked win under head coach Maggie McCloskey-Bax. The season-high 84 points on Wednesday night inside Gregory Arena was led by Elle Sutter, who scored a game-high 25 points.

Baskets by Jovanna Martinucci, Jocelyn Trotter, and Megan McClure opened a 6-0 lead for North Central, just two minutes into the game. A three from Grace Kieffer and a pair of free throws from McClure put the Cardinals ahead by seven, 11-4. The Big Blue battled back by tying the contest at 22 after 10 minutes of play. 

The two teams traded points as Millikin held a slight four-point lead midway through the quarter. A layup from Trotter stopped the Big Blue run. Millikin kept their foot on the gas to take a 44-33 advantage into the half as Sutter hit a running layup as time expired.

McClure hit back-to-back jumpers to begin the third quarter. Sutter connected from three-point range to bring North Central within four following a 9-2 run. After Sutter went 3-of-4 from the charity stripe, Kieffer knocked down a clutch deep ball to tie the contest at 48 with 4:40 left in the quarter. Both teams went back and forth until Sutter went on a 5-0 run herself to give North Central a 58-56 edge heading into the final 10 minutes of play. 

Millikin used an early run to take a five-point lead with 4:15 left in the game. The Cardinals responded with a three from Sutter, followed by a jumper from McClure to tie the game at 72 with 2:18 left. Giving North Central the lead, Sutter converted a four-point play to give the Cardinals the momentum, and a 76-72 advantage.

After Millikin knocked down a pair of free throws, McClure hit another midrange jumper, forcing a Big Blue timeout. Sutter and Megan Duffy made free throws down the stretch to secure the 84-78 victory for North Central. The Cardinals improve to 7-7 on the season, already beating last season's win total of six.

Sutter, who outscored Millikin by herself in the third quarter, 13-12, led all scorers with 25 points for the game. She added seven rebounds while McClure recorded 20 points and eight rebounds. Trotter tallied 14 points with Kieffer scoring 12 points and dishing out eight assists. As a team, North Central distributed 22 assists, the most since the 2016-17 season.

The Cardinals shot 44% from the field while the Big Blue posted a 42% field goal percentage. Reigning CCIW Player of the Year Elyce Knudsen scored 24 points to pace Millikin. 

North Central (7-7, 2-3 CCIW) continues conference play by heading to Elmhurst on Saturday for a 2 p.m. tip inside of R.A. Faganel Hall.