ELMHURST, Ill. – The Elmhurst University women's basketball dropped a conference matchup to North Central College, 76-58, at R.A. Faganel Hall.

The Cardinals held a three-point at the end of the opening quarter, but the Bluejays 19-point second quarter tied the score up at 34-34 at the half.

Elmhurst (1-8/0-4 CCIW) held a one-point lead at the end of the third quarter, but a 27-point fourth quarter by North Central (3-7/1-3 CCIW) propelled the Cardinals to their first conference victory of the season.

The Bluejays were led by Lindsay Novak and Taylor Harazin who had 12 points apiece. Anna Kleszynski posted a double-double with 10 points and 10 boards. Kendall Schieppe added in eight points of her own in the loss.

North Central was led by Mitrese Smith who finished with a double-double featuring 23 points and 11 rebounds. Allison Pearson chipped in 18 points, shooting 8-of-8 from the foul line, while Megan McClure added in 15 points and five boards. Natalie Stavropoulos dished out a game-high five assists to go along with her 13 points.

Elmhurst shot 32.2 percent (19-of-59) compared to North Central's 37.9 percent (22-of-58) from the field. The Bluejays fared better from behind the arc shooting 35 percent (7-of-20), while the Cardinals shot 17.6 percent (3-of-17) from downtown.

North Central capitalized on the Bluejay fouls reaching the foul line 36 times where they scored 29 of their points.

UP NEXT

The Bluejays travel to Daytona, Florida to take on SUNY Brockport on Monday, December 19 at 4:00 pm.

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