The Cardinals fell behind 38-22 at halftime as Hope connected on 15 of 24 from the field. The Cardinals, meanwhile, were 9 of 23. Junior Crystal Smith (Manhattan, Ill./Lincoln-Way Central) was the only North Central player to finish in double figures with 15 points. Smith was named to the All-Tournament Team.
On Monday, North Central posted its most lopsided win of the season, cruising to an 83-42 win over Buffalo State College (N.Y.) in the first round of the tourney.
On Monday, freshman Brianne Parra (Justice, Ill./Argo) scored a season-high 18 points and also grabbed five rebounds as the Cardinals led from start to finish. Smith added 14 points and a team-high six rebounds, and Lashawndra Brown (Naperville, Ill./Naperville North) chipped in 12 points.
Fifteen players saw action in the game for North Central, which led 38-21 at halftime. Darnika Mosely was the only player to score in double figures for Buffalo State, totaling 20 points on the night.
"Our pressure defense was too much for them to handle and we pounded it inside and took advantage of pushing the ball into layup situations," said head coach Emily Bauer. "We forced them into 30 turnovers and took advantage of 17 steals.