WHEATON, Ill. - In a road game against a team near the top of the league standings in which the Firebirds shot just 27.6% from the field and fell behind by as many as 15 points, Carthage trailed by only one with a little over one minute remaining. A key three from Wheaton and some clutch free throws, however, sealed the deal for the Thunder as the home team was victorious by a score of 55-49. 



 

• Final score: Wheaton (Ill.) 55, Carthage 49. 
• Location: King Arena - Wheaton, Ill. 
• Records: Carthage 7-9 (3-4 CCIW), Wheaton 10-6 (5-2 CCIW). 

 
 

• Carthage scored the first five points of the game and got out to an early 7-2 lead. Lauren Knight scored five of the Firebirds' first seven points. Wheaton's Lily Schwen buried a jumper with only a few ticks left on the clock to bring the Thunder to within one - trailing 9-8 after one. 
• For the 14th time this season, the Firebirds held an opponent to under ten points in a quarter. Wheaton only mustered eight in the opening quarter of play and shot 4-22 (18.2%) from the field. 
• Ayanna Ester buried a pair of treys as Carthage trailed by one midway through the second quarter, but the Thunder closed the half on a 9-0 run to gain control of the game going into the break. Carthage did not take a single free throw in the first half, and shot 8-30 from the field (27%). 
• Wheaton's Richardson and Sikkink found a groove late in the first half and carried that momentum into the start of the third period. Each half of the tandem drilled a three, giving Wheaton its largest lead of the night at 12. Another Richardson three and a free throw from Kate Oliver pushed the advantage to 15 before Carthage would eventually respond. 
• The Firebirds started to hit shots and quell the Thunder on the other end of the floor, trimming the deficit to 6. Carthage's 11-4 run made it anyone's game leading into the final ten minutes. 
• Ester nailed another long distance jumper to chisel the margin to five with just under eight minutes remaining. Four straight from Morrissey got the Thunder lead down to three with four minutes left, and the four-point margin was whittled to one with 1:30 on the clock. 
• The Thunder's Kate Oliver connected on a vital three-pointer with .50 to go and Carthage couldn't find an answer offensively. Wheaton's Sikkink hit two crucial free throws and time ran out on the comeback attempt from the Firebirds. 
• The Thunder scored 18 second chance points - eight more than Carthage - in part due to 15 Firebird turnovers. Carthage shot just 27.6% from the field and 25% from three in the loss. 

 

• Marianna Morrissey recorded a double-double tonight, scoring 12 and recording ten rebounds. Morrissey also stole a pass and blocked a shot against the Thunder. 
• Alyssa Orozco did a little bit of everything in her nine minutes - scoring two points while also recording two steals, a block, and two rebounds. 

 

• Carthage takes on North Park University in another CCIW road contest on Wednesday, January 18 beginning at 7 p.m.