CHICAGO, Ill. - Carthage's women's basketball team used excellent defense and sound-shooting from the free throw line to defeat the North Park University Vikings and move back to .500 in conference play. With two out of its next three games at home, Carthage has a chance to move back over .500 overall and continue to climb the conference standings. 



 

• Final score: Carthage 56, North Park 42. 
• Location: North Park Gymnasium - Chicago, Illinois. 
• Records: Carthage 8-9 (4-4 CCIW), North Park 7-10 (3-5 CCIW)

 
 

• Elena Knebel got Carthage on the board nearly 2:30 into the game off of a feed from Destiny Antoine. North Park led by five midway through the opening quarter thanks to solid play offensively from Esther Miller. 
• The two teams failed to score for a three-minute stretch late in the first quarter before Lauren Knight converted at the free throw line, bringing the score to 9-7 in favor of the Vikings. North Park hit a pair at the charity stripe to bring the quarter to a close, with the score at 14-9 in its favor. 
• Carthage didn't hit a three in the opening ten minutes of play as North Park led for its entirety. 
• North Park opened up a 19-11 advantage midway through quarter two with a three-pointer from Felicia Sunden before back-to-back threes from Lauren Knight trimmed the deficit to one. 
• The Firebirds held North Park scoreless for a six-minute stretch, aiding an 11-0 run that propelled Carthage to its first lead of the night. The Vikings would retake the lead on a free throw with a few ticks remaining in the first half and went into the half with a 23-22 advantage. 
• The third quarter started out slowly, as there were only seven combined points scored in the first 5:32. Each team's offense picked up in the ensuing minute and the two sides traded buckets. Carthage was able to progressively grow its lead, going ahead by six on an Addison Ebeling field goal. 
• Marianna Morrissey closed the quarter with a strong And-1, expanding the road team's lead to eight. 
• In quick succession, Carthage made bucket after bucket to open the fourth, roaring ahead to a comfortable 17-point lead. North Park didn't go away quietly, scoring nine in a row to trim its deficit to eight. 
• Four made free throws from Carthage and a huge three-pointer from Ayanna Ester effectively sealed the deal with just over two minutes to go. The Firebirds would go on to win by a score of 56-42, picking up a key conference win. 
• Carthage's bench outscored North Park's by nine tonight, led by Addison Ebeling's seven and Jessie Pakaski's six. Carthage made its money at the free throw line, converting on 18-23 attempts (78.3%). Despite 20 turnovers, the Firebirds won by double digits. 
• Recording two more quarters in which they held their opponent to under ten points, Carthage held North Park to a 32.1/17.6/62.5% shooting split.

 

• Marianna Morrissey nearly nabbed another double-double tonight, scoring ten points and hauling in nine rebounds. Defensively, Morrissey recorded five steals and blocked a shot. 
• Elena Knebel played well once again in a starting role, scoring eight points and recording five rebounds. 
• As previously mentioned, Addison Ebeling (seven points, four rebounds) and Jessie Pakaski (six points, five rebounds) performed well off the bench. 
• Though she shot only 3-13 from the floor, Lauren Knight hit some key threes (three, to be exact) and hit four free throws to help kickstart some Carthage runs. 

 

• Carthage returns home for two out of its next three contests, first taking on the Elmhurst Bluejays this Saturday, January 21 beginning at 2 p.m.