NIC women’s basketball pulled off a sensational comeback victory over seventh-ranked Wenatchee Valley Wednesday night.
Halle Eborall drives in for a layup over a Wenatchee Valley defender. Eborall played phenomenal defense all game, and came up with six steals to give her 37 on the season, good for 14th most in the NWAC.
Tied 63-63 with 11 seconds left in the game second-year Alex Carlton nailed a clutch three-pointer to put the Cards ahead 66-63. Carlton’s go-ahead shot left seven seconds on the clock, but NIC was able to shut down Wenatchee Valley’s desperation three-point attempt.
The Cards found themselves down by as much as 17 points in the contest, thanks in large part to a cold second quarter that saw the Cards shoot 3-14 from the field.
Alex Carlton and her teammates celebrate her hitting what proved to be the game winning shot. Carlton had a poor performance on offense in the first three quarters. She shot 1-7 for three points before turning it on in the fourth with 11 points on 3-5 shooting.
The Cards managed to chip at Wenatchee Valley’s lead in the third quarter, but only managed to cut it to 12 by the start of the fourth. NIC never let up though, and managed to put on an impressive run in the fourth, outscoring Wenatchee Valley 30-16. Carlton and Sydnie Peterson combined for 21 of NIC’s 30 fourth quarter points, which matched the Cards total points at the end of the first half. The Cards shot a ridiculous 57 percent from the field in the fourth and forced six turnovers while giving up zero of their own.
Leading the way offensively for the Cards was Peterson, who shot 6-10 from beyond the arc and poured in 24 points in the victory. Halle Eborall contributed 19 points with a team high eight rebounds and six steals.
Up next for the Cards (2-2, 8-7) is a match against Treasure Valley (2-2, 8-5) at home Saturday Jan. 18 at 2 p.m.