NPCC Athletics
Joplin, Mo. – A long first quarter run helped Illinois Central earn the 82-67 win over North Platte in the consolation bracket of the NJCAA DII Women’s National Championship on Wednesday.
Jada Thompson led the Knights with 22 points and five rebounds, while Nariah Golden chipped in 13 points. EmmaJo Locks rounded out the Knights double-digit scorers with 12 points and six assists.
"We battled against a very good Illinois Central team," said head coach Jeff Thurman. "We just didn’t make enough plays on both ends to win."
A 12-2 run midway through the first quarter helped the Cougars build a 17-6 lead. A Madison Cheleen three halted the rally, but the Knights faced a ten-point deficit at the quarter break.
Illinois Central continued to extend their lead as a jumper from Madison Jobe pushed their lead to 46-23 with 3:01 remaining. Nariah Golden found a crease in the Cougars defense to trigger a 7-0 run over the closing minutes to cut the margin to 46-30 at the halftime break.
Illinois Central outscored the Knights 11-5 in the opening five minutes to stretch their lead to 57-35 on a three by Kamryn Heider. Knights chipped away at the deficit with a 6-0 burst, before the Cougars stretched their lead to 67-47 headed into the final ten minutes.
A 15-4 run to open the fourth quarter helped North Platte close the gap to nine points on a layup by Nariah Golden with 4:31 to play. The Cougars limited the Knights to just one more field goal down the stretch, while connecting on 5-of-6 free throws to close out the game.
“To say I am proud would be an understatement,” Thurman said. “What this group of student-athletes accomplished this year is phenomenal.”
Knights finish the 2024-25 campaign with a 21-14 overall record and a perfect 4-0 record against Region IX opponents.