Women's Hoops Finishes Eighth at Nationals, Sletten and Sanon Make All-America Team

MINNEAPOLIS, Minn.-- North Central Women's Basketball ended their season at the NCCAA DII National Championship Tournament over the weekend. The Lady Rams were hit hard by the flu in the week leading up to the tournament and could not overcome their ailments in time to recover as they fell in all three games they played.

On Thursday NCU played well enough to lead at halftime verses fourth seed Maranatha Baptist Bible College (Watertown, Wis.) but succumbed to a talented Crusader team down the stretch falling 59-40. Senior forward Amy Sletten (Fergus Falls, Minn.) led the Rams with 14 points.

In the consolation bracket the Lady Rams faced #8 Southwestern College (Phoenix, Ariz.) on Friday afternoon and competed well, but without Sletten, who missed the game with the flu, they came up on the short end of a 62-51 loss. Junior center Naomi Sanon (Boston, Mass.) led all scores with 23 points and pulled down the second best rebounding night of her career with 26 rebounds. Freshman forward Charity Bowers (Milwaukee, Wis.) pulled down 19 boards and sophomore guard Amanda Matson (Milwaukee, Wis.) chipped in 11 points.

Saturday's seventh place game marked the second season NCU would play in that contest and just as last year North Central played even with their opponent but this time lost to second seed Philadelphia Biblical University (Philadelphia, Pa.) 57-49. Sanon led the Rams in scoring again this time with 14 points and snatched 13 boards. Bowers grabbed 19 boards for the second straight night while scoring 12 points. Sletten contributed 13 points.

Despite going winless in the tournament NCU was represented well in the 2008 NCCAA Division II Women's Basketball All-America team. Sletten was named to the first team while Sanon was named to the second team.

Sletten and junior guard Emily Matson (Milwaukee, Wis.) were named Scholar Athletes for the 2008 season. The Scholar Athlete award goes to junior and senior athletes who maintain a 3.4 grade point average.