FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Clark Teuscher, Sports Information Director, 630-637-5302
Box Score
Nov. 15, 2013 - Entering its season bent on re-affirming its status as a national contender, the North Central College men's basketball team proved superbly focused in its first game of the new campaign Friday, executing at a high level all night in a 100-72 rout of Valor Christian College (Ohio) in the first game of the Chicago Marriott Naperville Tip-Off Tournament at Gregory Arena.
The sixth-ranked Cardinals led from the opening tip and dominated in all facets of the game, hitting triple digits for the first time since a 102-95 victory over Rockford College on Dec. 30, 2009, and doing so in a season opener for the first time since a 107-68 win over MacMurray College on Nov. 21, 2008.
North Central scored the game's first nine points and owned a double-digit lead after less than five minutes of play. The Warriors (1-1) narrowed the gap to 37-30 with 3:43 on the clock, but Landon Gamble converted a layup and Vince Kmiec knocked down a three-pointer on the fast break to extend the home team's lead to 12. The Cardinals led by as many as 17 points before heading into halftime with a 49-33 edge.
North Central was not threatened after halftime, leading by at least 20 points for the final 11:42 and pulling ahead by as many as 35 down the stretch. The Cardinals wound up shooting 50.8 percent from the floor (31-61), including a 10 for 21 effort from three-point range (47.6 percent), and made 28 of 37 free throws (75.7 percent) while owning a 46-27 rebounding advantage and scoring 29 points off of 17 Valor Christian turnovers.
Kmiec led all scorers with 29 points, while also posting team highs of nine rebounds and four steals and sinking 5 of 7 three-point attempts. Despite missing most of the first half due to foul trouble, Jack Burchett turned in a career-high 20 points and seven rebounds, including a 10 for 13 effort at the charity stripe. Burchett tallied 18 of his 20 points in 12 second-half minutes.
Gamble added 13 points for the Cardinals, while Kevin Honn put up 11 and Brandon Williams led the way with a career-high eight assists.
The Warriors got 28 points, seven rebounds from Andrew Douby, while Tyler Watts scored 19 points and Jordan Washington added 16.
North Central faces DePauw University (1-0), an 85-39 winner over Trinity International University in Friday's first game, in Saturday's championship game. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Links to live video, audio and in-game statistics can be found by clicking HERE.
