Box Score

ROCK ISLAND, Ill. (Jan. 7, 2012) - The North Central College men's basketball team showed its flair for the dramatic at the Carver Center on Saturday, picking up its first victory in an away game this season with a 67-62 victory over the third-ranked Augustana College Vikings. The Cardinals earned their fourth consecutive victory and remained unbeaten in College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW) play with the win.

The victory is North Central's first at Augustana since the 2006-2007 season and came as a result of continued proficiency on defense and clutch execution down the stretch. The Cardinals allowed the Vikings to shoot just 35.5 percent from the floor in the game and made eight of their last nine field-goal attempts as they took control late in the second period.

Augustana (11-2, 1-1 CCIW) opened the game with a 10-2 run, prompting a Cardinal timeout with 14:22 on the first-half clock. North Central got a three-pointer from Kevin Gillespie coming out of the break to start a 13-3 surge that gave the visitors their first lead. The final seven points in the rally came from Derek Raridon, whose jumper with 9:56 left in the half put the Cardinals ahead, 15-13.

The Vikings followed with six straight points to pull ahead once again and owned a 23-17 advantage before North Central scored seven in a row, getting three points from Ryan Broyles and four from Landon Gamble, to gain a 24-23 edge. Augustana's Chris Anderson knocked down a three-pointer with 3:22 to play, which was answered by GIllespie's triple with 2:13 to go. The Vikings inched in front once again, 28-27, following Troy Rorer's jumper, but Gillespie collected a long rebound and nailed another three-pointer as time expired to send the Cardinals into the break ahead, 30-28.

Augustana used a seven-point surge to pull ahead early in the second period, and led by as many as six points before GIllespie scored eight points in a span of 1:20 to tie the game at 48-48 on a three-pointer with 9:47 to play. The teams traded baskets to leave the score at 50-50, but Bryant Voiles' jumper with 7:22 remaining would be Augustana's last field goal for nearly six minutes as the Cardinals steadily pulled away. By the time Rorer's three-pointer ripped through the nets with 1:24 left, North Central owned a five-point advantage, and a jumper by Gamble and two free throws by Vince Kmiec on consecutive trips down the floor gave their Cardinals their largest lead at 65-56 with only 15 seconds left.

The Cardinals (8-5, 2-0 CCIW) shot 52.4 percent (22-42) for the game, including a 12-for-18 effort in the second half, while holding their third straight opponent to less than 40 percent accuracy from the field. North Central was particularly effective in denying points in the low post. Augustana fired up 34 of its 62 field-goal attempts from three-point range, only eight of which were made. 

Gillespie finished with a game-high 20 points, his highest total of the season and his best single-game output ever in a CCIW contest. He made 6 of 10 shots from the floor, including 5 of 7 three-point attempts. Gamble added 14 points and a team-high nine rebounds, while Raridon put up 10 points and Kmiec handed out a team-high four assists.

Rorer finished with 10 points, seven rebounds and four assists for the Vikings, while Voiles, who averaged more than 18 points per game prior to Saturday's matchup scored nine points. 

The Cardinals host Elmhurst College (7-6, 1-1 CCIW) on Tuesday at Gregory Arena. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m.