FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Clark Teuscher, Sports Information Director, 630-637-5302

Box Score

KENOSHA, Wis. (Jan. 9, 2013) - The North Central College men's basketball team saw its season-opening unbeaten streak halted at 13 games Wednesday evening, as the top-ranked Cardinals suffered their first loss of the season, 64-53, to the Carthage College Red Men at Tarble Arena.

Despite owning a slim advantage at halftime, North Central (13-1, 2-1 College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin) yielded a 17-3 second-half run and were unable to summon a final rally.

The entire first half was a back-and-forth affair, as the score was tied six times, including a 24-24 deadlock with 1:48 on the clock. Derek Raridon sank a three-pointer to put the Cardinals in front, though Carthage point guard Donte Logan countered with a layup on the next possession and Kiston Lee scored in the paint with just 41 seconds on the clock.

North Central missed a pair of shots in its final first-half possession before Jack Burchett came down with an offensive rebound and scored with less than a second remaining. Burchett was fouled and completed the three-point play, sending the visitors into halftime with a 30-28 edge.

The Cardinals eventually stretched their lead to 45-37 following Raridon's jumper with 12:51 to play, but North Central's offense subsequently went cold and the Red Men (6-8, 1-2) scored the next 12 points. North Central never led again, missing seven of its final eight shots from the floor while Carthage canned six straight free throws in the final 50 seconds to seal the victory.

Logan finished with 16 points and five assists to lead Carthage, which committed just one turnover in the final 20 minutes. Tyler Pierce added 14 points and Mitch Thompson totaled 10 points, seven rebounds, four steals and two blocked shots.

Raridon led all scorers with 18 points despite missing the final four minutes of play after leaving the game with an injury. Landon Gamble turned in 12 points and eight rebounds for the Cardinals.

North Central hosts 17th-ranked Augustana College (12-2, 2-1) on Saturday at Gregory Arena with tipoff scheduled for 7 p.m. The Vikings suffered a 63-60 loss at 22nd-ranked Illinois Wesleyan University on Wednesday. Links to live in-game statistics, audio and video can be accessed at northcentralcardinals.com/schedule.aspx?path=mbball.