FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Clark Teuscher, Sports Information Director, 630-637-5302
Box Score
AURORA, Ill. (Nov. 23, 2013) - After fighting through foul trouble to forge a slim halftime lead, the North Central College men's basketball team fell victim to a second-half dry spell Saturday, surrendering 56 second-half points in a 91-82 loss at Aurora University.
The Cardinals (2-2) struggled to contain the hosts for much of the contest, as Aurora shot 60.5 percent (26 for 43) from the floor in the game and 68.2 percent (15 of 22) in the final 20 minutes of a physical contest which saw a total of 60 fouls and 73 free throws.
North Central gained an early lead after a three-pointer by Kevin Honn and two inside baskets from Landon Gamble pushed the Cardinals in front, 9-4. North Central led by as many as seven points before the Spartans (2-2) bounced back to tie the score four times, the last of which came at 33-33. The Cardinals got a three-pointer from Tyler Sutton to pull ahead before Aurora's Scott Laskowski scored in the post to narrow the gap to 36-35 at halftime. Three of North Central's starters went into the break with three fouls.
The Cardinals' Vince Kmiec opened the second half with a three-pointer, but Aurora followed with a 29-8 run over the next eight minutes to take a commanding 64-47 lead. The Spartans made 11 of 14 shots from the floor during the rally, including three straight three-point plays during a 45-second stretch.
Aurora led by at least seven points the rest of the way, making 9 of 12 free throws in the final 1:25 to seal the win. The Spartans made 23 of 31 charity shots in the second half and 32 of 45 for the game.
Gamble finished with a season-high 20 points, making 10 of 13 free throws, and led the Cardinals with eight rebounds and three assists. Sutton turned in a career-best 19 points, including a 5 for 10 effort from three-point range, while Evan Fendley turned in 12 points in 10 minutes. Brandon Williams and Jack Merrithey shared the team lead with three assists each.
Laskowski and Brandon Smith each scored 18 points for the Spartans, and Laskowski also led Aurora with eight rebounds. Tyler Hall added 16 points and Nick Kladas scored 14.
The Cardinals host Benedictine University (1-2) on Tuesday at Gregory Arena, with tipoff scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Links to live video, audio and in-game statistics can be found by clicking HERE.
