FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
Contact: Clark Teuscher, Sports Information Director, 630-637-5302
Box Score
Jan. 18, 2014 - Faced with the threat of a fourth straight loss, the North Central College men's basketball team looked to Vince Kmiec to turn the tide down the stretch, and the senior guard responded by leading a 15-4 surge to push the Cardinals past Elmhurst College, 72-64, Saturday evening at Gregory Arena.
Trailing, 49-46, with 7:24 left in the game, North Central (9-7, 2-3 College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin) got a three-pointer from Kmiec, who later added a free throw and a jumper. Pat Rourke added a free throw with 5:15 on the clock to tie the score at 53-53, and the Cardinals followed by forcing four straight turnovers. Kmiec converted a layup and made two free throws on two straight possessions before Landon Gamble's layup gave North Central its largest lead at 61-53 with 2:46 to play.
The Cardinals made 7 of 10 free throws in the final minute and led by at least five points the rest of the way, snapping a three-game losing skid and winning after facing a halftime deficit for the first time this season.
North Central was kept afloat in the first half by Gamble, who totaled 15 points and three assists in the opening 20 minutes. He scored or assisted on seven of the home team's eight made field goals in the first period.
A 7-0 run, consisting of five straight points by Gamble and a layup by Kmiec, gave North Central its biggest first-half lead at 22-14. Elmhurst (10-6, 2-3 CCIW), however, put together a 15-4 surge over the final 4:29 to take a 29-26 advantage into halftime.
The Cardinals shot 50.0 percent (23 of 46) in the game, including a 57.7 percent clip (15 of 26) in the second half, and knocked down 25 of 33 free throws while forcing 26 turnovers. Kmiec led all scorers with 24 points, while Gamble totaled 19 points and a career-high six assists and Jack Burchett put up 12 points and eight rebounds. Kmiec also paced North Central with four steals and David Robinson blocked two shots.
Kyle Wuest scored 15 points in 27 minutes off the bench to lead Elmhurst, which got 14 points from Pat Coleman and 10 rebounds from Nick Sanford.
The Cardinals travel to face fourth-ranked Illinois Wesleyan University (14-2, 4-1) on Wednesday. Tipoff at the Shirk Center is scheduled for 7 p.m. Links to live video and in-game statistics can be found by clicking HERE.
