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

STEVENS POINT, Wis. (Dec. 29, 2016) - Despite leading for less than three minutes of the contest, the North Central College men's basketball team nearly came away with a third straight win in a tooth-and-nail battle at the University of Wisconsin-Stevens Point Thursday, but the hosts emerged with a pair of clutch free throws just before the buzzer to secure a 65-63 victory over the Cardinals at Quandt Fieldhouse.

The Cardinals (8-4) trailed by as many as 10 points in the second half and rallied to take the lead on three occasions but were unable to get a shot on the basket on their final possession and fouled Stevens Point's Ethan Bublitz with 1.3 seconds remaining, and Bublitz sank both free throws to seal the game's outcome.

North Central got off to a slow start offensively, surrendering the game's first eight points before getting on the board for the first time on Matt Cappelletti's three-pointer after more than five minutes had elapsed. Cappelletti followed by converting a layup off an alley-oop pass from Erwin Henry before Alex Sorenson scored twice in the paint to give the Cardinals their first lead at 9-8. The Pointers (6-3) countered with six of the next eight points and led for the rest of the period, taking a 29-21 advantage into halftime.

Bublitz scored the first basket of the second half to give the hosts their largest lead at 31-21. North Central trailed until it put together an 8-1 run, consisting of a three-pointer from Cappelletti, a fast-break layup and a free throw by Tommy Koth and an inside bucket from Aiden Chang, gave the Cardinals a 49-48 lead with 7:40 remaining. The visitors, however, went scoreless for nearly three minutes and fell behind after the Pointers got two free throws from Mark Nelson and a three-pointer from MJ Elmore.

Trailing, 59-55, the Cardinals got a three-pointer from Nick Chambers, then took the lead again at 60-59 when Sorenson sank two charity shots with 2:01 on the clock. Stevens Point briefly pulled back in front before Chang's driving jumper yielded a 63-62 North Central lead with 32 seconds on the clock. Bublitz sank one of two free throws to knot the score at 63-63, giving North Central the chance to take the game's final shot, but a turnover gave the Pointers a final opportunity.

Sorenson led the Cardinals with 15 points, seven rebounds and two blocked shots, while Chang put up 11 points, Chambers scored 10, and Koth finished with four assists. Nelson scored 18 and Bublitz 17 for Stevens Point.

North Central returns to College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW) play on Wednesday, hosting Augustana College. Tipoff at Gregory Arena is set for 7:00 p.m.