Contact: Elliott Carr, Sports Information Graduate Assistant, 630-637-5302
Box Score
Jan 7., 2017 – In a game decided in the final minute, costly turnovers down the stretch would doom the North Central College men's basketball team, as they were outlasted 76-73 by the tenth-ranked North Park University Vikings in a College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW) matchup on Saturday night, at Gregory Arena.
The Cardinals (8-6, 2-3 CCIW) were led by junior Alex Sorenson, posting a double-double of 23 points and 11 rebounds on 10-16 shooting from the field. He was backed up by junior Erwin Henry, who finished with 17 points and four rebounds, while sophomore Aiden Chang chipped in 12 points and five assists, while shooting a perfect 6/6 from the free throw line.
Sorenson set the tone early for North Central, opening the game with a mid-range jump shot and following it up with a three-point play with 17:24 on the clock. He would then sink a three-pointer from the top of the key with 13:53 remaining to give the Cardinals a 14:11, but unfortunately the Cardinals' lead did not last much longer. The Vikings took a 19-18 lead in the tenth minute and while challenged by North Central, never looked back.
The first half ended with North Park holding a 39-35 lead.
Coming out of halftime, the Vikings extended their lead to 14 points, ten minutes into the second half following a steal by senior guard Juwan Henry then a layup from fellow senior T.J. Cobbs. Thanks to accurate free throw shooting from Chang and Henry along with some key defensive stops, North Central were able tie the game 73-73 on a Sorenson layup with 1:03 remaining.
North Park senior forward would sink two free throws, while Cobbs would make one from two to give the Cardinals the opportunity for a game-levelling three-pointer in the final seconds. Sadly for the Cardinals, time expired before they could get a shot off as North Park showed why they are one of the most feared teams in the country,
The Cardinals will be in action next when they take on CCIW newcomers Carroll University (7-6, 2-2 CCIW) on Wednesday, January 11 at 7:00 P.M. at the Van Male Fieldhouse Live in game statistics and video can be accessed by clicking here.
