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

Box Score

Nov. 17, 2018 - An early second-half run proved to be the difference-maker for the North Central College men's basketball team on Saturday, as the Cardinals secured a 68-57 victory over visiting Heidelberg University at Gregory Arena in the season opener for both teams.

On a night when both teams struggled shooting the ball, the Cardinals prevailed by scoring nearly double Heidelberg's points at the free-throw line and committing just over half the turnovers of the visitors. Leading the way was junior forward Matt Cappelletti, who led all scorers with 19 points and shared the team lead with 11 rebounds.

North Central led by as many as seven points in the first half before carrying a 26-24 edge into halftime. The Student Princes' Dylan Woods opened the second period with a three-pointer to give the visitors a brief lead, but a pair of Cappelletti free throws opened a 13-3 Cardinal run which gave the hosts a 39-30 lead with 14:46 to play. Sparking the surge was Blaise Meredith, who converted a three-point play and came up with a steal which led to a fast-break layup by Cappelletti on consecutive trips down the floor before capping the rally with a dunk. 

The Cardinals led by as many as 13 points down the stretch, making 5 of 6 free throws in the final minute to put any thoughts of a Heidelberg comeback to rest. Meredith finished with 10 points and eight rebounds, while Connor Raridon put up nine points and shared the team lead in rebounds with 11. Raridon and Cappelletti also led the way with three assists apiece.

James Hanley led Heidelberg with 16 points, while Myron Prewitt finished with 10 points and 11 rebounds.

North Central travels to face local rival Benedictine University (0-1) on Tuesday. Tipoff at the Rice Center is scheduled for 7:15 p.m.