Contact: Clark Teuscher, Sports Information Director, 630-637-5302
Box Score
LAS VEGAS (Dec. 28, 2018) - A furious comeback effort came up just inches short for the North Central College men's basketball team Friday evening, as the Cardinals lost in a nip-and-tuck 63-61 battle with Ohio Northern University on the second day of the D3hoops.com Classic at South Point Hotel and Events Center.
After putting up season-high scoring numbers in Thursday's win over Husson University (Maine), the Cardinals (11-2) found the going slow on the offensive end Friday, connecting on just 25 percent (6 of 24) of their first-half field-goal attempts in the first half and 34.6 percent (18 of 52) for the game. Ohio Northern capitalized on those struggles, leading by as many as 15 points before carrying a 35-25 advantage heading into halftime.
North Central cut into the deficit with a 10-2 run, including five straight points from Blaise Meredith and capped off by a Tommy Koth three-pointer, trailing by just a 45-42 count with 9:26 to play. The Polar Bears (4-7) rallied and built their lead back up to 59-49 with just 4:07 to play, but a steal and slam dunk by Meredith ignited a seven-point surge which narrowed the gap to 59-56 with just under a minute to play.
Ohio Northern's Ryan Bruns and Austin Allemeier both had successful trips to the free-throw line, negating a jumper by Connor Raridon, to hold a 63-58 lead before Mike Pollack sank a three-pointer with 30.9 seconds left and pulled the Cardinals to within just two points. The Polar Bears missed two free throws on the following possession, opening the door for North Central to level the score, but a buzzer-beating layup attempt was just off the mark.
Raridon led all scorers with 23 points and paced the Cardinals with eight assists. Meredith finished with 12 points and seven rebounds, while Matt Cappelletti totaled nine points and eight boards. Daniel Donner led Ohio Northern with 16 points.
The Cardinals resume College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW) play on Wednesday, traveling to face No. 3-ranked Augustana College. Tipoff at the Carver Center is scheduled for 7:00 p.m.
