Contact: Clark Teuscher, Sports Information Director, 630-637-5302
ROCK ISLAND, Ill. (Feb. 23, 2018) - Faced with the rare task of defeating the same nationally-ranked opponent for the second time in less than a week, the North Central College men's basketball team dug its heels in on the defensive end of the floor and wore down the 15th-ranked Illinois Wesleyan University Titans, 70-64, in the semifinals of the College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW) Tournament Friday at Augustana College's Carver Center.
The Cardinals (19-7) limited IWU to 33.8 percent shooting (22 of 65) from the floor, including just a 7 for 31 clip (21.2 percent) in the first half, and led for the final 35 minutes of the contest. North Central advances to its fifth CCIW Tournament final, having won each of its previous four championship game appearances.
Trailing, 7-5, early in the contest, the Cardinals embarked on a 10-0 run to move in front, getting two three-pointers from Matt Cappelletti and a pair of jumpers by Connor Raridon. Alex Sorenson keyed an 8-0 run later in the half by converting a layup and assisting Tommy Koth on two baskets as the Cardinals pulled in front, 23-12. North Central maintained a comfortable lead the rest of the period, carrying a 30-19 advantage into halftime.
The Cardinals took their largest lead at 37-21 early in the second half on Koth's three-pointer from the right wing, and led by double figures until IWU's 12-3 surge over a four-minute span cut the lead to 47-43 with 8:29 to play. Raridon scored eight of North Central's next 10 points to keep it a step ahead. The Titans narrowed the gap to four points once again at 63-59 with under a minute to play, but Mike Pollack sank two free throws, Cappelletti grabbed a rebound at the other end, and Chang knocked down two more charity shots with 20.9 seconds left to seal the win.
Sorenson led all scorers with 21 points while also grabbing a career-high 16 rebounds and handing out five assists. Raridon finished with 14 points, five rebounds and six assists, while Chang scored 13 points and Cappelletti put up 10 points and 10 rebounds.
Alex O'Neill led IWU with 14 points and 10 boards. Colin Bonnett scored 13 points, Jason Gregoire put up 11 and Brady Rose added 10.
The Cardinals will face top-seeded and ninth-ranked Augustana (21-5), a 72-64 semifinal winner over Wheaton College, in Saturday's championship game, also at Augustana, at 7:00 p.m. Saturday. The winner of the tournament will earn the CCIW's automatic bid to the NCAA Division III Men's Basketball Championship.
