Contact: Clark Teuscher, Sports Information Director, 630-637-5302
Box Score
AURORA, Ill. (Dec. 11, 2019) - The North Central College men's basketball team shook off a slow start at Aurora University's Thornton Gymnasium on Wednesday to cruise to a comfortable win, taking down the Spartans, 83-53, to defeat their local rivals for the fouth consecutive season.
The Cardinals (6-3) pulled in front for good with a run of 16 unanswered points midway through the first half and remained well clear of the hosts the rest of the way, beating Aurora's aggressive defensive pressure with crisp ball movement which allowed North Central to shoot 62.1 percent from the floor (18 of 29) over the final 20 minutes.
The visitors needed some time to find their offensive rhythm, missing six of their first seven shots, while the Spartans (2-6) led for most of the early going. North Central bounced back to take the lead at 17-15 on Connor Raridon's jumper and added a three-point play by Michael Pollack and an inside jumper from Aaron Jones within the next minute of play.
A jumper by Aiden Chang preceded a three-pointer by Matt Helwig, which boosted the lead to 27-15 and prompted an Aurora timeout with 6:15 left in the first half, but the Spartans turned the ball over once play resumed and Helwig fed Will Clausel for a three. The Cardinals led by a 38-25 count at halftime, then opened the second half with a 16-6 surge over the first five minutes of play and led by at least 20 points the rest of the way.
Matt Cappelletti led the Cardinals in scoring with 17 points on 7 of 12 shooting, increasing his career scoring total to 1,007 points to make him the 28th 1,000-point scorer in the history of the North Central program. Pollack put up 13 points, Connor Raridon totaled 12 points, 11 rebounds and five assists, and Jones scored 10 points.
Jarek Hotwagner was the lone double-figure scorer for Aurora with 17 points.
The Cardinals return to College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW) play on Saturday, playing at No. 12-ranked Elmhurst College. Tipoff at R.A. Faganel Hall is scheduled for 4:00 p.m. Click HERE for live coverage options.
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