Contact: Clark Teuscher, Sports Information Director, 630-637-5302
Box Score
AUSTIN, Texas (Dec. 28, 2019) - The North Central College men's basketball team emerged from a two-week break in competition with a stern test on Saturday, facing a high-pressure defensive effort from homestanding Concordia University Texas, and delivered a poised and disciplined effort in an 83-71 victory over the Tornadoas at Concordia Fieldhouse.
The 25th-ranked Cardinals (8-3) drew 37 fouls in the contest and attempted 51 free throws, making 37 to come within a single charity shot of matching the program's single-game record. North Central shot an even 50 percent (19 of 38) from the floor, including a 55.6 percent clip (10 of 18) in the second half and led for the final 16 minutes of the contest.
Matt Helwig got the visitors off to a strong start, scoring the Cardinals' first five points before feeding Aiden Chang for a three-pointer to put North Central in front early. The lead reached as many as six points before a 7-2 Tornado run, capped off by a three-point play by Antoine Henderson, nudged the hosts in front, 19-18,
Connor Raridon scored five points in a 7-0 North Central run, though the Tornados countered with a 10-2 surge featuring a 6 for 6 effort at the free-throw line by Luis Gonzalez. Concordia (4-5) pulled ahead by as many as six points before Helwig tallied five straight. Raridon made three free throws in four attempts on consecutive trips to tie the score at 40-40 with 1:56 left in the first half, and closed the half with a layup off a pass from Helwig to send the Cardinals into halftime with a narrow 44-43 edge.
The lead changed hands three times early in the second half. Trailing, 53-50, with 16:05 to play, North Central took advantage of a technical foul on the Tornados as Raridon sank both free throws and then found Helwig for a layup on the ensuing possession. After a pair of defensive stops, Helwig assisted Chang on another triple to extend the lead to 57-53 and the Cardinals never trailed again. A 12-5 run over a five-minute stretch late in the contest sealed the win for North Central, as Will Clausel's three-pointer with 3:29 to play gave the guests their first double-digit lead.
Raridon led all scorers with 20 points, making 13 of a career-high 18 free-throw attempts. Helwig put up 14 points and a game-high five assists and Chang totaled 13 points. Phillip Meikle and Ronnie Hamilton shared team-high scoring honors for Concordia with 11 points each.
The Cardinals return to Concordia Fieldhouse on Sunday, facing Sul Ross State University (4-4) at 3:00 p.m. Click HERE for live coverage options.
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