Contact: Nicholas Osterloo, Assistant Sports Information Director, 630-637-5324
NAPERVILLE, Ill. (Nov. 27, 2021) - The North Central College men's basketball team secured their fifth consecutive win over Aurora University on Saturday night with a 76-44 victory inside Gregory Arena. The win ties the Cardinals' longest win-streak over the Spartans in the rivalry's history which dates back to 1913.
Aurora took an early 6-4 lead before an eight-point swing by Matt Helwig put North Central ahead 12-6 with 14:13 to go in the opening half. Terrance Moncrief knocked down back-to-back three-pointers to push the Cardinals' lead into double-digits, 18-8. A John Blumeyer three-pointer sparked a 13-2 rally for North Central as they took a 15-point advantage into the halftime break.
The Cardinals opened the second half by scoring the first eight points. Shea Cupples knocked down a three-pointer to give North Central a 25- point lead with just over 14-minutes to play. After back-and-forth action, a layup from Matt Helwig pushed the Cardinals' advantage to 31. Putting North Central ahead by 34 was Moncrief who scored his eighth point of the night. With under four minutes to go, Barak Diehl scored eight quick points of his own to secure the 76-44 win as the Cardinals improve to 3-1.
North Central held Aurora to just 29% from the field and forced 22 Spartan turnovers. As a team, the Cardinals shot 47% from the field with a 41% mark from behind the arc.
Matt Helwig led the Cardinals with 22 points as Moncrief finished with 10 and Blumeyer and Ethan Helwig each added nine. Cupples tallied three assists and five rebounds while both Matt and Ethan Helwig recorded five rebounds as well. Shamar Pumphrey and Nolan Boffman posted seven points for the Spartans to lead their team.
The Cardinals are back in action on Saturday as Carthage visits Gregory Arena for their first College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin (CCIW) game of the season. You can find live coverage links HERE.
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