Contact: Clark Teuscher, Sports Information Director, 630-637-5302
Box Score
DECATUR, Ill. (Dec. 18, 2021) - Roaring back into contention with a furious second-half surge, the North Central College men's basketball team improved to 2-1 in College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW) play with a dramatic 70-67 double-overtime victory over Millikin University at the Griswold Center.
The Cardinals (5-3 overall) trailed by as many as 14 points in the second half before a 17-2 run carried the visitors back into the lead. North Central overcame a cold shooting performance by collecting 17 offensive rebounds and forcing 23 turnovers.
North Central led by as many as eight points in the first half before a dry spell which saw the guests make just two of their final 15 field-goal attempts of the period. The Big Blue (6-5, 2-2 CCIW) used the opportunity to take a 29-24 lead into halftime and outscored the Cardinals, 14-5, to start the second half and extend its advantage to 43-29 with 16:05 to play.
The Cardinals got their comeback effort started by scoring seven points on an inside bucket by Shea Cupples and a layup and three-pointer by Matt Helwig in 56 seconds. A fast-break layup by John Blumeyer cut the gap to 45-41 and Helwig was fouled on a three-pointer and made all three free throws before coming up with a steal which led to Terrance Moncrief's layup which nudged North Central back in front, 46-45.
After five lead changes, Millikin moved back in front, 55-50, but was held scoreless for the final 3:33 of regulation. Ethan Helwig's three-pointer with 54 seconds on the clock tied the score at 55-55 and forced the first overtime period.
North Central held a 63-60 lead in the final minute of the first extra session, but Jake Hampton knocked down a three-pointer to send the contest into a second overtime. Cole Laurence gave the hosts a 65-63 lead with a basket on the first possession, and both teams went scoreless the next two minutes. James Ruzicka canned a three-pointer with 2:31 to play which wound up giving the Cardinals the lead for good. Matt Helwig made 4 of 4 free throws in the final seven seconds to put the game on ice.
After scoring just two points in the first half, Matt Helwig finished with a game-high 26 points (9 of 10 at the free-throw line), eight rebounds and three steals. Ethan Helwig scored 14 points and Ruzicka and Blumeyer each finished with seven.
Calvin Fisher led the Big Blue with 17 points and 13 rebounds, while Hampton scored 13 points and J.T. Welch finished with 12.
The Cardinals travel to face Kalamazoo College (3-6) Tuesday. Tipoff at the Anderson Athletic Center is set for 4:00 p.m. Eastern time.
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