Contact: Clark Teuscher, Sports Information Director, 630-637-5302

Box Score

Jan. 24, 2022 - Persistence was rewarded at Gregory Arena Monday evening, as the North Central College men's basketball team rallied in dramatic fashion to upend the 18th-ranked Elmhurst University Bluejays, 79-70.

The Cardinals trailed by as many as 21 points early and faced a 45-29 deficit at halftime. After slowly chipping away at the lead, the hosts found their rhythm and put together a blistering 24-4 run over a five-minute second-half stretch to extend their current win streak to four games. 

The Bluejays (12-5, 4-4 College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin) took control early as North Central missed seven of its first eight shots from the floor. Elmhurst owned a 32-11 advantage midway through the first half and still owned a 62-47 lead with 9:52 left in the contest when Matthew Helwig's three-pointer opened the Cardinals' stretch run. John Blumeyer came up with a steal and scored despite getting fouled before completing the three-point play, then knocked down a jumper on the next trip down the floor to close the gap to single digits at 62-55.

Facing a 66-59 deficit with seven minutes left, the Cardinals put their stamp on the contest by making five straight shots in just 1:50 to take the lead for the first time. Shea Cupples opened the 12-point run with a three-pointer, then fed Blaise Meredith for a layup before connecting again from downtown to nudge the home team in front, 67-66. Cupples then passed to Helwig for a layup before Meredith scored again. Elmhurst missed on its final six shots from the floor.

North Central (11-5, 6-2 CCIW) outscored the Bluejays, 50-25, in the second half on 64.5 percent shooting (20 of 31) from the field. Helwig led the Cardinals with 21 points and nine rebounds, while Cupples finished with a season-high 17 points to go with six rebounds and a game-best seven assists. Ethan Helwig scored 16 points and Meredith put up 11. 

Lavon Thomas came off the bench to lead Elmhurst in scoring with 15 points, while Jake Rhode scored 12.

The Cardinals host Augustana College (9-9, 4-5) Wednesday. North Central posted an 86-82 victory on the Vikings' home court Jan. 17. Tipoff at Gregory Arena is set for 7:00 p.m. Click HERE for live coverage options. 

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