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

Box Score

BLOOMINGTON, Ill. (Feb. 16, 2022) - Forced to spend the evening chasing after a slow start, the North Central College men's basketball team ended the 2021-2022 regular season Wednesday with a 78-65 loss at Illinois Wesleyan University's Shirk Center.

Outscored, 10-2, over the first four minutes, the Cardinals (15-9, 10-6 College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin) closed the gap to 19-14 with 11:18 to play after Matthew Helwig knocked down a jump shot and a three-pointer in a 33-second span, but Illinois Wesleyan made eight of its next 10 shots from the floor to blunt the visitors' efforts.

The Cardinals faced a 37-29 deficit with 3:40 to go in the first half and came up empty on three opportunities to close the gap further. IWU (20-4, 13-2 CCIW) held North Central scoreless for the rest of the period and went into halftime ahead, 41-29. The Titans led by double figures the rest of the way.

Helwig led all scorers with 19 points and grabbed a team-high nine rebounds for North Central, while Blaise Meredith put up 13 points and Ethan Helwig scored 12. John Blumeyer recorded five assists. The Cardinals made 10 three-point shots to boost their season total to a CCIW-leading 207, making them the sixth team in the program's history to make at least 200 three-pointers. 

The Cardinals will host an opening-round game in the CCIW Tournament Tuesday. Tipoff at Gregory Arena is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. North Central College is lifting all spectator restrictions for the tournament and will require all spectators to wear face masks.   Click HERE for live coverage options. 

Download the free North Central Cardinals app, available for iOS and Android devices, to receive up-to-the-minute news, scores and updates on your favorite North Central teams. Click HERE for more information.