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

Box Score

CHICAGO (Feb. 9, 2022) - Physical defense that persisted on both ends of the court throughout the game was raised to a new level in the final six minutes of Wednesday's men's basketball game at North Park Gymnasium, as the North Central College Cardinals lost, 62-58, to the host Vikings in the final seconds.

Neither team was permitted to knock down a field goal in the final six minutes of play. The Cardinals (14-8, 9-5 College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin) owned a 58-55 advantage with 4:47 to play but were held scoreless the rest of the way. Nevertheless, North Central continued to defend valiantly and took possession with just under a minute to play still tied, 58-58.

The visitors got a pair of shots up that were off the mark. North Park's Michael Osborne drove the lane and knocked down a floating jump shot with 15 seconds remaining, which turned out to be the game-winner. 

The Cardinals did enjoy 8 of 15 accuracy from three-point range in the first half and led by as many as seven points early. North Park (9-12, 4-9 CCIW) scored eight straight points to pull in front, though three-pointers from Terrance Moncrief and Brian Johnson helped North Central keep pace. The Vikings went into halftime with a 33-31 lead after Jalen Boyd's layup at the buzzer found the mark.

Moncrief buried two more threes in the first two minutes of the second half to give the visitors a lead they would maintain the majority of the period. A layup by Blaise Meredith gave the Cardinals their largest lead at 48-40 with 11:53 left, though North Park quickly countered with an eight-point run of its own.

Matthew Helwig finished with 21 points and 11 rebounds for his second straight double-double. Moncrief made 4 of 4 three-pointers (equaling his total made three-pointers for the season) in putting up a season-best 13 points and Ethan Helwig totaled six assists.

Osborne led all scorers with 24 points for the Vikings, who also got 17 points and nine rebounds from Boyd.

The Cardinals host Carroll University (6-16, 2-11) Saturday at Gregory Arena. Senior Night festivities will be observed prior to the 7:00 p.m. tipoff.  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.