Contact: Clark Teuscher, Sports Information Director, 630-637-5302
LISLE, Ill. (Nov. 21, 2023) - In a game which saw both teams make their bids to take control, the North Central College men's basketball team rallied to take the lead in the final minutes before an ill-timed dry spell enabled Benedictine University to claim a 67-60 victory over the Cardinals in the annual Battle for Chicago/Maple Avenue.
The contest at the Rice Center featured four ties and 12 lead changes, the last of which occurred with just 1:19 to play. With the score tied at 57-57, following a pullup jumper by Nick Smoldt, the Cardinals pulled ahead, 60-57, after Ethan Helwig found Brian Johnson on the left wing for a three-pointer on the fast break.
Benedictine's Cullen Cosme connected on a jump shot to cut the lead to 60-59, and the Eagles' Drew Stokes came up with a steal on the next possession which led to a go-ahead layup by Brandon McCoy. The score wound up putting the Eagles (3-1) in front for good, and the hosts put the game on ice by making 6 of 8 free throws in the final minute as North Central missed its last five shots from the floor.
The teams played to a 13-13 standstill after four minutes, neither side leading by more than two points. Nick Howard's three-pointer with 9:57 on the clock ignited an 8-0 scoring run by the hosts before Ken Thomas ended a scoreless spell of more than five minutes by sinking a jumper with 7:43 before halftime.
Thomas followed with a putback to account for the first four points of a 9-0 run which put the Cardinals back in front, 22-21, following a Helwig three-pointer. Cosme self-financed a 7-0 scoring run to bring the Eagles to a 28-22 advantage before closing the period with a 34-26 lead.
A three-point play by Drew Gaston and a three-pointer by Helwig closed the Cardinals' deficit to 39-38 with 13:55 to go. Cosme sank two free throws, which were answered by another Smoldt pullup jumper before Gaston drove the lane for a layup to give North Central (1-4) its first lead of the second half at 42-41.
Gaston scored in the paint again to extend the Cardinals' advantage to 44-41 following a Benedictine timeout. The visitors stayed in front until just four minutes remained, when the Eagles strung together seven straight points and pulled ahead, 57-55, on Trevor Montiel's driving layup.
Helwig led all scorers with 19 points, while Thomas recorded a double-double with 10 points and 13 rebounds and Johnson finished with nine points and nine boards. Cosme led the Eagles with 15 points, while Stokes scored 14 and Howard added 12.
North Central is idle until Wednesday, Nov. 29, when it opens College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW) play against Augustana College at Gregory Arena. Click HERE for the full 2023-2024 schedule and live coverage options.
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