Contact: Clark Teuscher, Sports Information Director, 630-637-5302
WHEATON, Ill. (Dec. 2, 2023) - Using its defense to fuel a game-defining scoring run, the North Central College men's basketball team rallied from an eight-point second-half deficit Saturday to subdue the Wheaton College Thunder, 64-54, at King Arena.
The win improved the Cardinals' record to 2-0 in College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW) play and 3-4 overall. The victory snaps a five-game winning streak in the series by the Thunder, dating back to the 2019-2020 season.
North Central looked to establish its post game early, going into the paint to Ken Thomas for its first three field goals of the evening. The visitors led, 11-5, after six minutes of play before the hosts scored seven straight to take their first lead with 11:56 on the clock. Inside baskets by Drew Gaston and Sean Molloy, followed by a three-pointer by Brian Johnson, lifted the visitors to an 18-13 edge, but back-to-back three-pointers by Soren Richardson and Nick Schiavello pushed Wheaton back in front with 7:51 left in the half.
The lead changed hands three more times before another Richardson three-pointer ignited an 8-2 run which gave the Thunder their largest lead of the half at 30-24 with 3:16 to play. Jeff Hemmelgarn scored in the lane and Ethan Helwig pulled up for three on the fast break to bring North Central within a single point, which was countered on the other end by Connor Braun's three-point play before the Cardinals' Nick Smoldt knocked down a jumper to close the first-half scoring and head into the break with Wheaton in front, 33-31.
North Central struggled to get untracked offensively to start the second period, as the Thunder (1-6, 0-2 CCIW) scored the first six points of the half to take their largest lead at 39-31. The Cardinals shaved six points off their deficit in just more than a minute, as Thomas scored twice in the paint and Gaston made two free throws. A three-point play by Helwig left the visitors trailing by just a 43-42 count, and Terrance Moncrief's free throw with 10:27 to play tied the score at 43-43.
A Richardson three-point attempt was rebounded by Smoldt, enabling Moncrief to beat the Thunder down the floor for a layup and give North Central the lead once again with 9:57 on the clock. Gaston also knocked down a jumper, which was countered by Wheaton's Kyle Neibch before Molloy pulled up in the lane for a jumper and a 49-45 advantage.
Neither team converted a shot from the floor for nearly three minutes until Helwig buried a jumper to give the Cardinals a 52-47 edge. North Central led, 56-50, before the Thunder connected on another field goal as Wheaton missed seven of its final nine shots. Four free throws from Smoldt and two from Molloy in the final minute extended the Cardinals' lead to its largest at 12 points.
Wheaton was limited to 25.9 percent shooting (7 of 27) in the second half, including a 3 for 17 effort in the final 11 minutes. Schiavello's 22 points made him the lone double-figure scorer for the Thunder, who missed all 14 second-half three-point attempts.
Gaston put up a team-best 13 points on 5 of 8 shooting in 21 minutes off the bench for the Cardinals. North Central also got 12 points each from Helwig and Thomas while Smoldt grabbed a game-high eight rebounds.
The Cardinals travel to face Carthage College (6-1, 1-0) Wednesday. Tipoff at Tarble Arena is set for 7:00 p.m. Click HERE for the full 2023-2024 schedule and 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.
