Contact: Nicholas Osterloo, Assistant Sports Information Director, 630-637-5324
RIVER FOREST, Ill. (Dec. 22, 2023) - Ethan Helwig's season-high 26 points wasn't enough for the North Central College men's basketball team who fell to Concordia University Chicago in the final seconds of the game, 66-63 on Friday evening inside Geiseman Gymnasium.
Following a Cougar basket on the opening possession, Helwig's two layups and a deep ball added to the Cardinals' 9-0 run. North Central's defense stymied the CUC offense, holding the Cougars to just six points at the halfway mark in the first half. With 8:48 left in the opening period, Erikas Gurskas and Terrance Moncrief made layups on back-to-back possessions to make the score 21-9. North Central held the Cougars without a field goal for nearly eight minutes until a 7-0 run from CUC put the game at 23-18, forcing a Cardinal timeout.
A 14-2 run from North Central followed the timeout, thanks to seven points from Helwig who knocked down back-to-back threes. To close out the half, Brian Johnson hit two free throws with two seconds left to give the Cardinals a 34-20 advantage after 10 minutes of action.
After the teams traded a pair of free throws, the Cougars used a six-point swing to cut the deficit to 10, just two minutes into the second half. Sean Molloy scored a jumper in the paint before CUC came within one, 46-45 with 9:21 to play.
Now down by five, Johnson hit a pair of free throws to keep the Cardinals within striking distance. Helwig started a quick 6-0 run as Nick Smoldt made both free throws with 36 seconds left to tie the game at 63. Brent Hatten of CUC knocked down an off-balance three points with three seconds left on the clock to clinch the 66-63 win for the Cougars.
Helwig, who surpassed 800 points in a North Central uniform last game, led the team with 26 points while tying a career-high with 14 rebounds. Drew Gaston finished with nine points and nine rebounds on the day. As a team, the Cardinals shot 31% from the field while hitting 21 of 24 free throws. CUC shot 38% including a 56% mark in the second half.
The Cardinals return home on Saturday, Dec. 30 by hosting the Illinois Institute of Technology at 4 p.m. inside Gregory Arena.
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