Contact: Clark Teuscher, Sports Information Director, 630-637-5302
CHICAGO (Nov. 30, 2024) - Taking control of the contest with a furious scoring rush coming out of halftime, the North Central College men's basketball team defeated the Illinois Institute of Technology, 74-60, Saturday at the Keating Sports Center.
After playing IIT to a 28-28 standstill in the first period, the Cardinals (5-1) outscored the hosts, 14-2, over the first five minutes of the second half as they made 6 of 8 shots from the floor. The Scarlet Hawks, meanwhile, were limited to a 1 for 8 effort.
Alejandro Diaz,
Tyler Swierczek and
Terrance Moncrief each scored in the paint, and Swierczek followed with a jumper, three-pointer and layup in a 77-second stretch to leave North Central with a 42-30 advantage with 14:55 to play.
The lead swelled as large as 14 points before Jace Gooley's three-pointer closed the gap to 49-40 with 9:57 on the clock.
Drew Gaston countered with a pair of free throws and a jump shot on consecutive trips down the floor, and the Cardinals led by double digits the rest of the way.
North Central shot a season-best 52.9 percent (27 of 51) from the field, enjoying 64 percent accuracy (16 of 25) in the second half. Moncrief led the Cardinals in scoring for the fourth time in six games with 20 points while also pacing the team in rebounds (7) and assists (4).
Swierczek posted a season high in scoring for the second time in three games with 18 points on 8 of 11 shooting and collected a career-high three steals. Diaz and Gaston each scored 14 points. Gooley scored 20 points in 19 minutes off the bench to lead IIT (1-5).
The Cardinals open College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW) play Wednesday, hosting Millikin University (3-3). Tipoff at Gregory Arena is set for 7:00 p.m. Click
HERE for the full 2024-2025 schedule and live coverage options.
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