Contact: Clark Teuscher, Sports Information Director, 630-637-5302
DUBUQUE, Iowa (Dec. 12, 2024) - A superior floor game provided the path to victory for the North Central College men's basketball team Thursday, as the last of a series of clutch defensive plays pushed the Cardinals past Loras College, 82-78, at Lillis Court.
On a night when they scored 30 points off 20 Loras turnovers, the Cardinals (7-2) broke a 78-78 tie with 7.2 seconds to play after
Ethan Helwig stole a backcourt pass and raced the other direction for a layup. Following another turnover,
Alejandro Diaz was fouled with 2.4 seconds to play and sank both free throws to put the game on ice.
The teams played through eight ties and six lead changes in the first half. North Central owned the largest lead by either team at 26-20 on
Drew Gaston's jumper with 7:56 on the clock. Trailing, 39-37, on the final possession of the half, the Cardinals tied the score at the buzzer as
Terrance Moncrief cut to the basket and converted a layup off a feed from
Tyler DiSilvio.
North Central's lead stood at 64-58 before the Duhawks (5-2) strung together 10 straight points to pull in front, 64-58, with 6:18 to play. Moncrief tipped in his own missed shot to ignite a 9-2 run over the next 1:26 that left the visitors ahead, 73-70, after Diaz got fouled and sank two charity shots following one of his game-high four steals.
The Cardinals owned a 77-75 lead heading into the final minute before Loras' Gavin Saris nudged the home team in front with a three-pointer from the right wing. Diaz was fouled on the next possession and made one of two free throws, tying the score at 78-78.
North Central shot a season-best 53.4 percent (31 of 58) from the floor and had four double-figure scorers, led by Diaz's season-high 18 points on 5 of 6 shooting from the floor and a 6 for 8 effort at the free-throw line. Helwig finished with 17 points to move into 25th place in the Cardinals' history in career scoring (1,100), while Moncrief scored 15 and Gaston totaled 14.
The Cardinals host Carroll University (2-6) Saturday at Gregory Arena, with tipoff set for 7:15 p.m. Click
HERE for the full 2024-2025 schedule and live coverage options.
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