Contact: Clark Teuscher, Sports Information Director, 630-637-5302

Feb. 14, 2024 - Undeterred by a slow start, the North Central College men's basketball team soon found its rhythm in Wednesday's contest against Millikin University, taking control late in the first half and clinching a berth in the College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW) Tournament with a 64-53 victory over the Big Blue at Gregory Arena.

The Cardinals (9-15, 7-8 CCIW) got an early boost from freshman Tyler Swierczek, who scored 18 of his game- and season-high 25 points before halftime, and got an unexpected lift off the bench from senior Jeffrey Hemmelgarn. Pressed into service for a career-high 22 minutes due to foul trouble, Hemmelgarn led North Central with career-best totals of eight rebounds, six assists and three blocked shots.

The hosts trailed, 8-0, after four minutes of play before going on a 15-2 run which spanned nearly five minutes and featured 12 points from Swierczek to take a 15-10 lead with 10:59 on the first-half clock. Millikin (8-16, 4-11) bounced back to tie the score at 19-19, but a jump shot in the lane by Terrance Moncrief and back-to-back putbacks by Nick Smoldt restored the Cardinals' lead to 25-19. North Central scored the final 10 points of the half, including two three-pointers from Swierczek, to take a 35-23 lead into the break.

The Big Blue whittled the Cardinals' lead down to 42-38 with 10:35 to play in the game, though a 9-2 North Central run put the hosts firmly in control at 51-40 with 6:25 left. Three-pointers by Moncrief and Ethan Helwig and a pair of free throws by Hemmelgarn gave North Central its largest lead at 59-44 with 1:31 to play. Moncrief also reached double digits in scoring with 11 points.

The Cardinals close the regular season Saturday at Illinois Wesleyan University (17-7, 13-2), which clinched the CCIW Championship Wednesday with an 85-74 win at North Park University. Tipoff at the Shirk Center is scheduled for 4:15 p.m. Click HERE for the full 2023-2024 schedule and live coverage options.

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