Contact: Nicholas Osterloo, Director of Athletics Communication, 630-637-5324
Nov. 12, 2025 - Taking No. 18 University of Wisconsin-Platteville to overtime for the second straight season, the North Central College men's basketball team overcame a six-point deficit in the final 1:22 of regulation to force overtime before the Pioneers prevailed, 66-60 on Wednesday night inside Gregory Arena.
A jumper from Alejandro Diaz on the game's first possession opened the scoring for the Cardinals. Diaz scored six of North Central's first eight points before a three-pointer from Tyler Swierczek gave the hosts an 11-8 edge. A 7-0 run from UW-Platteville was followed by a 6-0 run from the Cardinals. A layup from Tyler Surin put North Central back on top, 19-18, with 6:36 left in the first half. The teams traded points as free throws from James Bullock Jr. in the final minute brought the Cardinals within one, 31-30 at the break.
The Pioneers jumped out to a six-point lead early in the second half. The teams went back-and-forth as a three from Sean Molloy and a layup from Justin Sveiteris cut into UW-Platteville's lead as the visitors held a 45-43 advantage.
An 8-2 run from the visitors pushed their lead to eight, 53-45, with 6:34 left to go. North Central hung around on baskets by Diaz and Swierczek. Jumpers from Diaz and Ethan Marlowe brought the Cardinals within two with 38 seconds left. The Pioneers earned a trip to the charity stripe, but a miss on the front end of a one-and-one kept North Central's chances alive. With three seconds left in regulation, the Swierczek found Tyler Di Silvio for a deep two-pointer to send the game into overtime. The call on the floor stood as a two-pointer after an official review.
Marlowe sank both ends of a trip to the free throw line before the Pioneers scored eight straight points to take a 64-58 lead with 1:23 left to play. A basket from Bullock Jr. kept the game in reach. UW-Platteville made free throws down the stretch to claim a 66-60 victory.
Diaz led all scorers with 20 points on 8-of-16 shooting from the floor. Bullock Jr. added 13 points and seven rebounds. As a team, North Central shot 37.7% from the field and 17.6% from beyond the arc. UW-Platteville's leading scorer was Bristol Lewis with 13 points on 5-of-15 shooting, followed by Joey Fuhremann with 12. The Pioneers shot 39.4% from the floor and 25% from three-point range.
North Central takes on Loras College Saturday inside Gregory Arena. Tip-off is set for 4:15 p.m. The Cardinals defeated the Duhawks 82-78 last season as Diaz led North Central with 18 points.
