Contact: Nicholas Osterloo, Director of Athletics Communication, 630-637-5324

HOLLAND, Mich. (Dec. 17, 2025) - Jumping out to a 21-7 lead, the North Central College men's basketball team never trailed in a 65-58 victory over Hope College in a midweek contest at DeVos Fieldhouse.

Ethan Marlowe opened the scoring with a fast-break dunk off an Alejandro Diaz steal on the Flying Dutchmen's opening possession. Layups by James Bullock Jr. and Tyler Swierczek extended the lead before Hope answered with five straight points. Four consecutive three pointers from Swierczek, Tyler Di Silvio, Seth Cheney and Diaz pushed the Cardinals' advantage to 21-7. Sean Molloy added another three pointer as North Central built a 24-11 lead midway through the first half.

After another Swierczek three pointer, Hope closed the gap with an 8-0 run to pull within four, 29-25. Di Silvio stopped the run with a layup, and Cheney added a pair of free throws as North Central took a 34-31 lead into halftime.

Marlowe's second-chance basket sparked an 8-2 run to open the second half, giving the Cardinals a 42-34 edge. After the teams traded baskets, Diaz knocked down a three pointer to extend the lead to 14, 50-36. Hope responded with a 10-0 run to cut the margin to four, but Cheney answered with a three pointer. Another deep ball from Diaz pushed the lead back to double digits at 58-48 with 4:29 remaining.

Hope made one final push, using a 9-3 run to pull within three, 61-58, with 18 seconds left. Free throws from Diaz and Swierczek sealed the victory.

North Central shot a season-best 46.9 percent from the field and made 10 three pointers. Diaz led all scorers with 16 points, including three three pointers, while Swierczek added 13 points in 31 minutes. Parker Hovey led Hope with 14 points, followed by Brendn Cargill with 13.

The Cardinals travel to Memphis, Tenn., this weekend to compete in the Rhodes College Tournament. North Central opens play against host Rhodes at 1 p.m. Saturday, Dec. 20, at Mallory Gymnasium.