Contact: Nicholas Osterloo, Director of Athletics Communication, 630-637-5324
(Written by: Sam Fretto, Athletics Communication Graduate Assistant, sjfretto@noctrl.edu)

MEMPHIS, Tenn. (Dec. 20, 2025)- Despite leading by as many as 11 points against the Rhodes College Lynx, the North Central College men's basketball team failed to hold the lead, falling 71-65 in their opening matchup of the Rhodes Tournament on Saturday afternoon at Mallory Gymnasium.

After an early 5-2 start for Rhodes College, North Central went on a run, scoring on five straight possessions, beginning with a layup by Ethan Marlowe and a steal and fastbreak layup by Tyler Surin to give the Cardinals the lead. Alejandro Diaz added a three-pointer for the 9-5 lead with 16:55 remaining in the first half. The Cardinals turned defense into offense once again with a Marlowe block leading to a Tyler Swierczek layup in the paint, widening the gap. Marlowe capped off North Central's scoring run from deep to make the score 14-8 with 15:23 left in the half. 

The Cardinals went on another run midway through the first half, outscoring the Lynx 9-2 and holding a 23-12 advantage. Surin hit a three-pointer, and Justin Sveiteris scored six straight points on offensive rebounds in three straight trips down the floor. Out of a Lynx timeout, Rhodes went on a 6-1 scoring run to cut the lead to just six before Swierczek answered with a three-ball. 

With the score at 27-23 in favor of North Central, Swierczek converted his second three-pointer of the game to give the Cardinals an offensive jolt, and Sveiteris scored his ninth point of the half on a slam dunk, extending the lead back to nine points, 32-23. Rhodes ultimately closed the gap in the final 5:21 of the first half, taking a 35-35 game into halftime. 

In the second half, the Lynx took the 37-35 lead with a layup and hit a pair of free throws. Sean Molloy hit a three-pointer to cut the lead to one, and Diaz scored a second-chance bucket, tying the game 40-40. Both sides exchanged buckets as the Cardinals kept the game within three points from the 18:05 mark to the 12:44 mark. Rhodes opened up a 57-48 lead, and North Central attempted to make a comeback, cutting the lead to one, punctuated by a Surin layup. After North Central cut the lead to one, Rhodes College went on a run to seal the game in the final 6:56 of the game, leading by as many as 10 points. 

Surin led the Cardinals in scoring with 15 points on 7-9 shooting from the field and sinking his only three-point attempt. Marlowe scored eight points, grabbed nine rebounds, and recorded a career-high five blocks. North Central shot 37.9% on field goals, or 25-66 overall. Despite a hot first half from downtown, where they converted 6-14 three-pointers, they ended 7-28 from deep overall. 

The Cardinals take on the Mississippi University for Women in the second day of the Rhodes Tournament, with tipoff set for 1 p.m.