Sean Molloy
Steve Woltmann
50
North Central (IL) NCC 1-4,0-1 CCIW
55
Winner Millikin MIL-U 7-1,1-0 CCIW
North Central (IL) NCC
1-4,0-1 CCIW
50
Final
55
Millikin MIL-U
7-1,1-0 CCIW
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
North Central (IL) NCC 26 24 50
Millikin MIL-U 21 34 55

Game Recap: Men's Basketball |

Men’s Basketball Opens CCIW with Loss to Millikin

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

DECATUR, Ill. (Dec. 3, 2025) - Kicking off CCIW play on the road, the North Central College men's basketball team dropped a back-and-forth game that saw five lead changes and seven ties to Millikin University, 55-50, on Wednesday night inside the Griswold Center.

On the Cardinals' first possession, Sean Molloy found Alejandro Diaz, who drilled a three pointer before James Bullock Jr. gave the visitors a 5-0 lead early on. Out of a North Central timeout, Tyler Swierczek and Ethan Marlowe each hit a three pointer as the Cardinals held an 11-9 advantage with 14:33 to play in the first half. After a Tyler Di Silvio layup, Bullock Jr. made a pair of free throws to keep North Central in the lead.

The teams traded baskets as a Di Silvio jumper kept North Central in front, 17-14. After the Big Blue took their first lead, Bullock Jr evened the contest at 21-21. Swierczek buried a deep ball before a Molly layup with six seconds left in the first half put the Cardinals up 26-21 at the break.

Bullock Jr. scored North Central's first points of the second half, following a Swierczek offensive rebound. Millikin knotted the game at 28-28 with 15:30 left, before Swierczek hit his third three pointer to keep the Cardinals in front. Marlowe scored his eighth point of the night with another deep ball. 

Millikin used an 8-0 run to take a 39-37 lead with 7:50 to play. Molloy answered the Big Blue run with a three pointer to bring the Cardinals within one, 45-44. Both teams went back-and-forth as a successful trip to the free throw line from Bullock Jr. tied the game at 46-46 with 4:06 left in the game. The Big Blue scored five straight points to take a 51-46 advantage at the three-minute mark.

Swierczek answered the Millikin run with a pull-up jumper to keep the Cardinals within a possession, 51-48. North Central missed a pair of three pointers as the Big Blue made free throws down the stretch to claim a 55-50 victory.

Four Cardinals scored in double-figures, led by Molloy with 14 points. Right behind the senior was Siwerczek (11 points), Marlowe (10) and Bullock Jr. (10). Diaz dished out a team-high five assists on the night. North Central shot 37.3% from the floor and 30.4% from behind the arc. Millikin shot 29.1% from the field while mirroring the Cardinals' mark from three-point range (30.4%). The Big Blue made 16 of their 19 trips to the free throw line, while North Central was 5-of-6 from the charity stripe.

North Central continues CCIW play Saturday by hosting No. 10 Illinois Wesleyan University for a 7 p.m. tipoff inside Gregory Arena. The Cardinals defeated the Titans 72-64 on Feb. 5th of last season.
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