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

WHEATON, Ill. (Feb. 22, 2025) - The North Central College men's basketball team was denied in its regular-season finale at Wheaton College Saturday, as the Thunder scored five of the game's final six points and defeated the Cardinals, 73-68, on Wheaton's Senior Night at King Arena.

North Central (14-11, 7-9 College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin) claims the No. 6 seed in next week's CCIW Tournament and travels to face North Park University (14-11, 9-7) in Tuesday's quarterfinal round.

The Cardinals scored the final nine points of the first half to take a 32-24 lead into halftime, then grew their advantage to 37-24 after the first minute of the second half. North Central's lead stood at 54-49 when the Thunder (7-18, 4-12) scored nine straight to pull in front for the first time at 58-54 with 7:19 left.

Terrance Moncrief knocked down a three-pointer coming out of a timeout to disrupt the Thunder's momentum, Ethan Helwig scored on a putback and a pair of free throws, and Sean Molloy sank two charity shots in another 9-0 spurt that wrestled the lead back at 63-58. 

Wheaton's Soren Richardson converted a three-point play with 2:54 on the clock to give the hosts a 65-63 edge. Moncrief pulled up from the left wing to tie the score at 65-65, and Richardson responded with two free throws before Moncrief scored in the lane to leave the score deadlocked at 67-67. The Cardinals' last four shots from the floor were off the mark, enabling the hosts to pull away and square the season series between the teams.

Moncrief finished with 18 points and three assists for the Cardinals, while Helwig totaled 14 points and eight rebounds and Tyler Swierczek put up 14 points and seven boards. Richardson led all scorers with 28 points for Wheaton while Kyle Vander Woude scored 21.

Tuesday's tipoff at North Park Gymnasium is scheduled for 7:00 p.m. Click HERE for the full 2024-2025 schedule and live coverage options.

Download the free North Central Cardinals app, available for iOS and Android devices, to receive up-to-the-minute news, scores, and updates on your favorite North Central teams. Click HERE for more information.