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

CHICAGO (Feb. 25, 2025) - An evening of prolific perimeter shooting came to a fitting conclusion Tuesday, as the North Central College men's basketball team advanced to the College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW) Tournament semifinals with a 94-92 quarterfinal victory over North Park University.

On a night when the two teams combined to make 28 three-point shots on 56 percent shooting from beyond the arc, both teams took a shot at the other in the final seconds. The score was tied at 89-89 with a minute to play, and Terrance Moncrief gave the Cardinals (15-11) a brief 91-89 lead with a pair of free throws after North Park's breakaway layup attempt missed the mark. 

Coming out of a timeout, the Vikings (14-12) got the ball to Lance Nelson, who buried a triple with 11 seconds on the clock to give the hosts a 92-91 advantage. North Central got down the floor quickly as Moncrief spotted Ethan Helwig on the right wing, and Helwig bottomed out the game-winner with 4.8 seconds remaining to connect on a seventh three and finish with a team-high 21 points.

The Cardinals made 15 of 27 three-pointers (55.6 percent), tying the CCIW Tournament single-game record and finishing with their most threes made ever in a postseason game. North Central set the tone in the opening six minutes, making 9 of its first 10 shots from the floor to take an early 23-12 lead. The visitors made 19 of 28 field-goal attempts (67.9 percent) and 8 of 12 threes in the first half but clung to just a 49-48 advantage at halftime as the Vikings scored 15 second-chance points off eight offensive rebounds and owned an 11-2 edge in points off turnovers.

North Park knotted the score at 56-56 early in the second half, though the Cardinals countered with a 13-1 surge over a four-minute span to take a 69-57 lead on a Helwig three-pointer with 12:22 to play. North Central led until Rico Powell's three with 3:11 left nudged the hosts in front, 83-82. Justin Sveiteris scored on the next possession, which Powell answered with two free throws before a Helwig three-pointer made it an 87-85 count in the Cardinals' favor with two minutes to go. 

North Central, which set a season-best mark for field-goal percentage (.586) in the game as well, saw six of the eight players it sent into the game score in double figures. Helwig also led the Cardinals with seven rebounds, while Drew Gaston put up 19 points, Moncrief scored 17, Tyler Swierczek 16 and Sveiteris and Alejandro Diaz each finisshed with 10. Moncrief also finished with nine assists, one short of matching a career high.

Powell scored a game-high 22 points for North Park, which also got 19 from TJ Gardner and 14 points, 10 assists and seven rebounds from Nelson. 

North Central travels to face top-seeded Carthage College (20-5) in the semifinal round Friday at Tarble Arena in Kenosha. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:30 p.m. Click HERE for the full 2024-2025 schedule and live coverage options.

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