Sean Molloy pulls up for a jump shot over Augustana defenders
Steve Woltmann
76
Augustana (IL) AUGIE 10-14,5-10 CCIW
83
Winner North Central (IL) NCC 8-17,4-12 CCIW
Augustana (IL) AUGIE
10-14,5-10 CCIW
76
Final
83
North Central (IL) NCC
8-17,4-12 CCIW
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 F
Augustana (IL) AUGIE 32 44 76
North Central (IL) NCC 34 49 83

Game Recap: Men's Basketball |

Clutch Free Throws Seal 83-76 Win for Men's Basketball

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

Feb. 18, 2026 — Finishing the 2025-26 season on a high note, the North Central College men's basketball team closed out the game with six straight free throws in the final 40 seconds to secure an 83-76 win over Augustana College on Wednesday night inside Gregory Arena.

James Bullock Jr. knocked down a pair of free throws before Tre Davis connected on a three-pointer as the Cardinals took an early 5-2 lead. A layup from Justin Sveiteris sparked a 13-0 run that put North Central ahead 20-8 with 9:24 left in the first half.

The Vikings responded with 10 straight points before Bullock Jr. halted the surge with a layup. The teams traded baskets as Augustana briefly took a one-point lead, but Alejandro Diaz answered with a three-pointer. Five straight points from Bullock Jr. sent the Cardinals into halftime with a 34-32 advantage.

A deep three from Sean Molloy capped an 8-2 North Central start to the second half. Another three-pointer, this time from Ethan Marlowe, stretched the lead to 45-36 with 16:15 remaining. An old-fashioned three-point play by Jaydon James followed by another Marlowe triple, pushed the margin to 51-37.

The teams continued to trade scores as a Bullock Jr. three-pointer and a James layup extended the Cardinals' lead to 60-45 near the midway point of the half. Buckets from Tyler Di Silvio and Diaz kept North Central in control, 73-59, with 4:03 to play.

Augustana mounted a late push, scoring nine points in less than a minute to trim the deficit to 77-74. After a North Central timeout, Diaz, Molloy and Sveiteris each sank clutch free throws to seal the 83-76 victory.

Bullock Jr. led all scorers with 18 points and three blocks. Diaz added 16 points and five rebounds. Sveiteris recorded his first career double-double with 10 points and a career-high 11 rebounds. Marlowe also scored 10 as North Central shot 44.4% from the field and 40% from three. Augustana shot 46% overall and 35% from long range.

The Cardinals conclude the 2025-26 season with an 8-17 overall record and a 4-12 mark in CCIW play.
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