NCC 89, Illinois Wesleyan 69
Game Summary
On an emotional night full of festivities for the seniors, the Cardinals (16-6, 9-2) rode a wave of emotion to a good start, but the Titans (11-11, 5-6) were right with them in the opening minutes, even taking a couple leads including a 14-13 edge with 9:33 to play in the first half. Then the Cardinal defense clamped down while making plays on offense, using a 15-0 run as part of a 25-4 stretch to blow the doors off. The Titans would not go quietly into the night however, hitting an 80 foot heave at the halftime buzzer to go into the break down 40-25. The Cardinals continued their hot start into the second half, stretching the lead to 21 with some free throws and a couple threes. The Titans began to crawl their way back into the game though, using a 15-4 run to get back to within six points at 65-59, but the Cardinals answered with a 10-0 run of their own to effectively put the game out of reach.
Key Stats
- Alex Sorenson (NCC): 10-16 FG (1-4 3PT), 2-2 FT; 23 pts, 11 reb (4 off), 3 ast, 1 blk. Sorenson seems to have his best games at Gregory Arena, and while his outside shot wasn't falling on Saturday, he had an excellent game inside on both ends of the floor to keep the Cardinals in control. It also amazes me how he's able to stay out of foul trouble at home, but on the road is a totally different story...
- Kevin Honn (NCC): 4-4 FG (1-1 3PT), 7-7 FT; 16 pts, 6 reb (2 off), 1 ast. I think a perfect night in your final game at Gregory Arena is the best way to go out. Honn was excellent off then bench once again and was very efficient, putting up that stat line in 18 minutes of action.
- Trevor Seibring (IWU): 6-15 FG (1-2 3PT), 2-4 FT; 15 pts, 7 reb (4 off). Seibring almost got the Titans back into the game, as he hit that heave at the first half buzzer to send the Titans into the locker room down 15 instead of 18. It changed the complexion of the game a little bit. Seibring added an and-one early in the second half to help jump start the Titan offense, and while he didn't do a ton of the heavy lifting in the comeback, he still had a very good game.
- @ Elmhurst 70 (18-3, 9-2), Wheaton 62 (5-116, 1-10)
- @ Augustana 69 (21-1, 10-1), Carthage 47 (8-14, 2-9)
- Millikin 61 (8-14, 2-9), @ North Park 55 (14-8, 6-5)
As the home portion of the CCIW schedule draws to a close, I have one final Jacket Watch on tap. I didn't catch exactly when, but I looked over and saw that Ron Rose had his jacket off at the 12:04 mark of the first half. I think there was a call that prompted it, but I don't remember exactly.
Final Thoughts
After the bummer that was Wednesday's game, the Cardinals did a great job to rebound with an excellent win. This win was the 204th in the career of head coach Todd Raridon, which ties him with the legendary Bill Warden for most by a coach in program history. This win also clinched a berth in the CCIW Tournament for North Central, their second berth in a row and fifth in the last six seasons. Big picture though, the Cardinals are probably stuck facing Elmhurst in the semifinals though, barring a complete Augustana collapse that somehow pushes the CCIW Tournament back to Naperville.
North Central's home schedule is complete at a mark of 9-3, which is excellent especially when you consider that the three losses were all to ranked opponents (Chicago, an undefeated Benedictine, and Augustana). The Cardinals also have home wins against ranked opponents like Elmhurst and Mount Union. It bodes well for their tournament hopes, but the rest of their regular season schedule is by no means a cakewalk, especially since they now close out the year on the road. It's a terrible imbalance on the part of the CCIW scheduling (which I'm pretty sure is done by algorithm, but still), but one the Cardinals must endure. They will play at Carthage on Wednesday, the same day the NCAA should come out with their regional rankings, and I will try to have a piece on those rankings before the women's game that evening.
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