Game Notes: (MBK) Elmhurst College @ North Central College (2/11/17)

Final Score
NCC 84, Elmhurst 60

Game Summary
This was another good game in the early going as the Cardinals (14-9, 8-6) traded baskets with the Blue Jays (6-17, 2-12) forcing five ties and five lead changes in the first ten minutes. Then the Cardinals went on a mini 7-0 run to break a 16-all tie, though Elmhurst hit some threes to keep it close, but the Cardinals were even more lethal from distance, hitting a barrage of them to take a 44-31 lead into the locker room. They picked up right where they left off to start the second half, bridging a pair of Blue Jay free throws with a pair of threes. North Central would push the lead as high as 31 before calling off the dogs.

Key Stats

• NCC: 12-29 3PT (41-4%). This was easily the best night the Cardinals had from distance (and you know when the men hit more threes than the women, they're on fire). More on that below, but this was a key for giving North Central the edge. The fact that former Heat Check guy Jayme Moten had to watch from Elmhurst's bench... even better.
• Alex Sorenson (NCC): 9-15 FG (4-6 3PT), 4-5 FT; 26 pts, 9 reb (2 off), 2 ast, 1 blk, 1 stl. Alex has struggled from deep this season, so it was nice to see him break out of his funk. He was able to establish himself in the post early as Elmhurst, despite the double teams, wasn't really able to stop him. Eventually he started to find himself open beyond the arc, and he made the Blue Jays pay. He checked in from a breather maybe midway through the second half and told me if he hit another to be louder with it. Unfortunately, I didn't get to oblige him, as he would foul out before hitting another.
• Jagger Anderson (NCC): 6-11 FG (2-5 3PT), 2-4 FT; 16 pts, 4 reb, 9 ast, 2 stl. After earning Player of the Week honors for last week, Jagger had a good home finale. He had his obligatory one ridiculous full speed layup for an and-one, and I continue to be impressed by how his jump shooting has improved. The book on him coming into the year was to dare him to shoot, and he's good enough to make teams pay for doing so. The fact that he dished out nine assists only adds to the legend. A good Senior Night for the Cardinals' lone elder statesman.

CCIW Scoreboard Watch

• @ Carroll 75 (12-10, 7-6), Augustana 70 (18-5, 11-3)
• @ Wheaton 70 (11-11, 7-6), North Park 67 (15-7, 8-5)
• Illinois Wesleyan 90 (16-6, 8-5), @ Carthage 78 (15-7, 8-5)
• BYE: Millikin (3-19, 1-12)

Final Thoughts 
The Cardinals close their home schedule with a 7-5 record. Not awful, but certainly underwhelming. They took care of business at home early in the season with wins over teams like Aurora and Alma, but there are too many home losses that hurt. North Central should have beaten UW-Platteville, probably should have beaten Robert Morris, and also have home losses to Augustana, Carthage, and North Park... only three of the top four teams in the CCIW. They make sense, but for a team with incredibly high expectations, they still hurt.

North Central has two games left: at Carthage on Wednesday, and at Illinois Wesleyan to close out the regular season on Saturday. The Cardinals will then miss out on next Tuesday, when the rest of the conference closes out the regular season, so North Central will have no real control over its own destiny. But they sit just half a game out of a three way tie for second place in the CCIW, and if they finish 10-6 in conference they should make the CCIW Tournament, especially given their opponents this week.