Game Notes: (MBK) Wheaton College @ North Central College (1/13/18)

Final Score
NCC 75, Wheaton 66

Game Summary
This was a fantastic game. Alex Sorenson got the Cardinals (11-4, 5-2) off to the early 2-0 lead, but the Thunder (11-4, 5-2) answered with an 8-0 run to take early control of this one. About four minutes in, it was a 13-4 lead for the Thunder and they seemed poised to make it a laugher. But the Cardinals found their poise and hit some key shots to get back into it, finally tying the game at 28. It turned into a back and forth affair the rest of the half, ending with a tie at 41. Wheaton took the early advantage in the second half, escaping a 43-all tie to take a four point lead, but the Cardinals fought back to trade a couple leads before Wheaton took another four point edge with 8:06 left. Over the next six minutes, the Cardinals embarked on a 10-0 run to take a six point lead and force a timeout, then scored six of the next seven over the next couple minutes to end the contest.

Key Stats

• Alex Sorenson (NCC): 9-15 FG (1-2 3PT); 19 pts, 10 reb (4 off), 2 ast, 3 blk, 1 stl. After having three straight monster performances at home, Alex has come back down to earth the last few games. He was still a key part of this win, notching nine points and four boards in the first half, while not having to worry about foul trouble. He then was a key part of North Central's offense in the second half, scoring the basket that gave North Central the lead for good, then added the insurance bucket for good measure. He also played phenomenal defense, and again, didn't have to worry about playing conservatively, as he finished the night with just two fouls.
• Connor Raridon (NCC): 2-8 FG, 3-4 FT; 7 pts, 6 reb (1 off), 6 ast, 2 blk. Connor seems to have settled in this season primarily as the facilitator. He didn't have a particularly good night, having to work pretty hard to get into a good shooting position in the post, but he hit a key jumper that capped the 10-0 run and forced a Wheaton timeout with 2:20 to play. The fact that he keeps going in and getting rebounds, finding open players for baskets, and playing excellent defense just adds to his work.
• Aston Francis (WHE): 10-26 FG (8-18 3PT), 3-4 FT; 31 pts, 7 reb (1 off), 2 ast, 1 blk, 1 stl. Francis has been an absolute monster this season, and coming off a 40 point outing at Augustana on Wednesday, he was the player to watch tonight. He was hot early on, hitting a bunch of contested threes that really got Wheaton in the driver's seat in the first half. But the Cardinals kept getting bodies on him and made him work, as shown by the fact that he needed 26 shots to get his 31. Also a key factor: Francis had six turnovers in this one.

Mike Schauer Watch

The Wheaton head coach is getting his own mini feature this season because he's one of the more fiery in-game coaches in the CCIW (though nowhere near the top of the list). Last year he demanded an out of the box warning to get the refs to listen to him (he was granted said warning) and would later do his best Grey Giovanine impersonation complete with suit coat rip off regarding what probably should have been a shot clock violation. This year, he got upset with some of the foul calls. I can't totally blame him; North Central jumped out to a 10-2 advantage in fouls early in the first half before Wheaton got the benefit of six of the next seven foul calls. The anti-Wheaton trend carried over into the second half as the Cardinals got into the bonus fairly early. Again he complained about the clock, as supposedly it started way too early in the final minute. I didn't get a good enough look, but he made a major scene of it, yelling at the table about how "this happens every time we come here!"

CCIW Scoreboard Watch

• @ AUG 66 (12-3, 4-2), CRL 62 (4-11, 0-6)
• IWU 76 (12-3, 5-1), @ NPU 75 (4-10, 1-5)
• @ CAR 63 (9-6, 4-2), ELM 57 (10-5, 3-3)
• Bye: Millikin (8-7, 1-5)

Final Thoughts

The atmosphere in this game was absolutely fantastic. Given the rivalry between the schools and the proximity, it's no surprise that Wheaton brought a ton of fans, including a very rowdy student section that really got into the game. Honestly, I think they outworked the North Central student section by quite the margin, with really only the band and the group of alums and former players sitting behind the table getting their shots in. But this was the kind of atmosphere that makes basketball a lot of fun. It was loud, which is awesome.

Big picture wise, this was a huge win. Wheaton has been the resurgent team in the conference this year and came into tonight in first place. They end the night in third with the tiebreaker, as Illinois Wesleyan survived a monster night from Colin Lake and North Park to grab first place. North Central settles into second with one more to go in the first round of the double round robin and a key head to head victory for the tiebreaker.

The Cardinals have the bye on Wednesday, and close out their non-conference schedule with Finlandia University on Tuesday. I won't be able to work that game, so there won't be a Game Notes post Tuesday night/Wednesday morning about the contest. I leave my seat and microphone in capable hands though, and I'll be back for the next home contest, which will be Wednesday the 24th against Millikin.