Game Notes: (MBK) Carroll University @ North Central College (12/5/18)

Final Score
NCC 61, Carroll 47

Game Summary
This was kind of a weird game, especially early on. The Cardinals (6-0, 2-0) took a couple minutes to open the scoring, leading 6-0 on a pair of threes, but the Pioneers (2-5, 0-2) responded with the next eight, eventually leading to an 8-8 tie ten minutes into the game. Eventually the teams found their rhythm, with the Pioneers gaining control thanks to early Cardinal foul trouble. The Pios led by seven with about two and a half to go in the first half, but the Cardinals managed to cut it to four at 26-22 by the break. Carroll started the second half strong, pushing the lead to eight just a couple minutes in, but the Cardinals began chipping away, using an extended 9-0 run to grab the lead back. It switched hands a few times midway through the half, but North Central took a 41-40 lead on a Matt Cappelletti free throw with about eight minutes to go and never looked back. Carroll got it back within one a couple times, but the Cardinals put the game out of reach with a few threes.

Key Players

• Blaise Meredith (NCC): 6-10 FG (2-6 3PT), 5-8 FT; 19 pts, 5 ast. The fact that Blaise did not manage a single rebound tonight was a little shocking, but his offensive game was much needed on a night when Connor Raridon did almost nothing (see more below). His 19 points was a career high, and the five assists were key as well.
• Matt Cappelletti (NCC): 2-7 FG (0-4 3PT), 7-9 FT; 11 pts, 11 reb (1 off), 1 stl. On a night where not a lot of shots were taken due to the sheer number of fouls and thus free throws, rebounds were at a premium, and Cap dominated the glass, notching over 20 percent of the game's available boards. He continues to struggle from deep, but got to the rim and to the line, making the most of those opportunities.
• Aiden Chang (NCC): 4-6 FG (2-3 3PT); 10 pts, 2 reb, 2 ast, 3 stl. The stat line doesn't seem like much, but Aiden made some big plays when the Cardinals needed them. All ten of his points came in the second half, but two big moments stand out to me. He hit a huge three to give North Central a 34-32 lead, then immediately forced a sloppy turnover and took it the other way for a layup, forcing a Carroll timeout. Then, with about three and a half minutes to go, he hit his second three in the midst of a 10-0 run that put the game out of reach.

Key Stats

• NCC: 8-21 3PT (38.1%). This is a number more in line with what you'd hope for from this team after some early season struggles. The best sign was that the Cardinals went 5-11 from deep in the second half, and it was the three ball that put the game out of reach. It's hopefully a sign that the Cardinals are coming out of their funk, and when Cap starts hitting his threes... look out.
• Carroll: 26 fouls. I don't want to harp too much on the officiating, especially after a win, but this crew was inconsistent at best. At one point in the first half, North Central had ten fouls to Carroll's four. After that point, North Central would commit ten more to Carroll's 22. Some of that I'm sure was things evening out, but I also think North Central adjusted fairly well as the game went on.

CCIW Scoreboard Watch

• WHE 90 (6-2, 1-1), @ IWU 88 (7-1, 1-1)
• @ CAR 78 (4-4, 1-1), NPU 54 (2-7, 1-1)
• ELM 74 (3-3, 1-0), @ MIL 62 (4-3, 0-2) 
• Bye: AUG 78 (6-1, 1-0), @ MacMurray 54
• WBK: NCC 69 (2-4, 1-1), @ AUG 58 (4-4, 1-1)

Final Thoughts

If you had told me before the game that Connor Raridon, a guy who came into tonight with 947 career points would be held to just two field goal attempts and four points, I'd have first thought you were crazy, then figured North Central wouldn't win the game. Raridon was in foul trouble, picking up two about eight minutes into the first half, leading to him riding the bench until intermission, and fairly quickly getting up to four in the second half. Even when he was in though, Carroll played him very well defensively, not giving him looks at his usual turnaround jumpers. This jeopardizes his shot at reaching the 1,000 Point Club at home, barring a monster game or two out of him coming up.

Regardless, you have to find a way to win games like this, and North Central has continued to do so. They really haven't put together much of a complete game yet other than the win over Alma. But they're unbeaten and in first place in the CCIW thanks to Augie getting a bye and Aston Francis doing Aston Francis things. The schedule remains somewhat favorable with a home date against North Park on the horizon, though the Vikings did just beat Wheaton four days ago.