North Central’s men’s basketball team earned a huge win on Saturday, Jan. 16, beating Illinois Wesleyan University in overtime 96-89. The win against the 9-7 Titans brought the Cardinals to an overall record of 11-5, and 4-1 in conference play. More importantly, this overtime victory brought their confidence back up after taking a loss to the No. 3 ranked team in the country, Augustana, three days prior.
Freshman forward Connor Raridon led the way for the Cardinals, posting his third double-double of the season, recording 31 points and 15 rebounds, including a huge three-pointer to tie up the game with 36 seconds left in the second half.
Raridon also shared the ball well with teammates, earning five assists. The biggest key to Raridon’s success in the game was his free-throw shooting, as he made 14 out of 15 attempts.
Down the stretch, the Cardinals’ free-throw shooting was a game changer as they hit all 15 of their free throws in overtime, giving Illinois Wesleyan no hope for taking the lead. Eight of these crucial free throws came from Raridon, while six others came from senior guard Jayme Moten. He was the second-leading scorer in the game, tallying 18 points, including 12 that were outside of the arc.
