Box Score

NAPERVILLE, Ill. - The Illinois Wesleyan men's basketball team is out of the NCAA Division III championships after an 83-73 loss at North Central in the tourney's third round at Naperville, Ill., on Saturday (March 16).

♦  The No. 10-ranked Titans finish with a 23-6 record while North Central (27-3) advances to play Middlebury in Salem, Va., in the quarterfinal round.

♦  Illinois Wesleyan and North Central remained close in the first half, until the Cardinals jumped ahead with a 5-0 run just over eight minutes on the clock, bringing the score to 29-22.

♦  North Central continued to extend its lead to as many as 12 in the first half until the halftime buzzer, leading the Titans by 10, 46-36.

♦  North Central picked up where it left off in the second, leading IWU by as much as 13 points, 53-40, until the Titans were able to hack the lead into single digits inside the paint. In the game IWU outscored the Cardinals 44-34 in the paint and the Titans held a commanding 29-18 lead in rebounds.

♦  With 9:09 on the clock, Eric Dortch made a layup to come within three points of the Cardinals, 63-60. However, North Central didn't let the Titans come any closer, controlling the game offensively.

♦  The Cardinals' Pat Rourke concluded the game, making good on two free throws with 15 seconds on the clock drawing the score to 83-73.

Illinois Wesleyan Statistics and Leaders
Field Goal Percentage - .574 (27 of 47)
3-Point Field Goal Percentage - .219 (3 of 14)
Free Throw Percentage - .696 (16 of 23)
Junior Victor Davis (21 points)
Junior Eric Dortch (14 points)
Senior Kevin Reed (10 points, 4 rebounds)
Junior Andrew Ziemnik (8 rebounds)

North Central Statistics and Leaders
Field Goal Percentage - .547 (29 of 53)
3-Point Field Goal Percentage - .389 (7 of 18)
Free Throw Percentage - .857 (18 of 21)
Jack Burchett (18 points)
Pat Rourke (15 points)
Aaron Tiknis (11 points, 4 rebounds)
Derek Raridon (11 points)