Chicago, Ill. - Illinois Tech men's basketball, coming off their first win of the season Wednesday night, was looking to string together their second win in a row when North Central College came to the Keating Center Saturday afternoon in a non-conference matchup. The Scarlet Hawks and the Cardinals played even through the first half, but North Central pulled away in the second half for a 74-60 victory. The Scarlet Hawks fell to 1-5 on the season. The Cardinals improved to 5-1.

Despite the loss, freshman guard Jace Gooley had a breakout game for the Scarlet Hawks, scoring an early-career-high of 20 points, making 7 of 10 shots from the field, including 4 of 6 from three-point range, in just 19 minutes played. Gooley's emergence would provide balance and scoring depth for the Hawks, while lengthening the bench.

How It Happened

• 1st Half - Illinois Tech 28 - North Central 28: Illinois Tech would open the game with a 7-2 run, capped off by a Nicolas Ortiz layup at 18:16. the teams would trade points over the next four minutes, with the Scarlet Hawks maintaining their five-point lead after a Garrison Carter layup at 14:51 kept Illinois Tech in front 11-6. North Central would rally, using a 16-7 run to lead 22-18 with 6:34 remaining in the opening half. The Scarlet Hawks countered with a 10-3 run to take a 28-25 lead with 1:25 remaining. The Cardinals would scratch across a layup and a free throw to tie the game at 28-28 at the close of the first half. Carter led the Scarlet Hawks with 10 points in the opening frame.
• 2nd Half - North Central 46 - Illinois Tech 32: North Central came out of the halftime break clicking on all cylinders, building a 14-point lead on the strength of a 19-5 run to lead 47-33 at the 12:56 mark on the second half. Illinois Tech could only trade baskets the rest of the way, getting as close as nine points down but also falling behind by 16 points before the Cardinals closed out the game back up by 14. Gooley exploded for 18 points in the second half to lead the Scarlet Hawks.

Scarlet Hawk Standouts

• Jace Gooley with a game-high and career-high 20 points on 7-10 shooting from the field, including 4-6 from three-point range, while adding 2 rebounds and 1 steal, in 19 minutes of playing time
• Garrison Carter with 15 points on 6-11 shooting from the field, to go along with 4 rebounds and 2 assists in a game-high 38 minutes played
• DeAndre Vortes with 9 points, 3 rebounds and 1 assist
• Nicolas Ortiz with 8 points, 3 rebounds, a game-high 8 assists, and 1 steal

Inside The Box Score

• Terrance Moncrief led the Cardinals in scoring with 20 points, 7 rebounds, and 4 assists
• North Central had a 9-1 advantage in second-chance points
• Illinois Tech had a 22-19 advantage in bench points
• North Central shot 52.9% from the field; Illinois Tech shot 41.1%

Up Next
The Scarlet Hawks will resume conference play this coming Wednesday, December 4th when Marian University (Wisconsin) comes to the Keating Center for a 7:00 PM Northern Athletics Collegiate Conference (NACC) matchup.