North Central's Mike Wilson (Naperville, Ill./Naperville Central) drained a three-pointer with 11 seconds left in the game that gave the Cardinals a 60-59 lead. The Titan's Jim Capelle missed a three-pointer for the win, and Ray Vicario (Orland Park, Ill./Sandburg) picked up the rebound to seal the victory. Capelle had given UW-Oshkosh a 59-57 lead with 25 seconds left with a three-pointer.
"I was very pleased with our kids," said head coach Todd Raridon. "They (the Titans) hit some tough shots in the second half, and I thought we were there in their face. Wilson stepped up and hit that big three-pointer, and we finally caught a break with that three-pointer they missed at the end. Very proud of the way we handled this ballgame on the road."
North Central led 25-20 at halftime by shooting 11 of 27 from the field and forcing eight turnovers. Dan Walton (Carol Stream, Ill./Glenbard North) led the team at the half with seven points while Adam Teising (Naperville, Ill./Naperville Central) and Simmons each had five. Andy Jahnke's nine led UW-Oshkosh.
Jenke, an NCAA I transfer from Youngstown State University (Ohio), got off to a hot start in the second half, putting up seven quick points in the first two minutes to vault the Titans to a 32-29 lead. The Cardinals battled back and regained the lead at 45-44 with under nine minutes remaining after Jeff Larson (Orland Park, Ill./Sandburg) canned a deep three-pointer.
North Central continues play in the tournament Wednesday, Dec. 29 with an 8:30 p.m. game versus the winner of Clarke College (Iowa)/Purdue University-North Central (Ind.).