Box Score

NAPERVILLE, Ill. - The Elmhurst College men's basketball team never recovered from an early 9-0 deficit, falling to North Central College 76-58.

North Central (9-9, 5-2 CCIW) raced out to an early nine-point advantage as the Cardinals hit their first seven shots from the floor. The Cardinals opened up a 19-point first-half advantage and carried a 45-27 lead into the locker room at halftime. 

North Central pushed its lead up to 21 points in the second half, before Elmhurst (7-11, 2-5 CCIW) mounted a rally. The Bluejays used a 16-6 run to pull to within 11 points with 10 minutes remaining, but North Central responded with a 14-3 run over the next six minutes to reestablish a 20-point lead and put the game out of reach.

Elmhurst shot 40.0 percent (24-of-60) from the floor, including 26.3 percent (5-of-19) from downtown. D'Ante Foster led Elmhurst in the loss, scoring a career-high 17 points while shooting 8-of-13 from the floor. Zack Boyd added 10 points and five rebounds while James Robertson chipped in with eight.

North Central shot a whopping 67.5 percent (27-of-40) from the floor, including 50.0 percent (5-of-10) from downtown. The Cardinals dominated inside the paint, outscoring Elmhurst 42-22 in the lane. 

Five players reached double figures to lead the Cardinals. Landon Gamble scored a career-high 25 points while shooting 10-of-14 from the floor. Derek Raridon added 13 points while Kevin Gillespie and CJ Goldthree scored 11 points apiece. Brian Evans added 10 points and six assists for the Cardinals.

Elmhurst hosts Augustana College on Saturday, January 29.