BOXSCORE

Naperville, Ill. – The Thunder men's basketball team lost a 73-72 decision at CCIW foe North Central on Saturday night. Wheaton, ranked 13th in the most recent D3Hoops.com Top-25 poll, falls to 11-2 overall and 1-1 in CCIW action. North Central improves to 7-6 overall and 1-1 in league play.

North Central led the Thunder 33-26 at halftime. The Cardinals led Wheaton 71-61 with 3:47 left in regulation when the guests utilized an 8-0 scoring run to cut the hosts' lead to 71-69 with 1:28 left in regulation. North Central's Matt Rogers sank two free throws with seven-seconds left in regulation to extend the hosts' lead to 73-69. Wheaton guard Ben Panner sank a three-pointer with 1.3-seconds left in regulation to cut the Cardinals' lead to 73-72, however, the Cardinals were able to in-bounds the ball and eluded Wheaton's foul attempts as time expired to earn the win.

All-American Kent Raymond led the Thunder with 37 points, as he sank four three-pointers, with five assists. Center Andy Wiele tallied his eighth “double-double” of the season with 14 points and 11 rebounds, including five offensive boards and he added three steals. Panner scored 14 points, with four three-point field goals.

Matt Rogers scored 30 points, on 12-for-17 shooting from the field. Chris Drennan added 23 points for the hosts.

Wheaton posted a 41.7% (25-60) field goal percentage, with 38.1% (8-21) from three-point range and 77.8% (14-18) at the charity stripe. North Central shot 60.4% (29-48) from the field, as the Cardinals did a strong job inside, out-scoring Wheaton in the paint 38-10. The hosts shot 16.7% (1-6) from three-point range and 82.4% (14-17) at the free throw line. Wheaton held a 26-25 advantage in rebounding, with a 12-6 edge on the offensive glass.