Wheaton, Ill. -- Sandwiched in the middle of a stretch of four road games, the Thunder men's basketball team stepped back into King Arena on Saturday afternoon to take on local rivals North Central College in a CCIW matchup. Wheaton edged the Cardinals by a single point in their first meeting of the season in Naperville four weeks ago, and today's contest proved to be just as competitive, as North Central claimed a hard-fought 81-74 victory in overtime. Following the team's first overtime game of the season, the Thunder's record dropped to 12-9 on the year and an even 6-6 in conference play, while the visitors managed to keep their slim CCIW Tournament hopes alive by earning their seventh win overall and third in league action. 

Both teams made 27 shots in Saturday's extended contest, but the Cardinals posted a 43.5% field goal mark for the game and held the Thunder to a 36.5% tally. Neither squad had a strong outing behind the three-point line this afternoon, as Wheaton had to settle for a 6-33 mark while North Central went 1-8 from deep in the first half and finished on a 5-14 count. The free throw line played a big role in determining today's final outcome, as the visitors enjoyed an excellent 22-26 performance at the stripe while the home side earned just 14 points from foul shots on 20 attempts.

North Central carved out a slender 43-40 edge in rebounding, despite Wheaton's 13-8 disparity in offensive boards, while the Thunder won the turnover battle, 10-8, and grabbed six steals to NCC's two. The guests chalked up ten points off of turnovers to Wheaton's five, while the Orange and Blue claimed small advantages in second chance scoring, fast break points, and bench production.

Soren Richardson netted a joint game-high 22 points to lead the Thunder and added four rebounds and two blocks while making all four of his free throws. Kyan VanderWoude was Wheaton's next highest scorer, tallying 12 points and a joint team-high seven boards in 34 minutes off the bench. Carson Grier contributed 11 points and led all players with three steals while joining VanderWoude on seven rebounds and earning three assists. Devin Martin went for ten points, including a perfect 5-5 mark at the foul line, three dimes, and three rebounds.

Noah Hedrick got the ball rolling with a three-pointer on the first shot attempt of the game, and the visitors responded with a three-ball of their own, but the remainder of the first half would feature just two more triples in total. The Cardinals' leading scorer on the season answered consecutive baskets in the paint for Wheaton with a jumper, but another three-pointer and two foul shots for the hosts extended their lead to seven points at 14-7 five minutes in. This would prove to be the largest lead that either side would hold in Saturday's battle.

The final trifecta of the first half arrived at the 12:43 mark, restoring Wheaton's seven-point edge. But the Cardinals proceeded to hold their hosts scoreless for the next six minutes of game time and mounted an 8-0 run over that stretch to move ahead on the scoreboard. The two teams exchanged slim leads in the closing minutes of the first frame, before a layup in the lane by Grier made it 27-24 in the Thunder's favor. North Central had three looks on its final possession of the half, but each of them missed the target and Wheaton maintained its narrow edge heading into the locker room.

The Cardinals improved from a 30% shooting performance in the first half to a 50% showing in the second, scoring 39 points, including 12 from the free throw line, to do just enough to force the overtime period. The largest advantage held by either team in the second period was five points, as similar shooting totals across the board and rebounding prowess produced a tight-knit affair. A tough layup under the basket for NCC tied the score at 56 apiece with three minutes remaining, but Martin came up with a clutch three-pointer 30 seconds later to move Wheaton in front. Two free throws from Richardson extended the hosts' lead to five with 1:41 left to play, and the junior answered the ensuing North Central triple with an impressive layup to give the Thunder a 63-59 tilt with 1:15 left on the clock.

But the Cardinals earned another trip to the charity stripe and knocked down both shots before forcing a turnover with just over 20 seconds left to earn a chance to tie or take the lead. With 14 seconds on the board, the North Central point guard drove into the lane, found a gap, and laid the ball home to tie the game at 63-63. Wheaton then put the ball in the hands of Richardson to see if he could replicate his game-winning magic from last month's contest in Naperville, but his jump shot effort fell off the rim and the final horn sounded on regulation with the two teams on level pegging.

Despite a tough shooting day up to that point, both squads put up their best numbers in the extra frame, as North Central made six of its eight shots as well as all five free throw attempts, and Wheaton went 4-8 from the field with two foul shots. The visitors connected on a jumper nine seconds into overtime and would keep their lead all the way to the end, as well-executed defensive schemes and accurate shooting prevented the hosts from being able to turn the scoreline around. Trailing 77-71 after two more free throws with 40 seconds to play, Reid Olson drilled a mid-court logo three to give Wheaton some hope. But the Cardinals successfully in-bounded the ball, sank both ensuing foul shots, and forced a turnover on the Thunder's next run down the floor to seal an impressive road upset.

After today's intense return to its home court, Wheaton will head back out on the road for two games next week, starting with a key third- vs. fourth-place matchup in Elmhurst on Wednesday night. The Thunder will face the hosting Bluejays in another Chicagoland rivalry game that is scheduled to start at 7 PM.