The Carthage College men's basketball team (11-7, 4-3 College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin) defeated CCIW-opponent North Park University (8-10, 2-5 CCIW), 69-50, on Wednesday, Jan. 26 at Tarble Arena in Kenosha, Wis. The win put the Red Men in a three-way tie for third place in the CCIW with Illinois Wesleyan University and Wheaton College (Ill.)
Carthage led the entire first half, albeit not by much until late in the period. The Red Men enjoyed no more than a five-point lead until going ahead by seven, 24-17, at 3:18. Carthage pulled away to an 11-point margin at the break, 30-19. The Red Men bumped their lead to 19 points midway through the second half, 50-31, at 10:49. The Vikings got no closer than 12 points, 53-41, at 7:28, as Carthage went on to win by 19, 69-50.
Carthage shot 51 percent (26-51), including seven-of-21 from three-point range, while North Park shot just 39 percent (20-51), including zero-of-eight from three-point range. The Red Men enjoyed a solid, 37-29 rebounding edge. Three Carthage players scored in double figures. Max Cary (Jr., Geneva, Ill.) returned to action after missing four games with a strained shoulder. While he didn't start, Cary came off the bench to score a game-high 19 points on eight-of-11 field goals, including two-of-four three-pointers and added four rebounds.
Steve Djurickovic (Sr., Pleasant Prairie, Wis./Kenosha-Bradford) had 15 points on six-of-13 field goals, along with four rebounds and eight assists. Tyler Pierce (So., Westmont, Ill.) added 10 points and five rebounds, and Mitch Thompson (So., Orland Park, Ill./Sandburg) had nine points and a game-high nine rebounds. Raul Guzman (So., Lyons, Ill./Berwyn-Morton West) missed the game with back spasms. Emmanuel Crosby and Davone Robinson had 14 points each for North Park.
"This was a good effort," said Carthage coach Bosko Djurickovic, "and we continue to defend very well. This is a tough stretch of games for us. We needed to play a solid game, and we did. I have no complaints about our defensive effort in the conference this year. Tonight, we were exceptional. We played well, end to end, and didn't let North Park into the game. Max Cary is a unique basketball player, and he gave us a big lift tonight. He was outstanding. We missed him—he's an energy-bunny guy. Nick Bauch continues to improve, and he has a chance to be a special player in this program. He's taken advantage of his opportunities, and he's started to earn to right to play every night. His size also requires a defensive presence. Mitch Thompson might have been the star of the game, though. He shut out the people he was charged with guarding. Saturday's Illinois Wesleyan game will be interesting. There could be a little desperation on their side, and it's certainly a very important game for us. It should be very competitive game between two traditional rivals."
On Saturday, Jan. 29 the Red Men travel to Bloomington, Ill., to take on conference-opponent and No. 20 Illinois Wesleyan University (13-5, 4-3 CCIW) in a 7:30 p.m. contest at the Shirk Center.