After a pair of losses at home, the North Central College men's basketball team got itself back on track Wednesday at Carthage College,  matching its highest single-game scoring total of the season and taking down the Red Men, 87-82, at Tarble Arena.

The 17th-ranked Cardinals (14-3, 4-2 College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin) shot 64.2 percent from the floor (34 of 53), sealing the victory by scorching the nets at a 75 percent clip (18 of 24) in the second half. North Central had four players score in double figures and got 31 points from its bench, its highest such total in more than a month.

The Cardinals did not trail throughout the evening, scoring the game's first five points and pulling ahead to an 11-4 lead after four minutes of play. Carthage (7-9, 3-3 CCIW) tied the score at 14-14 with 12:45 left in the first half, but North Central got three-pointers from Evan Fendley and Jayme Moten to pull back in front, 20-14, and prompt a Red Men timeout with 11:42 on the clock. The Cardinals took their largest lead at 29-17 following Kevin Honn's layup off a pass from Charles Rosenberg and took a 41-33 advantage into halftime.

The Red Men closed the gap to four points on three occasions in the second half, the last of which came at 55-51 with 13:34 to play. Rosenberg sparked a 10-3 run with an inside basket and assist to Honn, extending North Central's lead to 65-54 with 9:49 on the clock. The Cardinals were not threatened until 49.0 seconds to play, when Carthage's Ellis Matthews knocked down a three-pointer to close the gap to 81-76. North Central sealed the victory with four free throws from Honn and a dunk from Rosenberg in the final 35 seconds. 

The Cardinals' field-goal percentage was their highest of the season and their point total matched the season-best 87 points they scored in a win over Penn State-York on Dec. 13. Moten was a perfect 7 for 7 from the floor, including a 5 for 5 showing from three-point range, to lead North Central with 20 points, while Rosenberg finished with 19. Honn and Jack Burchett each turned in double-doubles, as Burchett totaled 16 points and 11 rebounds and Honn finished with 16 points and 10 boards. Burchett also led the Cardinals with five assists.

Carthage's Donte Logan turned in game highs of 28 points and 10 assists. Matthews finished with 14 points and Cameron Van Wyk added 13. 

North Central travels to face North Park University (9-8, 0-6) on Saturday at 7 p.m.