Entering Saturday's game on its third four-game winning streak of the season, the North Central College men's basketball team had to fight to the end for its first five-game run of victories, staying a step ahead most of the second half and claiming a 71-67 victory over Wheaton College at Gregory Arena.

The 17th-ranked Cardinals (15-5, 8-1 College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin) completed a season sweep of the Thunder and will host No. 2-ranked Augustana College on Wednesday with sole possession of first place in the CCIW standings on the line.

After giving up the game's first basket, North Central scored 10 of the next 11 points and soon thereafer took a 19-9 lead following Aiden Chang's three-pointer with 11:33 on the first-half clock. The Thunder (5-15, 1-8 CCIW) cut into the lead with three-pointers by MIchael Winowiecki and Jonathan Berntsen, then later took the lead at 25-24 on Ricky Samuelson's triple with 5:59 left before halftime.

The lead changed hands on each of the next four possessions before Alex Sorenson's jumper tied the score at 30-30 with 3:59 on the clock. Winowiecki scored four straight points to nudge the Thunder ahead, which Kevin Honn answered with a three-pointer. Wheaton's Murad Dillard sank a jumper with 1:34 to play, but Sorenson sank another triple to send the game into halftime tied, 36-36.

The score was tied twice in the first three minutes of the second half. Dillard gave Wheaton what turned out to be its final lead at 42-40 with 16:55 on the clock, which the Cardinals answered with 10 straight points. Jayme Moten and Erwin Henry each sank three-pointers, and Sorenson and Jagger Andersonfollowed with buckets in the lane to give North Central a 50-42 edge with 12:43 to play.

The Thunder's Michael Berg closed the gap to 55-53 by knocking down a jumper with 7:58 on the clock, though Sorenson countered with two free throws and a jumper. Wheaton closed the gap to three points on a pair of occasions and cut the lead to 69-67 with just under three seconds left, but Moten sealed the win with two free throws with 0.6 seconds to play.

Sorenson finished with 19 points, 11 rebounds and four blocked shots, continuing a remarkable run of play at Gregory Arena. He is now averaging 21.2 points, 10.2 rebounds and 3.6 blocks in five CCIW home games while shooting 72.6 percent from the floor (45 of 62). Sorenson also now has 45 blocked shots this season, tying the North Central single-season record set by Louis Davis during the 2000-2001 season. 

Anderson added 14 points, eight rebounds and five assists for the Cardinals, while Kevin Honn scored 12 points off the bench and Moten totaled 11. 

Winowiecki and Jonathan Berntsen each scored 16 points to lead Wheaton, while Ricky Samuelson put up 11 and Berg finished with 10.

The Cardinals host Augustana on Wednesday. The Vikings are 19-1 overall and 8-1 in the CCIW following Saturday's 95-92 overtime victory over North Park University. Tipoff at Gregory Arena is scheduled for 7:00 p.m.