After being recognized for his contributions to the North Central College men's basketball program, Alex Sorenson came up with the ultimate means of capping off his Senior Night at Gregory Arena Saturday, connecting on the game-winning shot as the Cardinals outlasted North Park University, 61-60.

In the final minute, with the hosts trailing, 60-58, Sorenson took a pass from Connor Raridon and fired a three-pointer from just left of the top of the key which ripped the net with 25.1 seconds on the clock. The Cardinals then successfully defended a final North Park possession which featured three shots on the basket to secure their fourth straight win and improve to 16-5 on the season and 9-3 in College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW) play.

Intent on ending an eight-game losing streak, North Park (4-16, 1-11 CCIW) dominated play during much of the first half. A three-pointer by Vergard Tangen ignited a seven-minute stretch which saw the Vikings connect on 9 of 11 shots from the floor, including a 4 for 5 effort from three-point range, and left the visitors with a commanding 24-8 advantage with 10:02 left in the first half.

Trailing by a 30-20 count with 4:35 on the clock, North Central got back into contention by scoring the final nine points of the period, narrowing the gap to 30-29 when Aiden Chang fed Blaise Meredith for a layup just before the buzzer sounded. 

The Cardinals briefly took the lead midway through the second half before a 9-0 North Park run put the Vikings up, 58-51, with 3:55 to play. Tommy Koth halted the surge by sinking a three-pointer, and two Sorenson free throws and a Raridon jumper followed to knot the score at 58-58 with 1:32 left. The Vikings' Billy Kirby scored a go-ahead bucket with 37 seconds left, setting the stage for Sorenson's heroics.

Sorenson's 21 points led all scorers, while Raridon finished with 12 points, 10 rebounds and five assists. Pollack added 12 points on 4 of 5 three-point shooting and Koth contributed 11 points in 15 minutes off the bench, a season high and one point short of his career high. 

Colin Lake paced the Vikings with 14 points, while Kirby and Dyron Woods each scored 10.

The Cardinals host ninth-ranked Augustana College (16-5, 8-4) on Wednesday. The Vikings dropped a 77-69 decision at Carroll University on Saturday. Tipoff is scheduled for 7:00 p.m.