Despite digging itself a hole in the early going, the North Central College men's basketball team was able to pick up a victory in the final leg of a four-game homestand at Gregory Arena on Wednesday, eventually pulling away for an 83-73 win over Aurora University.

The Cardinals (7-1) surrendered the first 11 points of the contest and were shut out for the first four minutes of play, but rallied to take the lead by halftime and moved in front by as many as 17 points after halftime. The hosts collected 19 offensive rebounds which led to 28 second-chance points and displayed superior marksmanship at the free-throw stripe, making 24 of 26 charity shots to post the third-highest single-game free-throw percentage in school history (92.3).

Aurora took advantage as the Cardinals missed their first eight shots from the floor, owning an 11-0 advantage before Will Clausel broke the ice with a layup and a three-pointer on consecutive possessions. Trailing, 23-14, midway through the first half, North Central made its first sustained scoring run of the contest as it scored nine unanswered points in just under three minutes and tied the contest at 23-23 following two free throws by Blaise Meredith with 6:17 on the clock.

The Spartans (2-4) briefly pulled back in front on a three-pointer from Tyler Carson, but Tommy Koth responded with a triple of his own to tie the score once again before the Cardinals took their first lead at 29-26 on a three-pointer by Meredith. North Central extended its lead to seven points before the Spartans' Matt Dunn scored just ahead of the buzzer to leave the score at 38-33 in the Cardinals' favor at halftime.

North Central continued to build its lead once play resumed, as Meredith came up with a steal and fast-break dunk to give the Cardinals their first double-digit lead at 46-35 with 17:22 to play. Aurora narrowed the gap to 55-48 before the hosts slammed the door with an 11-1 surge, capped by a three-pointer by Meredith, to achieve the largest lead of the evening at 66-49. 

Connor Raridon was the game's highest scorer, finishing with 23 points, nine rebounds and a team-high four assists, and now is just eight points shy of becoming North Central's 27th 1,000-point scorer. Meredith put up 20 points, five rebounds and three steals, while Matt Cappelletti totaled 11 points and 13 rebounds to secure his third double-double of the season.

Jarek Hotwagner and Bailey Vance shared team-high scoring honors for the Spartans with 15 points apiece.

The Cardinals travel to face Wheaton College in College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW) play on Saturday. Tipoff at King Arena is scheduled for 7:00 p.m.