Turning back a series of comeback efforts from a stubborn opponent, the North Central College men's basketball team came through when the pressure was highest to earn an eighth straight victory Saturday, scoring the final seven points of the afternoon to defeat Carroll University, 63-55, at Gregory Arena.
 
The Cardinals (12-3, 5-1 College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin) saw their opposition draw close on three occasions in the second half but never allowed the Pioneers to seize the lead, winning their third home game in eight days.
 
In the first half, North Central put together an early 13-2 run across a four-minute stretch to pull in front and led by as many as 11 points before taking a 31-23 advantage into halftime. Carroll (9-6, 2-4 CCIW) held the Cardinals without a field goal for nearly five minutes after play resumed, closing the gap to 32-29 on a pair of free throws by Kyle Maupin.
 
The hosts responded with an inside basket by Connor Raridon and three-pointers by Matt Helwig and Will Clausel to stay a step ahead. A 10-0 Pioneer rally followed soon thereafter, enabling Carroll to tie the score at 42-42 on Charlie Soule's layup with 9:50 remaining. North Central got a pair of free throws and a three-pointer from Blaise Meredith on consecutive possessions to spark a 10-0 run for the home team, as Raridon sank two free throws and found Matt Cappelletti for a three to leave the score at 53-43 in the Cardinals' favor with 6:26 left.
 
The Pioneers gathered themselves for one final push in the final minutes, outscoring North Central, 9-1, to trail by just a 54-52 count with 3:09 on the clock. Clausel knocked down a 15-footer from the left wing, but Maupin answered by coming free on a pick-and-roll to knock down a triple, giving him a game-high 21 points and leaving the guests with just a 56-55 deficit with 2:27 to go.
 
Maupin's three, however, represented Carroll's final score of the day as the Pioneers came up empty on their final four offensive possessions. Meredith was fouled driving to the basket and made both free throws to nudge the lead to 58-55, then, after a series of crisp passes against Carroll's half-court trap, found Michael Pollack in the left corner for a three-pointer with 24 seconds left to put the contest out of reach.
 
Raridon and Cappelletti scored 12 points each to lead the Cardinals, while Clausel scored 10 to hit double figures coming off the bench for the fourth straight game. Cappelletti grabbed a team-high eight rebounds and Raridon also finished with six assists, two steals and two blocked shots. Nick Penny was the only other double-figure scorer for Carroll, netting 14 points.
 
North Central travels to face Millikin University (4-10, 1-4) on Wednesday. Tipoff at the Griswold Center is scheduled for 7:00 p.m.