Box Score
Westville, Ind. – After a slow start Wednesday night, the Cardinal Stritch University Wolves men’s basketball team righted the ship to claim an important road win over Purdue University-North Central by a score of 91-85.
Things were certainly interesting for the Wolves in the first seven minutes of the game as the Panthers would hold the lead. Using a balanced attach, PUNC would get baskets by six different players to lead Stritch 13-12 with just over 13 minutes to play in the first half.
Despite the early lead by the Panthers, the Wolves would come to life with the help of Brandon D’Amico (Geneva, Ill.). The Stritch junior would drain three three-pointers to lead the team on a 12-4 run over the course of the next two and a half minutes of play, giving the Wolves a 24-17 lead.
Stritch would extend that lead to as much as 16 points at 43-27 with under a minute to play until baskets by the Panthers would send the Wolves into the break up 10 points at 43-33.
As has been the case in the last couple of games for Stritch, one of the Wolves manages to shine offensively to score 15 or more points in the first half alone. This time, it was D’Amico who would close the opening period of play leading all scorers with 15 points. Kody Braddix (Glendale, Ariz.), coming off a career high 28-point performance, added 10 in the half.
Meanwhile, the Panthers were led in scoring by Ryan Sisson (Grand Rapids, Mich.) would lead the host with nine points.
The Wolves stayed on the attack in the second half and led by as much as 21 points at 66-45, after a Nick Ford (Fond du Lac, Wis.) jumper extended the lead. It would be enough to break the spirits of the Panthers as Purdue North Central couldn’t cut the Wolves lead to single digits until the final minute of play. Even then, the closest they would come would be at five points with 11 seconds remaining.
Despite the late run, it wouldn’t be enough to derail the Wolves as Stritch registered their tenth straight win of the season. For the game the Wolves would manage to shoot 52 percent from the field while D’Amico would lead all scorers with 28 points.
Stritch would also get 20 or more points from Braddix as he would score 21 and Trey Triplett would register his fourth double double of the season with 22 points and 10 rebounds.
Sisson would lead the host Panthers with 27 points and nine rebounds.
The Wolves improve their overall record to 18-4 and improve to 6-0 in the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference (CCAC). The Panthers, meanwhile, fall to 6-16 overall and to 1-5 in the CCAC.
Stritch will take to the court again on Saturday, Jan. 30 as they’ll head to Palos Heights, Ill. to face the Trinity Christian College Trolls. The Wolves and Trolls will tip-off Saturday’s conference battle at 3 p.m.