NAPERVILLE, Ill. - On Wednesday night, the Carthage College men's basketball team secured their second victory against North Central (Ill.) of the regular season, adding a 73-67 win over the Cardinals.

• Final score: Carthage 73 - North Central (Ill.) 67
• Location: Naperville, Illinois - Gregory Arena
• Records: Carthage 13-5 (7-2 CCIW), North Central (Ill.) 7-12 (5-5 CCIW)

• Carthage started the game with a 14-8 lead, courtesy of a layup by Fillip Bulatovic. 
• The Firebirds extended their advantage to 10 points, as Antuan Nesbitt contributed with a layup and a successful free throw. 
• Despite North Central (Ill.) staging a rally and tying the score at 29 with a three-pointer, responded as Ryan Johnson managed to secure a lone free throw, reinstating a six-point lead with 22 seconds remaining in the first half. 
• Heading into halftime, Carthage maintained a 37-34 lead.
• The second half commenced with Johnson's layup, propelling the Firebirds to a 45-37 score. 
• In response to the Cardinals narrowing the gap to a two-point difference, Carthage executed a decisive 10-2 run. This surge, featuring Nesbitt's layup and free throw, reestablished the lead at 59-49. 
• A jumper with under two minutes left for North Central (Ill.) brought the score to 67-65.
• Colton Sigel's successful free throws expanded Carthage's lead to 71-65, and Griffin Daun's final pair of free throws secured a 73-67 victory for the Firebirds.

• Fillip Bulatovic delivered a strong performance, achieving a double-double with 20 points and 10 rebounds. 
• Bulatovic has maintained an impressive double-double average in points and rebounds for the Firebirds throughout the last four games.
• Antuan Nesbitt made a significant contribution, scoring 19 points and leading the team in assists with five during the game.
• Ryan Johnson showcased his skills on the court, recording 15 points and eight rebounds. Notably, Johnson reached 10 or more points in six of Carthage's last seven games.
• Before that day's game, Nesbitt holds the top position in the conference, leading in assists per game at 5.2 and minutes at 37.7. Additionally, he is ranked fourth in scoring with an average of 15.2 points.
• Bulatovic leads the conference in rebounds with 9.4 per game, moving his career rebound total to 765, eighth in the Carthage record book.

"Big road win to start the second half of conference play. I thought defensively we did a really nice job of controlling them off the bounce and limiting their offensive rebounds. Last Saturday against Wheaton, they were plus 26 on the boards, and today, we outrebounded them by seven. AJ Williams was excellent on the defensive end and took the challenge of guarding their leading scorer, Ethan Helwig.

Offensively, we did a nice job of spacing the floor and sharing the basketball. We finished with 15 assists to only nine turnovers and shot 50% from the floor! They are always physical on the defensive end and in the right spots, so credit to our guys for making the correct play. I thought Fillip Bulatovic and Antuan Nesbitt played their best offensive games of the season. Both were unselfish and did a nice job of moving the basketball. Ryan Johnson continued to get better and had another solid all-around night. 

Saturday is going to be a challenge. Elmhurst is the most experienced team in the conference and is having a heck of a season. We must prepare these next two days and be ready to protect home court. It should be a fun atmosphere at Tarble for our Alumni Day!"

• Carthage returns home facing Elmhurst on Saturday, January 27, at 4:15 p.m.