NAPERVILLE, Ill. – Stephen Pelkofer (Hales Corner, WI/Whitnall) had 19 points but North Central (Ill.) got double-doubles from Alex Sorenson and Erwin Henry to defeat the ninth-ranked UW-Stevens Point men's basketball team 63-49 on Wednesday evening at Gregory Arena.
 
Box Score
 
Sorenson recorded 20 points and 12 rebounds, while Henry had 18 points and 10 boards for North Central (3-3), which held UW-Stevens Point (3-3) to 27.6 percent shooting on the night.
 
After a Sean McGann (Baraboo, WI/Baraboo) jumper on UW-Stevens Point's first possession, the Cardinals held the Pointers scoreless for over seven minutes as part of a 12-0 run that gave the hosts a 10-point lead. After North Central took a 4-2 lead at the 16:37 mark of the first half, the hosts led the rest of the way.
 
The Pointers got within two at 13-11 with 6:03 left in the first half only for the Cardinals to score the next seven points to go up by nine. North Central took a 26-18 lead into the halftime break after a low-scoring first half.
 
North Central's lead remained at eight points with 14:16 left in the second half but the Cardinals then went on an extended 14-5 run in a little over six minutes to stretch their lead to 49-32. Five quick points from Pelkofer brought the Pointers within 53-42 with 4:54 to go but the Cardinals used an 8-0 run to pull away down the stretch.
 
Pelkofer shot 7-for-15 from the field and was 4-for-5 from the free-throw line in the game. The senior scored 14 of his team-high 19 points in the second half and his 19 points were one shy of his career-high 20.
 
Sorenson was 7-for-9 from the field and 5-for-13 at the charity stripe for North Central, while Erwin was 5-for-9 from the floor and knocked down all eight of his free throws. The Cardinals went to the free-throw line 37 times in the game and made 24.
 
North Central shot 45.0 percent from the field in the game and held a 41-31 advantage on the glass. The teams combined to shoot 7-for-38 from behind the arc in the game.
 
UW-Stevens Point looks to snap a two-game skid by hosting Lawrence on Youth/Honor America Day at Bennett Court at Quandt Fieldhouse on Saturday, Dec. 12 at 3 p.m.