The Sentinels Fall to #1 Cedarville in the First Round
NCC Men's Basketball advanced to Nationals in Winona Lake, Indiana and faced off with the #1 seed Cedarville University on March 13.
The Sentinels continued their historic run by making their first appearance in the NCCAA D1 National tournament. In the first ever meeting between the two schools, NCC looked to add their first National win to their record, while Cedarville looked to remain undefeated in first round games at 8-0. The Sentinels got off to a rough start but were able to cut the lead to 5 during the first half (20-25). At the half, Cedarville held a 13-point lead over NCC (28-41).
In the second half, NCC struggled to connect shooting 29% from the field and 24% from three, while Cedarville continued their shooting streak with 48% from the field and 33% from three. NCC remained perfect from the free throw line at 7-7. In the end, Cedarville came out on top handing NCC the 22-point loss (58-80).
Drue Aguilera led the Sentinels with 14 points. Followed by
TJ Rivera with 13 points.
Devin Jones netted 9 points along with 5 assists and 4 steals.
Matt Lillquist added a game high 9 rebounds.
For Cedarville, Branden Maughmer scored 20 points.
Next, the Sentinels will take on #5 Grace College on Thursday, March 14 at 10:45a.m.
