(Huntingdon, Pa.) – The #10-ranked Dickinson men's basketball team came out on top of a top-20 match-up, pulling away from #16-North Central College of Illinois, 80-73, on Friday night. The Red Devils advance to the championship game of the Doc Green Invitational, and will face host Juniata College, on Saturday at 4:00 pm.
The game was extremely tight throughout the entire first half with the largest lead growing to just four points in the early minutes. The game saw seven ties in an offensive opening stanza as the teams went into the break, knotted 35-35.
Senior Steve Collins put the Devils on the board first and led the way in the first half with a game-high 10 points. He was perfect from the field, hitting all four shots, including a pair of three-pointers.
Collins knocked-down a three-pointer late in the half to give the Devils a 34-31 lead, with just under two minutes to play.
Ted Hinnenkamp hit 3-of-4 shots for seven points while handing out a pair of assists. Senior Gerry Wixted went 4-for-5 from the charity stripe, scoring six points to go with three assists in the first half.
The second half started as a continuation of the first before the Red Devils made a bit of a surge at the midway point. The teams traded baskets, playing to the game's 12th tie, 46-46, at the 12:33 mark.
Dickinson put together a 9-1 run to take the biggest lead of the night, holding a 55-47 advantage at the 8:50 mark.
North Central sandwiched a pair of three-pointers around a lay-up from first-year Robert Picka to cut the margin to four. Classmate Jon Stenger answered with a three-pointer and Picka scored off a steal by senior Pete Yingst to stretch the lead to nine.
Collins gave the Devils a double-digit advantage, hitting a pair of free throws with 6:24 remaining in the game. Yingst later made a 12-point lead, draining a three from the top of the arc with 5:42 left to play.
North Central cut the deficit to six, twice in the final 3:20. Erwin Henry hit a three in the final seconds to make the final, 80-73.
Five Red Devils reached double-figures on the night. Hinnenkamp led the way with 16 points and six rebounds, hitting 6-of-8 shots from the field and 4-of-5 free throws. Collins finished with 12 points, as did junior Brandon Angradi.
Wixted tallied 11 points and three rebounds while handing out five assists. He finished 7-of-9 from the line. Yingst reached double-figures with 10 as well.
Charles Rosenberg Led North Central with 19 points and seven rebounds as they suffer their first loss of the season, falling to 6-1 overall.
The Red Devils improve to 7-1 on the season. They will face Juniata College in the Doc Green Tournament Championship on Saturday at 4:00 pm.