The Millikin men's basketball team earned a hard-fought 64–55 road victory over North Central College on Wednesday night at Gregory Arena in Naperville, Ill. With the win, the Big Blue improve to 13–6 overall and even their CCIW record at 5–5.
North Central carried a 29–28 lead into halftime before Millikin responded with a strong second half, outscoring them 36–26 after the break. Millikin held the Cardinals to 33.3 percent shooting for the game and limited second-chance opportunities down the stretch to secure the road win.
Nate Straughter marked a historic moment as he surpassed 1,000 career points and became the 36th player in Millikin men's basketball history to reach the milestone. Chris Ketchum led the way with 16 points. Lane Thomann added a strong all-around effort with eight points, 17 rebounds, while Kobe Anderson contributed 14 points and four assists off the bench. The Big Blue won the rebounding battle 44–34 and outscored North Central 36–12 in the paint.
With momentum building, Millikin will return to action on Saturday, January 31, when they host Elmhurst in another CCIW matchup at the Griswold Center.
