Chicago, IL - The Scarlet Hawks notched their first victory of the season and snapped a 37 game losing streak with a victory over Northland International. The victory came in spectacular fashion with a game winning shot by Samuel Rarick with 1.0 second left to secure a 60-59 win.
The Scarlet Hawks were in control all game leading by 8 at the half and by as many as 12 in the second half. Defense was the key in the first half as the Hawks forced 7 turnovers and outrebounded Northland 18-12. Anders Bybjerg had a good all around first half with 8 points, 3 rebounds, and 2 assists. Colt Scroggins also chipped in with 7 first half points.
The second half was very sloppy one, with both teams combining for 18 turnovers and the Hawks accounting for 12 of them. Sophomore forward Samuel Rarick took over down the stretch with 18 second half points . Rarick scored in a variety of ways including jump hooks, mid range jump shots, fadeaways and drives. With the Scarlet Hawks leading by 1 point with :17 seconds remaining, Northland scored on a driving layup to take the lead with :07 seconds on the clock. On the ensuing possession, Rarick received the ball with 4 seconds remaining , took two dribbles and shot a fadeaway bank shot over two defenders. Rarick finished with 26 points and 12 rebounds. He currently leads the United States Collegiate Athletic Association (USCAA) in scoring at 24.4 points per game. Scroggins had a career high 11 points and 5 rebounds.
Coach Todd Kelly was really proud of how the team held on despite turnovers down the stretch. "Even though we were not able to execute like I wanted to late in the game, the guys played hard until the end and were able to come away with a victory. Sam hit an amazing shot and he was unstoppable in the second half," said coach Kelly.
The Hawks will look to follow up this strong performance when host Purdue-North Central on Monday night at 7pm in Keating Sports Center.