KALAMAZOO, Mich. – Ty Horky scored 27 points for Kalamazoo College but it wasn't enough to overcome the visiting North Central Cardinals in an 84-73 defeat at Anderson Athletic Center Tuesday night.
An Addison Atwater three-pointer tied the score at 13 with 14:03 remaining in the first half, but that was as close as Kalamazoo (3-8) would come to taking a lead. Facing a ten-point deficit with less than a minute remaining in the half, Horky made two buckets to cut the lead to 41-35 heading into the halftime break.
A DJ Courtney layup cut the lead to 55-54 with 11:26 remaining in the game. North Central then went on a 16-7 run over the next 5:12 to boost the lead back up to ten, 71-61, and the Hornets were unable to cut the deficit to less than six points the rest of the way.
Horky added a pair of assists to his team-high 27 points. He made eight of his 17 shots (3-8 from three) and all eight of his free throw attempts. Teammate Lukas Broadsword chipped in 15 points and a team-high nine rebounds and Gabriel Sharp was the third Hornet in double-figure scoring, notching 10. Atwater paced K with four assists.
North Central seized the advantage on the glass, securing 37 rebounds to K's 27, and also dished 14 assists to Kalamazoo's 11. The Cardinals shot at a 48% clip from the field (27-56) and 7-of-22 from behind the three-point arc (32%).
Kalamazoo made 22-of-55 overall attempts (40%) and 8-of-30 (27%) from distance. Both squads excelled from the free-throw line, with the visitors making 23-of-27 (85%) and the Hornets sinking 21-of-24 (88%).
Next for the Hornets is a road trip to Alma for the MIAA opener. The game is scheduled for a 7:30 tip on Wed. Jan. 5.