North Central Wins First Ever CCIW Men’s Basketball Tournament Title

ROCK ISLAND, Ill. – Led by Anthony Simmons’ 24 points, North Central held off a late rally by Illinois Wesleyan and beat the Titans 51-49 in the championship game of the inaugural College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin Men’s Basketball Tournament, hosted by Augustana College.

With the win, North Central earned the automatic bid to the NCAA Tournament. Augustana won the regular season title with its 11-3 record and is designated as the "conference champion" for 2005-06. The Cardinals, who finished 22-5 (9-5 in the CCIW) earned the second seed in the tournament through the conference’s tiebreaker formula. On Friday, North Central came out on top against the No. 3 seeded Elmhurst Bluejays, 67-57.

Illinois Wesleyan (20-6, 9-5), the No. 4 seed in the tournament, beat the No. 1 seeded Augustana Vikings on Friday, 81-67 to earn the right to play North Central in the championship.

Zach Freeman and Cory Jones were the only Titans in double figures with 17 and 10 points respectively. Jones was Illinois Wesleyan’s leading rebounder with nine. North Central’s Dan Walton chipped in 13 points, while Simmons led the way with eight rebounds to go along with his 24 points.

The NCAA will announce tournament seedings on Monday, Feb. 27, at 8 a.m., while the CCIW will announce the all conference team on Tuesday, Feb. 28.