Box Score

The North Park women's basketball team's bid for an upset against College Conference of Illinois and Wisconsin foe Millikin University came up just a little short Saturday afternoon as the Vikings fell 77-72 in Decatur.

Facing a 72-66 deficit, the Vikings fought back with a 6-3 scoring run capped off by a lay-up from junior Sarah Peterson to close within 75-72 with 40 seconds left, but two free throws from Julia Robert in the final 14 seconds, proved to be the clincher for Millikin, which earned its 15th win of the season.

North Park controlled the tempo in the first half as the Vikings overcame an 11-6 deficit and turned it into as much as a nine-point lead at 32-23 after a pair of free throws from Peterson with 3:07 left. NP led 34-29 at halftime.

The Vikings enjoyed as much as a six-point advantage in the first four minutes in the second half after senior Roxxanne Jones connected for a lay-up, but Millikin fought back with a 16-9 scoring run over a five-minute span to pull ahead 50-49, a lead it never relinquished.

Jones finished with a double-double of 27 points and 10 rebounds, while Peterson nearly had a double-double of her own as she tallied 22 points and nine rebounds. Robert led Millikin with 23 points.

North Park (9-14, 3-9) returns to action Wednesday night when it hosts North Central College for Senior Night at 7:30 p.m.