RIVER FOREST, Ill. -- The North Park University men's basketball team stepped away from College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW) action on Wednesday evening, taking down the Dominican University Stars 72-58.

The Vikings wasted no time, opening up the game with a 10-3 lead thanks to a pair of layups from Izaiah Sanders, 3-pointer from Kindrel Morris, and a successful and-one from Toby Marek.

Dominican's defense would step up to, forcing a pair of missed shots, and knocking down a series of their own to capture a 12-11 lead.

However, the Vikings found their groove once more to take control of the game. A pair of free throws from Sanders, a jumper from Marek, and a jumper from Matt Szuba switched the momentum once more, as the Vikings retained an 18-12 lead.

After a good jumper for Dominican, freshman guard Jake Ellis buried a 3-pointer and Marek marked consecutive layups to extend the Viking lead to 25-14.

North Park maintained their distance through the remaining minutes of the first half, leading 39-29 at halftime. Marek led the Vikings offense with 11 points while four Vikings (Marek, Szuba, and Morris) pulled down 4 rebounds each.

In the second half of play, the Stars would slowly chip away at the North Park lead, getting to within a single-shot game at 47-46 in favor of the Vikings.

Thankfully, a big second-half performance by sophomore forward Matt Szuba kept the Stars at bay. Szuba marked three 3-pointers, pulled down 8 rebounds, and swatted 4 Dominican University shots to lead the Vikings to a 72-58 victory.

Quick Hits:

• Matt Szuba marked a double-double with 12 rebounds and 11 points, adding 4 blocked shots in the second half
• Toby Marek led all scorers with 15 total points
• Izaiah Sanders shot 5-6 from the field, totaling 14 points
• Kindrel Morris marked 5 assists

What's Next?

The Vikings (4-8, 2-2 CCIW) enjoy a long stretch away from competition, returning to action at home on December 29 against the Saint Mary's University Cardinals at 4:00 p.m. CST.