Photo courtesy of Dr. Jeff Nelson; North Park University

NAPERVILLE, IL - The North Park University men's basketball team took on the CCIW's second-place North Central Cardinals on Saturday night.

Setting the pace of play early in the first half, the Vikings exploded for a 21-7 lead. Three-pointers from Jason Hines, Vergard Tangen, and Antonio Gardner spearheaded the attack.

Colin Lake added another shot beyond the arc to give North Park their biggest lead of the game at 24-8.

Chipping away at the NPU lead, the Cardinals knocked down a handful of three-pointers to keep themselves in the game.

Weathering the storm, Dyron Woods capitalized on a pair of short shots to keep North Park's lead at double digits.

Unfortunately, the Cardinals went on a 9-0 run to cut the deficit to just one point.

At halftime, North Park 30, North Central 29

Briefly losing the lead, Colin Lake quickly responded with a short jumper, followed by a three-pointer to regain the lead 35-31.

Adding to the momentum, Jack Gurvey's three-pointer gave North Park their largest second-half lead at 6 points.

The Cardinals were able to chip away at the NPU lead late in the second half, tying the game at 58 with 2 minutes left in the game.

Billy Kirby gave the Vikings a 60-58 lead on a layup.

Unfortunately, the Cardinals' Alex Sorenson responded with a three to capture a 61-60 lead.

With 30 seconds on the clock, North Park could not sink their final shots and fell 61-60.

Top Performances

Dyron Woods had a season-high 10 points in the game. He was 5-8 from the field and pulled down 3 rebounds.

Colin Lake led the team with 14 points. He had a pair of threes and added 4 assists.

What's Next?

The Vikings will host East-West University next Tuesday night. The nonconference game will start at 7:00 PM.