CHICAGO, Ill. – The North Park University men's basketball team earned its first win of the season with a 75-46 victory over the Moody Bible Archers on Saturday afternoon.
The Archers knocked down consecutive three-pointers early in the first half to hold on to a 10-6 lead, but the Vikings would not trail long.
After three-pointer from junior guard Lawrence Pointer, freshman forward Karl Polk Jr. buried two jumpers and three free throws to put the Vikings up, 17-10. The Archers would come back with eight straight points, but, following a jumper and layup from freshman guard Jacquan Binion, the Vikings kept the lead the rest of the half. Polk Jr. and Binion had impressive halves, with 13 and nine points, respectively. Polk Jr. also grabbed nine rebounds.
Halftime: North Park 36, Moody Bible 21
North Park kept its distance in the second half, with a noticeable uptick in consistent scoring. In the half, the Vikings shot 50% both from the field (13-26) and beyond the arc (7-14). Freshman guards Jalen Wilmington and Nicholas Ramirez both had eight points in the half, while Polk Jr. and Binion added seven each.
FINAL: North Park 75, Moody Bible 46
Quick Hits:
- Polk Jr. led the Vikings in points (20) and rebounds (13)
- Binion was close behind with 16 points
- Junior forward Matt Szuba totaled two blocked shots
- Szuba and junior guard Izaiah Sanders swiped a pair of passes
What's Next?
North Park (1-3) has a long break before opening College Conference of Illinois & Wisconsin (CCIW) play at home against Carroll University on Wednesday, December 4. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m. inside the NPU Gym.
