CHICAGO, Ill. -- The North Park University men's basketball team held their last home contest of the season on Saturday night, falling to the Carthage College Red Men 65-85.
Carthage utilized their deep shooting early on, as Jordon Kedrowski knocked down back-to-back 3-pointers and Sean Johnson sent in a deep jumper to give the Red Men a 16-7 lead.Â
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An and-one layup from senior Cardell Simmons brought the Vikings closer at 10-16, and sophomore forward Matt Szuba knocked down a three to further close the gap at 16-13.Â
After Carthage responded with a three of their own, Szuba cashed in on his second three of the game as North Park trailed just 18-19.
Utilizing a height mismatch, Carthage's Sean Johnson backed into the paint for a layup. However, sophomore guard Izaiah Sanders checked into the game and quickly sent in a three to tie the game at 24 all.Â
The Vikings would grab their most significant lead of the game, 33-30, on a deep 3-pointer from Matt Szuba and layup from sophomore guard Toby Marek.
Yet, Carthage came back again with a Mike Canady three and a Brett Czerak jumper to regain a 35-33 lead.
Carthage entered halftime with a 39-33 advantage.
Five minutes into the second half, Carthage held a 50-42 lead on layups from Kienan Baltimore and a three from TJ Best.
North Park cut the lead down to 59-54 on a layup from Toby Marek and a three from Vegard Tangen, but Carthage's Mike Canady sent in a three and Kienan Baltimore marked a perfect trip to the free throw line and another layup to regain a ten-point lead at 66-56.
The Red Men would maintain their distance through the rest of the second half, earning the win 85-65.
Quick Hits:
- Seniors Vegard Tangen and Cardell Simmons marked double-digits with 14 and 10, respectively
- The duo also teamed up for 7 rebounds each
- Matt Szuba led North Park with 18 points, 9 rebounds, and season-high 6 threes
- Toby Marek added 10 pointsÂ
What's Next?
North Park (4-19, 2-12 CCIW) will travel to Illinois Wesleyan University next Wednesday, February 13 for a 7:00 p.m. tipoff.