BLOOMINGTON, Ill. – The North Park University men's basketball team fell to the Illinois Wesleyan University Titans, 70-56, at the Shirk Center on Wednesday night.
The Vikings and Titans went tit-for-tat in the first half. Freshman forward Karl Polk Jr. scored 11 straight points for the Vikings, with an exclamation point dunk to give the Vikings a five-point lead at 20-15.
With six minutes to go in the half, the Titans sent in a layup but junior guard Lawrence Pointer quickly responded with a 3-pointer. A jumper from junior guard Toby Marek and a fastbreak, and-one layup for freshman guard Jalen Wilmington gave the Vikings a 28-19 lead with three minutes to go in the first half.
The Titans fought back with a 3-pointer, short jumper, and a pair of free throws, but the Vikings held steady with a 32-26 lead at halftime.
Halftime: North Park 32, Illinois Wesleyan 26
Unfortunately, the Vikings lost their lead with 10 minutes to go in the second half and lost their footing. Illinois Wesleyan shot 63% (17-for-27) from the field in the final 20 minutes while the Vikings made just one 3-pointer (1-for-15), as the Titans ran away with a 70-56 victory.
Final: Illinois Wesleyan 70, North Park 56
Quick Hits:
- Polk, Jr. totaled 19 points on 9-of-14 shooting
- Junior forward Matt Szuba pulled down 11 rebounds
- Marek followed Polk with 12 points
- Three Titans – Wallen, Schumacher, and Yoder – posted double-digit point totals
What's Next?
North Park (2-13, 0-6 CCIW) will face Augustana College at home on Saturday, January 18. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m.
