KENOSHA. Wis. – The North Park University women's basketball team earned a 66-59 win over the Carthage College Lady Reds at Tarble Arena on Wednesday night. With Illinois Wesleyan's 62-59 loss to Wheaton College, tonight's win gives the Vikings sole possession of the top spot in the College Conference & Wisconsin (CCIW) standings.
After trailing early by a score of 5-0, the Vikings broke utilized jumpers from sophomore forward Jayla Johnson, a layup from senior forward Alisha Panthier, and 3-pointer from senior guard Angelina Villasin pulled the Vikings within one point at 10-9.
However, the Lady Reds would hold a slim lead of 17-13 after one quarter of play.
Carthage kept its distance in the early minutes of the second quarter until layups from Johnson and freshman guard Esther Miller, a 3-pointer off the hand of Kayla Patterson, and Fastbreak layup from Johnson gave the Vikings their first lead of the game at 22-21.
The Vikings maintained their lead through the rest of the half, outscoring the Lady Reds 16-10. Going into halftime, Johnson led the Vikings with 10 points.
HALFTIME: North Park 29, Carthage 27
North Park began to put the game out of reach in the third quarter. Outscoring their opponent 22-8 through eight minutes of the quarter, the Vikings grabbed their largest lead of the game at 51-35. In the run, junior guard Zakiya Newsome totaled seven points and Johnson marked eight.
Moving to the final quarter of the game, North Park held a 53-40.
Carthage had their best showing of the game in the final quarter, outscoring the Vikings 19-13, but it was too little too late.
Powered by 23 points from Johnson, the Vikings earned a 66-59 win over the Lady Reds.
FINAL: North Park 66, Carthage 59
Quick Hits:
- Johnson tied Carthage's Sammie Woodward for a game-leading 23 points
- Johnson led both teams with nine rebounds
- Newsome added 11 points and four assists while never turning the ball over
- North Park takes sole possession of first place in the CCIW
What's Next?
North Park (14-3, 7-1 CCIW) hosts Elmhurst College on Saturday, January 25. Tipoff, as part of a doubleheader with the men's basketball team.