Photo credit: Paige Wilcox and Dr. Jeff Nelson
CHICAGO, Ill. -- The North Park University women's basketball team extended its winning streak to five games on Saturday afternoon, taking down the Elmhurst College Bluejays 57-38.
At the beginning of the first quarter, both teams traded the first 20 points. making the score 10 all. Sophomore center Josie Summerville recorded four points during that stretch. The Vikings only allowed four more points through the rest of the quarter, holding a slim 16-14 lead going into the second quarter.
First Quarter: North Park 16, Elmhurst 14
Junior guard Lauryn Alba Garner sparked the Viking offense at the beginning of the second quarter, marking the team's first two field goals, to widen the North Park lead to 20-15. Senior guard Angelina Villasin further extended the Viking run to 6-0 until Elmhurst drained a 3-pointer, making the score 22-18.
North Park's defense stood tall, however. The Viking defense did not allow a Bluejay point for almost seven minutes, outscoring Elmhurst 14-6 to take a 30-20 lead into the locker room. Alba Garner led all scorers with eight points and senior center Alisha Panthier led the Vikings with five rebounds.
Halftime: North Park 30, Elmhurst 20
North Park grew its lead in the third quarter. With the score 38-27, the Vikings took their biggest lead of the game (15 points) on back-to-back layups by Summerville as North Park led, 42-27. Sinead Molloy sent in a deep, buzzer-beating 3-pointer in front of the NPU student section to give the Vikings a large 49-30 lead going into the fourth quarter.
Third Quarter: North Park 49, Elmhurst 30
Neither team could find any rhythm at the beginning of the fourth quarter, as both teams combined for six points in the first four minutes of the quarter (51-34).
Posting a season-best 38 points allowed, North Park went on to beat Elmhurst 57-38.
Final: North Park 57, Elmhurst 38
Quick Hits:
- Summerville led the Vikings with 12 points and Johnson contributed 10 points
- Johnson marked a double-double with 10 rebounds
- The Vikings out-rebounded the Bluejays, 40-37, and 13-10 on the offensive side
- The Vikings held the largest lead of the game at 21 points
What's Next?
The Vikings (15-3, 8-1 CCIW) conclude their two-game homestand welcoming the Titans of Illinois Wesleyan University on Wednesday, January 29. Tipoff inside the North Park Gym is set for 7 p.m.
--NPU--
