Photo credits: Dr. Jeff Nelson and Paige Wilcox

CHICAGO, Ill. -- The North Park University women's basketball team defeated the Illinois Wesleyan University Titans 77-64 inside an energetic North Park Gym on Wednesday night. The win marked the first time in 15 years, to the date, that the Vikings beat the Titans.

Sophomore forward Jayla Johnson dominated in the game's opening quarter. Johnson scored 11 of the Vikings' 22 points as North Park led the Titans, 22-13, after one quarter of play. The Vikings shot 62% from the field in the first quarter.  

First Quarter: North Park 22, Illinois Wesleyan 13

In the second quarter, the Vikings kept their pace. With the score 29-21, sophomore guard Emily Czuhajewski marked five of the next seven points as the Viking lead grew to 36-21.  After back-to-back 3-pointers by the Titans, junior guard Zakiya Newsome netted two free throws to break the Titan run, retaining a double-digit lead at 38-27.  

Both the Titans and Vikings each marked field goals to end the quarter as North Park led the Titans, 43-31, at the half.  Johnson led the Vikings with 17 points while sophomore center Josie Summerville led the Vikings with five rebounds. The Vikings shot an impressive 58% in the half.  

Halftime: North Park 43, Illinois Wesleyan 31

At the beginning of the third quarter, the Titans notched seven of the first 11 points until Czuhajewski buried a 3-pointer to keep a significant Viking lead, 50-38.

The Vikings put up just eight more points in the third quarter but kept a 58-46 lead going into the final quarter of play.  

Third Quarter: North Park 58, Illinois Wesleyan 46

The fourth quarter started with both teams trading 3-pointers before the Vikings sent in back-to-back field goals by Johnson, carrying their biggest lead of the game at 67-51. Feeling the pressure, the Titans began to send in a flurry of shots with just over five minutes to go. This cut the Viking lead to eight points, 69-61. 

However, going wire-to-wire, North Park defeated Illinois Wesleyan for the first time since January 29, 2005.

Final: North Park 77, Illinois Wesleyan 64

Quick Hits

• Johnson led all scorers with 23 points
• As a team, North Park saw season highs in field goal percentage (55.1%) and rebounds (46)
• Summerville led the Vikings with seven rebounds
• Czuhajewski shot 4-of-8 from beyond the arc, totaling 14 points
• Newsome also turned in a double-digit scoring total with 13 on the night
• The Vikings limited the Titans offensively; IWU shot 30% from the field 
• Sophomore guard Jacki Rapp posted a game-leading six assists

What's Next? 

The Vikings (16-3, 9-1 CCIW) travel for a quick road trip to Naperville, Ill. to take on the Cardinals of North Central College on Saturday, February 2. Tipoff inside Merner Fieldhouse is set for 5 p.m. 

--NPU--