NAPERVILLE, Ill. -- The North Park University women's basketball team snapped its six-game winning streak falling to the North Central College Cardinals, 63-59, inside the Merner Fieldhouse on Saturday night.
Junior guard Zakiya Newsome and sophomore forward Jayla Johnson supplied the offense for the Vikings in the first quarter; Newsome marked four points while Johnson tallied five points. Unfortunately, the Vikings made just three shots and were behind the Cardinals, 16-9, at the end of the first quarter.
In the second quarter, North Park caught fire from the field and marked the first eight points, highlighted by a 3-pointer from Newsome and three points for junior guard Lauryn Alba Garner. However, the Vikings were still behind, 18-17.
After North Central extended its lead to 22-17, North Park grabbed its first lead of the game from two-straight field goals by Johnson and a layup by sophomore guard Emily Czuhajewsk, making the score 23-22.
Going into halftime, the Vikings outscored the Cardinals 18-9 in the second quarter and held a slim 27-25 lead. Johnson led the Vikings with 15 points and seven rebounds. Newsome followed with seven points.
Halftime: North Park 27, North Central 25
The Cardinals started the third quarter recapturing their lead with seven-straight points until sophomore center Josie Summerville netted a layup to move the score to 32-29. The Cardinals paced the rest of the quarter, outscoring the Vikings 12-8 with a 44-37 lead and just 10 minutes to play.
In the fourth quarter, the Cardinals led by as much as eight points and every time the Vikings gained some momentum, the Cardinals responded with a quality possession of their own.
Rapp utilized an and-one layup and Newsome dropped in a 3-pointer to close the gap to a one-possession game with under a minute to go in the game, but North Central held on to pull of the upset.
Final: North Central 63, North Park 59
Quick Hits
- Johnson led the Vikings with 25 points and 10 rebounds
- Newsome rounded out the double-digit scorers with 10 points
- Cardinal forward Natali Dimitrova led NCC with 17 points
What's Next?
The Vikings (16-4, 9-2 CCIW) welcome the Carroll University Pioneers to the North Park Gym on Wednesday, February 5. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m.
--NPU--
