Photo credit: Dr. Jeff Nelson and Paige Wilcox
CHICAGO, Ill. -- The North Park University men's basketball team played their final home game of the season on Wednesday night, narrowly falling in overtime to Illinois Wesleyan University, 94-92.
The Titans and Vikings played to a 9-9 tie through the first five minutes of the game before junior guard Izaiah Sanders posted back-to-back layups to capture a 13-9 lead.
After Illinois Wesleyan knotted the score up at 15 each, the Titans manufactured back-to-back layups themselves to lead 19-15.
Through the first half, the Titans led by as much as seven points until a layup from junior guard Toby Marek, jumper by sophomore guard Alex Flute, and an and-one layup from junior guard Lawrence Pointer tied the game at 32-32 with two minutes left in the half.
Next, the Titans tacked on a pair of free throws before freshman forward Karl Polk, Jr. sent in an and-one layup, moving the score to 35-34 in the Vikings' favor.
However, the Titans would take the lead at halftime after Keondre Schumacher drained a half-court shot just before time expired.
Halftime: Illinois Wesleyan 37, North Park 35
Through the majority of the second half, Illinois Wesleyan controlled the pace of play. Capturing multiple double-digit leads, the Titans were hoping North Park would back down. Fortunately, the Vikings slowly chipped away and began to bring themselves back into the game.
A 3-pointer from Pointer, layups by Sanders and Marek brought the Vikings within one point at 81-80. Next, after a pair of IWU free throws, junior forward Matt Szuba received a pass from Marek in heavy coverage directly in front of the NPU bench. Despite the tough defense, Szuba buried the clutch 3-pointer with seconds left on the clock to send the game into overtime.
Once more, the Titans held the lead for extra five minutes of play, taking a 89-85 advantage. Yet, another and-one conversion for Marek and a driving layup with 25 seconds on the clock gave the Vikings a one-point advantage, 90-89.

Unfortunately, despite another clutch, game-tying layup from Marek after IWU took a 92-90 lead, the Titans' Peter Lambesis flipped a shot in during the final possession to steal the win away from the Vikings, 94-92.
FINAL: Illinois Wesleyan 94, North Park 92
Quick Hits:
- Five Vikings – Sanders, Polk, Marek, Szuba, and Pointer – all scored in double figures
- Sanders, Polk, and Szuba all collected double-doubles (points/rebounds)
- 22 points from Sanders sets a new career high
- North Park shot 50% (36-72) from the field
What's Next?
North Park (4-20, 2-13 CCIW) concludes its season on Saturday, February 22, on the road against Augustana College. Tipoff is set for 7 p.m.