CHICAGO, Ill. – The North Park University men's basketball team gave No. 7 Wheaton College all they could handle Tuesday night, forcing overtime before going cold in the extra period to lose 74-69 at NPU Gymnasium.
Karl Polk Jr. hit a layup on the second possession for the hosts, giving them an early 2-0 lead. Later in the half, with the score knotted at 11, freshman Mike Osborne nailed his second three-pointer of the half to jolt the Vikings back in front. Jalen Boyd laid it in with 3:48 left to go in the first half to give North Park what would end up being their largest lead of the game, 32-25.
Neither team would let the game slip too far out of reach as it was constantly seesawing back and forth all night - there were 11 ties and 21 lead changes. Wheaton ended the first half on a 5-1 run to go into the locker room only down three.
Halftime: North Park 33, Wheaton 30
The Thunder charged out of the second half and continued their run scoring six straight before the Vikings could even get a bucket, putting the score at 39-33 only four minutes into the period. The gritty Vikings would not stay down for long, though, as they answered with a run of their own capped off by an Izaiah Sanders and-one to put North Park back in front, 43-41.
The teams stayed within four points of each other the remainder of the game, before an offensive rebound put back layup by Adam Bulwa with 42 seconds left drew the game even at 61 apiece. Great defense on both ends prevented missed game winners for both the Thunder and the Vikings, thus, forcing an extra five minutes to decide the contest.
End of Regulation: North Park 61, Wheaton 61
Wheaton's Tyson Cruikshank and Nyameye Adom each got hot in OT, scoring seven and four points, respectively, in the extra period. The Vikings struggled from the field, shooting 1-of-7 in their field goal attempts in overtime. Adom led all scorers with 27 points.
Final: No. Wheaton 74, North Park 69
Quick Hits
- Toby Marek dropped 18 points while being on court for all but 23 seconds of game time
- Mike Osborne dropped a career-high 16 points for the Vikings
- Jordan Boyd was all over the glass, collecting a career-high 15 boards to go along with his nine points
What's Next?
The turnaround is quick for North Park men's basketball (1-4) as they head to Waukesha, Wisconsin to take on Carroll University (0-2) next Thursday, February 4. Tipoff at Van Male Fieldhouse is set for 7 p.m.
