Thanks to Virginia Smith for the pictures

CHICAGO, Ill. --The North Park University men's basketball team took on their toughest matchup of the season on Wednesday, facing off with #3 ranked Illinois Wesleyan.

The Vikings struck first with the game's opening basket but Wesleyan was quick to overtake control of the half, leading for 17 minutes in the period. The Vikings were able to weather the storm though to keep the game in reach, and they entered the half with a new game on their hands as Gabe Johnson's buzzer-beating layup tied the score at 31. Johnson led the way for North Park with 8 points in the quarter while IWU's Matthew Leritz led his side with 7. Michael Osborne also registered 7 points to go with a team-leading 5 boards and Jordan Boyd chipped in on the defensive end with 3 steals. 

The 2nd half had a similar story, opening with a Michael Osborne layup to give the Vikings their first lead since the game's opening minutes. IWU quickly reestablished themselves though and—save for a lead change around the 10-minute mark—controlled a narrow lead for the game's remainder. The Vikings fought hard to stay within striking distance but weren't able to get over the hump as IWU took home the victory by a score of 63-58.

Both sides saw a balanced scoring effort with a total of 7 players reaching double figures, with Gabe Johnson's 15 and Cory Noe's 14 led their respective sides.

The Vikings' efforts didn't yield a victory but they can take pride in going wire-to-wire with the #3 team in the country. Next up for North Park is Benedictine who they'll matchup with on Saturday at 4pm on NPU's home court.