CHICAGO, Ill. – The North Park men's basketball team defeated Benedictine University Saturday afternoon in a close contest at NPU Gymnasium. A Michael Osborne layup with 4:20 to go gave the Vikings a comfortable 14-point lead before a 12-0 run by the Eagles came up just short and NPU won 68-66.
Jalen Boyd scored the first bucket of the game to put North Park up two, however, the Eagles then took control and were able to take a lead that went as high as 12 points with 12:25 left in the first half. The Vikings returned with a run of their own and soon enough, a Karl Polk Jr. layup gave NPU their first lead since the opening bucket. Two free throws by Benedictine with 22 seconds left made the teams deadlocked going into the locker room.
Halftime: North Park 39, Benedictine 39
A 21-3 run by NPU was a screaming way to start half number two for the hosts as they seemed to take firm command in the first nine minutes of the period. The lead stayed between 10-15 points for the Vikings until the Eagles had their furious last-ditch effort.
In the end, it was defense that helped NPU seal the deal. First, Jordan Boyd knocked away and nearly stole an inbounds pass that ran some precious seconds off the clock for BenU. Then, Jordan Boyd again put up a great shot contest to force a final miss from the Eagles.
Final: North Park 68, Benedictine 66
Quick Hits:
- Michael Osborne and Jalen Boyd each scored 14 points, while Gabe Johnson had 12, and Izaiah Sanders finished with 11.
- Sanders also had seven rebounds and six assists.
- Stellar defense was key in the second half as the Vikings forced the Eagles to shoot 9-29 for 31% in the frame.
What's Next?
The Vikings (8-7, 3-4 CCIW) return to CCIW play on Wednesday, January 26th with a game at home against Carthage College (8-8, 1-6 CCIW). That game will tipoff at 7 PM at NPU Gymnasium.
