Photos: Angelina Azzo
CHICAGO, Ill. -- The NPU men's basketball team tipped off the 2022-2023 season this Wednesday evening, winning the opener by a score of 84-73 over East-West University. Alongside his Vikings, new HC Sean Smith moves to 1-0 in his North Park career following his tenure as an assistant with Wisconsin Lutheran College.
Jalen Boyd opened up the scoring for North Park's season with a jumper off the pass from Shamar Pumphrey. Boyd would go on to score 13 of his game-high 26 points in the 1st half. Despite the hot start from Boyd, who finished the game shooting a scalding 10-12, NPU's offense struggled overall en route to a 35.0% performance from the field in 1st half. Meanwhile, the Spartans shot 51.6%, including 5-10 from deep, keeping the score to 40-39 in favor of North Park through 20 minutes.
The Vikings flipped the script in the 2nd half, shooting 52.9% from the floor while holding East-West to 0-for-9 on three-point field goals. Defensively, North Park's full-court press proved too much for East-West to handle. The Vikings forced three straight turnovers within the opening minute of the 2nd half, ending the game with 17 steals while forcing 7 additional team turnovers committed by the Spartans. With that aggressive brand of defense alongside efficient offense, North Park pulled away to an eventual 11-point victory.
Jalen Boyd led all scorers with 26, setting a new career-high in points as well as 3-point field goals with four on five attempts. East-West's Jackson De Quannis led his side with 25. North Park newcomers Shamar Pumphrey, Kolden Vanlandingham, and Marquise Jackson were the other Vikings to reach double-figures. Jackson and Pumphrey paced the team with seven and six assists, respectively, and Jackson's five steals and two blocks were both team-highs as well. Leading the Vikings on the glass was Jordan Boyd with eight rebounds, notching one more than his brother who finished with seven.
What's Next?
North Park heads to Iowa on Saturday, November 12th for their next matchup with Grinnell College, with tip-off set for 4:00 P.M.
